Excursions and routine outings

Purpose
To provide clear guidelines to the educators and other stakeholders to ensure the safety, health and well-being of the children in case of any excursions or routine outings. Ensure the risk assessment is carried out before the permission is sought.

Scope
These guidelines will apply to the Approved provider, nominated supervisor, Certified supervisor, educators, staff, students on placement, volunteers, parents, children and others attending the service.

Objective
To ensure the children are provided the adequate supervision, ensure the site of excursion is risk free even before taking the children there. And provide detailed strategies for minimizing and managing the identified risks through risk assessment.

Policy
At FIRST IDEA FAMILY DAY CARE SERVICES, we are committed to help children achieve their holistic development through providing exposure to the world in a safe and healthy manner. A risk assessment will be done by the educator before getting the permission from the approved provider. The risk assessment will be used to find out the ways to reduce the risks to ensure the children’s safety during the outing experience.

Procedures
Approved Providers and delegates are responsible for:

• • Ensuring that educators and assistants who are transporting children by car hold a valid and current Australian Driver’s License
  • Ensuring that family provide authorisation for their child to participate in excursions that are ‘regular outings’ these are updated every 12 months and kept with the child’s enrolment record in
  • accordance with ‘Authorisations – acceptance and refusal policy and procedures.
  • Ensuring that educators only allow a child to participate in an excursion with the written authorisation of a parent/guardian or authorised nominee.
  • Ensuring educators and assistants follow the VicRoads requirements when seating children in motor vehicles
  • Professional development for the educational leader, coordinators, educators and assistants receive training on how to correctly install and use child restraints and booster seats
  • Professional development and training is offered to support educators understanding of road safety and risk management
  • Ensuring that educators complete written risk assessment prior to conducting excursions and regular outings in accordance with information contained in Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 r.101
  • Ensuring that risk assessments for excursions and regular outings that involve motor vehicle travel should include details of the child’s restraint needs which may need to be assessed more frequently than every 12 months
  • Ensuring that educators adequately supervise and monitor all children in attendance and during all excursions and regular outings to ensure they are accounted for at all times and checked against an accurate attendance record.
  • Ensuring that educators and assistants are aware that they are not to leave children unattended in a vehicle at any time, including when refuelling
  • Notifying Department of Education and Training (DET) within 24 hours of a serious incident or a complaint alleging legislation was breached.
  • Monitoring, maintaining and storing all legislated and required records confidentiality
  • Be contactable whilst children are in attendance at the service
  • Providing up to date current information on each child.

A database of educator’s insurances will be maintained.

Educators and assistants are responsible for:

• Holding a current Australian Driver’s License if intending to drive with children in motor vehicle during an excursion or regular outing
• Being contactable by telephone whilst children are in attendance at the service (including whilst on an excursion)
• Ensuring any motor vehicle/s used to transport children during excursions or regular outings is suitably maintained, roadworthy, safe for children, registered and adequately insured
• Notifying the approved provider of each or any motor vehicle that will be used to transport children, educators license details and any changes to these, including any driving offences
• Keeping vehicle/s locked and inaccessible to children when not in use
• Obtaining written approval from family prior to a child attending an excursion in accordance with Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 r.102 (4)
• Performing a risk assessment prior to any proposed excursion or regular outing in accordance with Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 r.100-101
• Ensuring that risk assessments for excursions and regular outings that involve motor vehicle travel
• includes details of each child’s restraint needs which, may need to be assessed more frequently than every 12 months
• Ensuring that risk assessments are available at the service for families to view prior to excursion or regular outings
• Ensuring that each child’s personal medication and current medical management plans are taken on excursions and regular outings
• Taking all necessary items on excursions or regular outings such as evacuation bag and first aid kit, nappies, bottles, snacks and water
• Arranging excursions based on the educational program
• Ensuring ‘Sun protection policy and procedures are implemented on excursions and regular outings
• Obtaining written approval from parent/guardian every 12-month period authorising regular outing
• Ensuring that children are not transported in additional/dickie seats due to safety concerns with these types of seats in the event of a crash refer to VicRoads Seat Belt and Child Restraint Information
• In the event of an accident, breakdown or emergency situation the ‘Emergency and evacuation policy and procedures should be followed
• Providing adequate supervision of all children during excursions – ensuring enough adults are present to ensure this
• Ensuring that parents/guardians, volunteers, students participating in an excursion are adequately supervised at all times and are not left with sole supervision of children
• Contact Police if child missing for 5 minutes and follow their instructions
• Notifying the approved provider or nominated supervisor immediately of any serious or notifiable incident (child injured, missing, becomes ill)

Families are required to:

• Provide written authorisation every 12 months (minimum) for the educator to take child on regular outings
• Sight copies of risk assessment prior to authorising their child to attend excursion or regular outing
• Provide written authorisation for their child to attend an excursion and/or regular outings
• Understanding that if they participate in an excursion or regular outing as a volunteer, they will be under the immediate supervision of the educator at all times
• Informing the educator immediately if a child appears to be missing from the group while on excursion

NATIONAL QUALITY FRAMEWORK

Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010	Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011	National Quality Area	National Quality Standard
165,167,174	100-102, 176,166,168	2.3	2.3.1, 2.3.2, 2.3.3
		7	7.3.5

RELATED LEGISLATION

• Children’s Health and Wellbeing Act 2009
• Health Records Act 2001
• Information Privacy Act 2000
• Privacy Act 1988
• Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005
• Children, Youth and Families Act 2005
• Disability Discrimination Act 19924
• Information Privacy Act 2000
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
• Working with Children Act 2005

RELATED POLICIES

• Administration of First Aid
• Assessment of Educators, Assistants, and Persons Residing at the Family Day Care Residence
• Authorisations – Acceptance and Refusal
• Code of Conduct
• Complaints and Grievances
• Confidentiality
• Delivery and Collection of Children
• Enrolment and Orientation
• Interactions with Children
• Maintaining a Register of Family Day Care Educators and Assistants
• Medical Conditions
• Participation of Volunteers and Students
• Visitors to Family Day Care
• Water Safety

References and resources

• Department of Education and Training (DET)
• Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
• Early Childhood Australia – Code of Ethics
• Early Childhood Australia
• Guide for Family Day Care Educators
• DEECD Emergency Management Guidelines

REVIEW

POLICY REVIEWED	July 2019	NEXT REVIEW DATE	July 2020
MODIFICATIONS	Policy created for First Idea Family Day Care Services, inclusive of changes to the National Quality Standards and Education and Care National Regulations