Policies and Procedures in Your Childcare Service

As you are approaching the beginning of the new school year, now is the time for your service to review your policies and procedures. In order to ensure the successful running of your early years service, these documents should be workable, effective and true to what you service practice currently is.

As part of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, there are some necessary amendments that you need to include in your policies and procedures. Ensure you are aware of all changes and that your service holds good clear policies and procedures to guide the actions of all individuals involved in your service.

What is a Policy?

Policies are clear, simple statements of how your childcare service intends to conduct its business. Policies provide a set of guiding principles to help with decision making. Policies don’t need to be long or complicated – a couple of sentences may be all you need for each policy area.

What is a Procedure?

Procedures describe how each Policy will be put into action.  A procedure should be a clear detailed document outlining who will do what, what steps they need to take, which forms or documents to use etc. Templates of documents/forms should be included.

Who should use Policies and Procedures?

Policies and procedures help current/new staff and families to familiarise themselves with your service’s practices and gives them information about what to expect from your service. Policies and procedures should be ‘working and real’ documents that must be regularly reviewed to ensure that they meet all the needs of those working in the service, and take into account the possible changes that have happened in the service, sector and within the wider community.

It is important to involve all those who participate in your childcare setting for example, staff, committee members, parents and children when developing new policies and procedures because their experience and opinions will often be invaluable.

Tips when developing/reviewing your Policies and Procedures:

• What is the overall goal of the policy?
• What is your service’s overall thinking/ethos on this subject?
• What are the needs and requirements of your service?
• What are the needs and requirements for children, parents and staff?
• Ensure the policies cover every eventuality
• Do they comply with legal and best practice requirements?
• Are they reasonable and practical?
• Do they give guidance and tools for implementation, as well as rules?
• Are they in a format that is easy to update?
• Are they easily accessible to staff and parents?
• Who needs to be consulted, and have they?
• What do you need to include?
• Do you need to attach any documents?
• Is it clear and transparent?
• Have all parties contributed?
• Do all staff understand the content?
• Are parents aware of the content?

Longford County Childcare are delivering workshops to help you. For further information please see our events on our website home page http://longfordchildcare.ie/