Child Care Okehampton

Staff employment and training policy

Posted on Monday, June 8, 2015 in Our Policies

Staff Employment and Training

Stepping Stones Day Nursery prides itself on the promotion of qualified staff.  The purpose of this policy is to link staff, their performance and development to the achievement of the setting’s operational and strategic objectives and its commitment to continuous improvement and excellence.

  • Adults looking after children must have appropriate qualifications, training, skills and knowledge.
  • Stepping Stones Day Nursery ensures that all adults looking after children, or having unsupervised access to them, are suitable to do so.  

Ratios

  • 0-2 year group has at least one member of group to each three children
  • 2-3 year group has at least one member of group to each four children
  • 3-5 year groups has at least one member of staff to each eight children

Qualifications

  • The proprietor named Clare Acton has achieved Early Years Professional Status
  • The Assistant Manager named Hayley Mortimore is qualified to a level five and is the named deputies in my absence.
  • The Safeguarding Designated Officers are Clare Acton and Lorraine Neighbour (level 3)
  • The Senco named Jodie Dunn is level three.
  • All Team Leaders are level three
  • All nursery nurses are level three or working towards.
  • All staff hold or are working towards child related qualifications.
  • The majority of staff carry a current paediatric first aid certificate
  • All staff hold a Level 2 in safeguarding

Guiding Principles

The following principles apply to all aspects of staff development and training activity delivered both internally or externally via support areas.  There is a commitment to staff development and training.

  • All employees regardless of age, grade, gender, disability or ethnic background or nature of their contract of employment are expected to undertake staff development and training, which is viewed as a continuous process through employment.
  • All new employees receive induction training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities.  This includes safeguarding, evacuation procedures, child protection, and equality policy and health and safety issues.
  • Employees are given supervision time to provide opportunities for;

Discuss ideas concerning children’s development or well being

Identify solutions to address issues as they arise

Receive coaching to improve their personal effectiveness

  • Employees are required to assume responsibility for their own development and training, which includes both participation in planned activities and making use of opportunities to learn when they are presented.
  • Staff development and training is an obligation for team leaders who are also responsible for identifying individual training and developmental needs and supporting and encouraging staff.
  • Accountability for staff development and training rests with management at every level.
  • Staff development and training provision will be evaluated and reviewed to ensure that it is adequate, relevant, and effective and provides value for money.

Keep Records

  • All employees are given a contract which outlines our policies and procedures with reference to pay, hours worked, holiday, sickness, grievances and disciplinary procedures.
  • Induction is carried out on the first day of employment; these forms are kept on record subject to data protection.
  • All employees undertake in house training with Nat West Mentor and is updated yearly.
  • We support the work of our staff by means of regular monitoring / appraisals and secure opportunities for continued professional development.
  • Full staff meetings take place two or three times a years, the minutes are recorded and kept.
  • Training records will be maintained by the nursery subject to data protection requirements.

Suitable persons

  • We work towards an equal opportunities employment policy, seeking to offer job opportunities equally to both men and women, with or without disabilities, from all religious, social, ethnic and cultural groups regardless of their age.
  • We are committed to recruiting, appointing and employing staff in accordance with all relevant legislation and guidance.
  • All new employees are subject to a suitable DBS check and a twelve week probation period, during that time they are never left in a room alone with children or able to assist in toileting or nappy changing.
  • All staff need to complete an annual suitability declaration to ensure that management are aware of any changes in circumstances and address them accordingly.
  • Staff / volunteers / students under the age of seventeen must be risked assessed and supervised at all times. Apprentices may be included in the ratio if Stepping Stones is satisfied that they are competent and responsible.