Legislation & Policies
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Item Staff Development Handbook for Childcare Providers(Barnardos, 2005) Barry, ClaireThe purpose of this handbook is to provide childcare providers with an overview of the purpose, process and value of staff development. Staff development is the process by which staff members and teams develop their capacity to undertake their roles, thus contributing to the development of the service. It is achieved through a combination of supervision, appraisals, team meetings, training and mentoring/coaching. The handbook should be viewed as a set of guidelines within which childcare providers in the private, community and statutory sectors can best contribute to the development of individual staff members and the staff team. While staff development programmes will enhance the ability and competencies of team members and contribute to the development of the organisation, the ultimate benefit will be to children and families who will avail of enhanced services. It is this principle of improved service to children and their families that forms the basis for the handbook. Organisations and management have a duty to ensure that there is a constant development within the organisation to meet the current and evolving needs of children and their families. Individual staff members have a responsibility to participate in, and contribute to, their own professional development. This handbook is set in the context of ongoing developments within the Irish childcare sector, both legislative and best practice. Such developments place greater demands on organisations and staff to meet specific standards in a wide variety of areas. A greater degree of accountability is required of childcare services, thus increasing individual accountability.Item Grievance and Discipline Handbook for Childcare Providers(Barnardos, 2006) BarnardosThis handbook expands on Barnardos’ NCRC publication Personnel Practice in Early Years Services — A Guide (revised edition) by Mary Byrne. Its purpose is to provide childcare providers with an overview of what they need to know when dealing with disciplinary or grievance issues in their service and an outline of how to put policies and procedures in place in this area. The handbook also provides samples of grievance and disciplinary policies and procedures that an organisation may consult when implementing their own.Item Note: This is a Legacy Copy of this Publication. Legislation Handbook for Childcare Providers(Barnardos, 2005) Graham, Imelda; Lafferty, LindaThis handbook is intended to act as a guide to the many areas of legislation that impact upon childcare providers in Irelandin the various sectors, such as day care, school-age childcare or sessional pre-school services. Whether a provider is working in a very small setting or a large establishment, legislation plays an important role in shaping activities and the manner in which te setting is run. The purpose of legislation is primarily to ensure safe, ethical practices whether in connection with protecting children, with work practices or with financial rectitude.Item Note: This is a Legacy Copy of this Publication. Legislation Handbook for Childcare Providers (2nd edition)(Barnardos, 2008) Graham, Imelda; Lafferty, LindaThis handbook is an update on the 2005 publication Legislation Handbook for Childcare Providers. It is intended to act as a guide to the many areas of legislation that impact upon childcare providers in the various sectors in Ireland, such as day care, school-age childcare, sessional pre-school services and childminders. Whether a provider is working in a very small setting or in a large establishment, legislation plays an important role in shaping activities and the way in which the setting is run. The primary purpose of legislation is to ensure safe, ethical practices whether in connection with protecting children, with work practices or with financial matters. For childcare providers, it is crucial that knowledge of relevant legislation is up-to date and comprehensive. This will ensure that the service operates effectively and in accordance with the law, thereby providing a safe and productive setting that can focus on offering quality services. It can seem a daunting task to wade through the many relevant Acts, and even identifying which Acts apply to each service can be a challenge, so this handbook will serve as a useful reference to point people in the appropriate direction. The handbook is divided into sections with a quick reference guide at the start of each listing the key areas of legislation. Each section then gives the main items of legislation along with a short description of the purpose, an indication of who the legislation applies to and a listing of useful contacts or sources of further information. Services need to be compliant and they should endeavour to adopt a proactive approach to all areas. By regularly reviewing policies and procedures and by providing staff training where necessary, providers can ensure that their service is actively engaged in practice that seeks to set and maintain the highest standards for both its service users and staff.Item A Practical Guide to Developing Childcare Policies(Barnardos, 2008) Willoughby, MarieQuality childhood care and education (ECCE)1 is vital for all young children. The aim of this publication is to help childcare service providers to develop a set of policies and procedures that assists in the process of effective management and in the delivery of a quality childcare service. It is important that each service has its own individual policies and procedures specific to the needs and workings of their service. This publication is a useful tool for childcare service providers in developing these, focusing on childcare practice and the related areas that need to be covered in policies and procedures such as Interactions, Child Protection and Behaviour Guidance and Discipline. The book offers guidelines on how to create a set of policies, focusing on why policies are needed, the factors to consider when developing them and the process involved in their development. Once there is a set of policies in place, the other information in this book can be used when considering how best to communicate these with staff members and with the parents/carers using the service. Guidance is also given on how to review and adapt policies as circumstances change. The book is also a practical resource for services where there is already a set of policies in place which they wish to review and update.