I aim to work in partnership with parents and carers to meet the needs of the children I care for.

I respect that parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents and childcare practitioners work together in early year’s settings, the results have a positive impact on children’s development and learning.

I treat all children and adults equally and create a welcoming, inclusive environment in my home.

Procedure

I keep up to date about working in partnership with parents and carers and with relevant legislation by taking regular training and by reading relevant publications such as The Childcare Professional.

All parents have access to a copy of my policies and procedures, information about the types of activities provided, the daily routines and how parents can share learning at home. My policies and procedures are on my website, or can be emailed or available as hard copies on request.

Contracts and Records

I draw up and sign a written contract with parents before the placement starts. The contract is signed by the parent/s and myself and dated. I give copies to the parent/s and any other party involved in the contractual arrangements.

I review the contract with parents every 12 months, or when circumstances change.

I will do my best to meet parents’ requests for the care of their children according to their values and practices, preferences and attitudes, taking into account the other children in my care to have equal opportunities for everyone.

I keep records of these requests with the child record forms which also contain emergency contact numbers, dietary requirements/preferences, food allergies, health requirements, and information about who has legal contact with the child and who has parental responsibility for the child. These records are revisited and updated during regular reviews with parents.

If there are any changes to your child’s lifestyle or requirements at any time please let me know at the earliest opportunity – i.e. developed allergy, new medical details etc.

Communication with Parents

I work together with parents to make sure that the care of their child is consistent.

I make time for discussion about a child’s needs by sharing information with parents about daily routines and activities in my setting and in the child’s home. Ways of sharing this information can include inviting parents to add to children’s profile books, email, telephone, face-to-face meetings, and informal day-to-day feed back.

I will discuss any changes in my or the child’s home circumstances which may impact on the child’s development or my ability to care for a child.

I offer regular review meetings with parents to discuss their child’s learning and development share observations and discuss next steps.

I welcome parents’ feedback on my service. Please refer to my Complaints Policy on my procedures for managing negative feedback.

I display my Ofsted registration certificate and the Ofsted poster for parents which introduces Ofsted’s childcare responsibilities and gives Ofsted contact details.

Ofsted Inspections

I will notify all parents in advance when I am to be inspected by Ofsted so that parents can contribute their views to the inspector. I will supply parents with a copy of the Ofsted report within five working days of receiving the report.

All significant incidents are recorded in an incident book and will be shared and discussed with parents so that we can work together to resolve any issues.

This policy supports the following requirements and standards:

England
Meeting the Early Years Foundation Stage Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements.

Information and records
Learning and development requirement