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ASSIGNMENT ON RECORD

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Sara Viera
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49 views6 pages

ASSIGNMENT ON RECORD

Uploaded by

Sara Viera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ASSIGNMENT ON RECORD-KEEPING

AND OUTINGS IN ELC SETTINGS


1. The Relevance and Importance of Record-Keeping
in ELC
Definition and Purpose of Record-Keeping

Record keeping in Early Learning and Care (ELC) settings is based on


organizing the documentation related to the children's personal
information, in order to have proof of the safety, health, and
educational activities of the children (Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years
Services) Regulations 2016).

The documents that could be kept would be, attendance documents,


medical history, different permissions from the parents such as
outings or excursions, who can pick up the child if the legal guardians
cannot go, among many others (Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years
Services) Regulations 2016).

This record keeping is essential, since it has the purpose of ensuring


that regulations are complied with, apart from having the support the
safeguarding of children and that the parents have the security and
confidence that their children are in good hands (Child Care Act 1991
(Early Years Services) Regulations 2016).

Legislation and Regulatory Requirements

According to the Child Care Act, 1991 (Early Years Services)


Regulations 2016, all ELC providers must keep records regarding the
attendance, permissions, and risk assessments, particularly for
outings. All of these records are collected to comply with the
regulations of Child Care Act, 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations
2016, to comply with those standards of safety and health of children,
and to ensure that in case an incident occurs there is a record of
those records (Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations
2016).

Records that must be kept in a setting and for how long

The length of time records in an early learning and care (ELC) setting
must be kept depends on the Child Care Act, 1991 (Early Years
Services) Regulations 2016, as this sets out all the requirements
relating to record keeping in this area (Child Care Act 1991 (Early
Years Services) Regulations 2016).

Some examples are:


• Records related to attendance, consent: Minimum duration is
two years after the child has left the service, and the information
must be available for inspection or consultation after the child leaves.

• Incident records: Minimum duration is seven years, as they must


be kept in case of legal disputes.

• Administrative or financial records (payments from


parents): minimum duration is six years to comply with tax
regulations among others.

Key records to keep:

• Daily Attendance Records: Helps with supervision of each child

•Parental Consent: Includes all permissions for outings,


administration of medication and different activities

• Medical Records: Details of the child's allergies with all the tools
to help the child in case of an emergency

• Evacuation Plans: Each center must be able to be prepared to act


in case of emergencies

All records collected by the educational center must be kept private,


since they contain private information of minors and family members.

Some methods for storing them are: in digital and physical format
where they are in a secure system and can only be accessed by
authorized personnel. And carry out

periodic reviews to keep all records updated and in compliance with


regulations (GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation).

Policies and Procedures for Record-Keeping

As well as complying with the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years
Services) Regulations 2016, ELC settings also adhere to local policies
which detail record keeping procedures.

An example might be when there is a school trip, where the trip policy
dictates that parental consent and a prior risk assessment of the trip
are required (Health and Safety at Work Acts 2005 and 2010).

2. Outings
Importance of Outings for Children's Development

The importance of outings for child development, as Niamh Gaine


(2020) rightly says, provides the opportunity to promote both social
and cognitive abilities, and also promotes children's physical well-
being.

Niamh Gaine (2020) also comments that being in environments


different from the usual ones allows children to develop resilience and
learn to adapt to new social environments and how to manage their
emotions by changing their environment.

Policies and Procedures for Outings

As for the policies on outings, they say that all outings provided by
the educational centre must be notified to the parents and previously
accepted by them, since they are the ones who have to give consent
for their children to go on these outings. In addition to this, the
outings must be perfectly planned in advance, such as transport,
supervision... and with their respective risk assessments and the
different procedures to be carried out in case an accident occurs
(Gaine, 2020; Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services Regulations
2016).

As explained by Gaine (2020), she emphasizes the great importance


of well-planned school trips, as they allow children to interact safely
without interruptions in new environments and thus be able te
develop their social and cognitive skills (Gaine, 2020; Child Care Act
1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016).

3. Main Steps Involved in Planning an Outing


3.1. Children's Learning

When planning a trip, you have to take into account the knowledge
that the children will learn on it and if the trips are based on the
children's emerging interests, all the better, since they will pay much
more attention and get more excited. An example could be the zoo,
where the children will be very interested in the different animals and
will want to know more about them, since they rarely see such exotic
animals (Gaine, 2020).

In addition, the trips must be planned so that they are linked to


Aistear's learning objectives.

3.2. Adult to child ratio

When a group of children goes outside the school, the ratio of adults
per child must be increased (the ratio within the school is 1 in 8
children), whether it be parent volunteers or student interns, but they
must first have garda vetting, as the ELC settings excursion policy
says so (Gaine, 2020).
3.3. Parental Permission

Parental permission to authorize an outing is essential, since without


their signature the child will not be able to leave the school grounds
and therefore will not be able to go on the excursion.

Permission to go on a school excursion must be notified to the family


with sufficient advance notice to be able to decide whether they can
go or not. The departure and arrival times, the activity that will be
done, the special requirements for that day, whether it be clothing or
accessories, and the food that must be brought must be written on it
(Gaine, 2020).

Communications system

When there is a school trip, teachers must be reachable at all times,


since in case of an accident they must have a list with the numbers of
the parents of each child so they can notify them of the incident
(Gaine, 2020).

Transport

In case transportation is needed for the trip, it should be planned in


advance, since the bus must be equipped with seat belts in good
condition and children must be supervised both when getting on and
off the bus (Gaine, 2020).

First Aid

A first aid kit should always be carried in case of an incident.


Moreover, if a child needs to be given medication, such as insulin or
an asthma inhaler, they should be taken to the excursion with prior
authorization from their parents so that the teachers can help them
and administer the medication themselves if necessary (Gaine, 2020).

Food and Drink

In the case of food and drink, there is a food and nutrition policy in
preschool services, where children must receive two meals and
refrigerators during the day (Department of Health, 2004).

But when leaving school these supplies must be provided during the
trip either by eating out or where the providers give them the food
(Gaine, 2020).

Cost

For trips that have a cost, budgets should be defined and notified as
far in advance as possible to both the school and the parents. If
possible, these trips should have the lowest possible costs for both
the parents and the school, since the latter should agree to subsidise
the trip or not (Gaine, 2020).

Weather Conditions

For a trip to be enjoyable for teachers and children, the weather is an


essential factor, and although the weather can be unpredictable, it is
always good to have different options in case the weather gets worse.

One recommendation for parents would be for children to always


carry sunscreen that can last all day and an umbrella in case it rains
(Gaine, 2020).

4. The Role of the Adult in Ensuring the Care, Health,


Wellbeing, and Safety of Children When Outside the
Setting
The role of the adult in the scenatio according to Gain (2020) apart
from supervising the children and ensuring their well-being, they must
also provide social and cognitive needs.

Adults play a crucial role in children's physical, cognitive, social, and


emotional care.

They supervise children to prevent accidents, encourage curiosity,


guide them in interacting with peers, and provide reassurance and
trust. These roles not only protect children but also contribute to their
holistic growth and development, fostering resilience and adaptability.

References
https://www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/
20160510ChildCareActEarlyYrsRegs2016SI221of2016
.pdf
https://www.tusla.ie/services/preschool-services/
early-years-providers/early-years-provider-
resources/early-years-quality-and-regulatory-
framework/
https://www.hsa.ie/eng/topics/
managing_health_and_safety/
safety,_health_and_welfare_at_work_act_2005/
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/
summary/general-data-protection-regulation-
gdpr.html

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