Unit 1- An Introduction to Working with Children
E1&2
A provision is the whole range of services provided for children. These include care, leisure and recreational services. The provisions are split into three areas: Private, Statutory and Voluntary.
A private provision is a service that someone has set up to make a profit. These settings are still inspected to certify that health and safety of the children is maintained. An example of this provision is Busy Bee’s Private Day Nursery in Oakwood. It provides care and education for children aged 3 months - 5 years. The service provides lots of age appropriate equipment for children to use such as sand pits, wildlife areas and playhouses. The nursery is open Monday – Friday from 7am – 7pm.
A statutory provision is provided by the government, therefore following the national curriculum. They believe that children from 5 to 18 years of age should have the right to free education. An example of this provision is Pottery Primary School in Belper. It provides education for children aged 5 to 11. The support that’s offered to children and families is: free school meals, a variety of after school clubs, support for disabilities and learning difficulties, support in subjects and learning to read classes for parents wanting extra help in teaching their children to read.
A voluntary provision is provided by organisations such as charities. They receive most of their funding from donations. An example of this provision is Barnardo’s. They are a charity that’s been set up to help unfortunate children. The charity organises fundraising events such as raffles and tombola’s. The money that is raised from these events goes towards supporting children and families. The charity helps children that are in care to get fostered. However, not everyone can foster children for various reasons, so they offer a sponsor a child system for people to help support the charity without the commitment of looking after a child. Barnardo’s also donates toys and clothes to children, families and other charity shops to help and support those who are less fortunate.
E3
The Children’s Act 2006 ensures that the rights of children and families are put first, with local authorities to support them. This ensures that views get heard within the planning and delivery of services. Practitioners can provide information services to help and support parents and children. Practitioners work together with local authorities to improve children’s learning and development.
The Education Schools and Families Act 2010 ensures that schools take into account the needs of children and their families. Schools can then provide help for those who are in need of it, for example a child with special educational needs might need a another specialist professional working with them. Schools have inspections in order to check that the school “meets the needs of the range of pupils” (Tullo: C: 2010: legislation.gov.uk: 3/09/2013).
The Children’s Act 1989 was targeted to make sure the welfare of the child was paramount, working with parents to ensure the protection of their child. This was to strengthen the relationships within different families and give the child “equal rights, feelings and wishes” (careandthethelaw.org.uk: 3/09/2013). The act was update in 2004 due to high profile enquiries into child protection. This was when ‘every child matters’ was brought in to ensure the protection of children. The Children’s Act 2004 is aimed to further improve the lives of children. There are five outcomes that should be promoted by practitioners, these are; staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, achieved economic wellbeing and making positive contributions.
E4
There are certain values and principles that guide practitioners and underpin the professional standards and good practice. These can be identified from documents like the CACHE Statement of Values, EYFS and the National Occupational Standards.
The CACHE Statement of