EYES Update 11 June 2019

Early Childhood Ireland’s Early Years Employer Service (EYES) can be contacted Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, by phone on (01) 405 7103 or by email on eyes@earlychildhoodireland.ie. The EYES team is here to help with a range of issues related to the running of an early years and school aged service.  If you have a query outside of these hours, please send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

National Childcare Scheme – Contracting Opens

As you may know, the contracting stage of the National Childcare Scheme opened yesterday, 10 June 2019. All services that choose to participate in the National Childcare Scheme must enter into a contract with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Contracts are currently available on PIP for activation and will remain so until the scheme roll out in October 2019.

The National Childcare Scheme contract sets out a number of terms of references and requirements relating to the operation of the scheme. It sets out some of the standard contractual requirements, which includes items around subsidies, the legal framework, the operation of the scheme, payment terms, recording, verification and the terms of the agreement, as well as operational requirements, such as registrations, attendance keeping and reporting requirements.

The National Childcare Scheme contract can be found here, and you can read more about this in the explanatory notes.

Outings

Since it is summer, the opportunities for outdoor learning and exploration by way of outings can be valuable to children’s development. All services should have an outings policy in place, this should cover outings and parental consent, how outings are managed, how children are supervised, clothing requirements, communications, infection control and, perhaps most importantly, how risk is managed.

Before each outing a thorough risk assessment should be completed. This risk assessment should take into account the nature of the outing, the transportation needed, any potential hazards such as roads etc. and the number of staff available. This risk assessment will let you know how many first aiders are needed, if a change in venue is necessary, if transportation is practicable. It will determine the ratios needed on the outing, which should not be higher than those normally in the service. Although parents should be welcomed on outings, it should be noted that they cannot be used for ratio purposes and cannot be used to replace staff.

All staff on the outing should be fully aware of the risk assessment and should be aware of their duties regarding roll calls, supervision and procedures for dealing with critical incidents. You can see information on developing a critical incident plan here, and here on developing an outings policy and managing risk.

Lastly, enjoy the outing. These can be great experiences for children and adults alike.

Question: One of my staff members recently took part in FAR training through PHECC. How can I claim my reimbursement for the training?

This is something that is being handled by the Childcare Committees. Generally, contact your local childcare committee to request an application form. This form must be completed and returned to your local CCC with a copy of the FAR certificate and a receipt for the training. Rebates of up to €225 are being processed per full course, or €175 for a refresher, for one person from your service. Deadline for applications for this quarter is 14 June 2019.

Do you have a question for the Early Years Employer Service team?

Please submit your question below and see it featured in upcoming EYES updates in Early Times Weekly.

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