Child Minding

The parent or carer must stay within the Centre at all times while their child is in the child minding service.

The parent / carer will be called if:

• their child needs help to go to the bathroom or needs their nappy changed
• their child is crying excessively
• their child becomes sick
• any serious misbehaviour takes place.

New parents / carers must complete an enrolment form on their first visit before leaving their child in the care of the child minder.

By signing this form, you are agreeing to all the policies and procedures of this child minding facility.

Any information about your child or your family that you give us verbally or in writing will be treated as confidential. Parents / carers will have access to their own child’s records but not to others. All documentation relating to your child is stored in a file which is not accessible to any other party.

The child minder will not discuss your child with others unless they have permission from the parent / carer.

The parent / carer must sign their child in and out each time they visit the Centre, clearly writing their child’s name. They must also list any special needs or instructions for the child, such as allergies, teething, cuddle rug or dummy.

The same person must sign the child in and out, and this person must remain on the Centre's premises at all times while their child is in our care.

The Centre will allow children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years old in child minding.

The number of children allowed in child minding will be determined by Wollongong City Leisure Centres staff. Our current maximim capacity for each Centre is shown below.

This service cares for children for a maximum of two hours each day. If you are planning on leaving your child in for two hours, let the child minder know when dropping off your child. You will also need to check on your child, and talk with the child minder, after one hour to confirm everything is ok and get agreement for them to stay for another hour. This is non-negotiable.

Nappy changing is not provided as part of our child minding service. We recommend you make sure your child has a new clean nappy before dropping them off.

If your child needs help to go to the toilet, or if their nappy needs to be changed, the parent / carer will be called.

No food can be taken into the child minding area.

Children may bring a drink or bottle only. Please make sure bottles are labelled with your child's name to help prevent them from being lost.

Do not bring children that are sick or showing symptoms of being sick.

It is our policy not to give any medication to the children in our care. This is the responsibility of the parent / carer.

We reserve the right to refuse admission into the child minding area.

The Centre will always promote positive behaviour in your child. Your child will be praised for good behaviour and the child minder will always set a good example and be a good role model to your child.

However, if your child misbehaves the child minder will use several techniques to deal with the child, depending on the child's age / ability and the situation. These techniques may include:

• Distraction. Remove the child from the situation and give them an alternative activity.
• Ignore: Depending on the situation the behaviour may be ignored if it is being done to get a reaction.
• Talk with the child. If the child can understand, the child minder will talk with them about their behaviour and try and get them to understand the consequences of their actions.
• Time out. Removing the child from the activity and sitting them quietly for a few minutes.

The child minder will never smack, shake, hurt or humiliate your child.

Our child minding service is inclusive. All children are welcome regardless of their race, religion, culture, sex, social background etc.

However, we may exclude a child permanently if the child does any of the following:

• continually behaves aggressively to other children
• continually uses inappropriate language (swearing)
• continually makes inappropriate remarks, such as racist comments
• is likely to cause harm to other children in the setting.

We reserve the right for our staff to refuse admission to any child. If this happens we will discuss reasons for this decision with the parent / carer.

Children with disability are welcome to be enrolled in this service if we can meet their additional support needs. However, due to limited staff and facilities, we are unable to supervise any children with severe additional support needs.

These procedures are in place to support the health and safety of your child while they're at our child minding service:

• All toys and equipment will be checked and cleaned regularly so they are safe for your child to use. Any broken or hazardous items will be removed immediately. Children will only be offered toys and resources that are suitable for their age / stage of development
• Children may only bring toys from home that are suitable for all children who may use this service. For example, toys must not have small parts that could be a choking hazard for younger children. The child minder may remove any personal toys that are considered unsuitable, and these will be returned when the parent / carer picks up the child.
• Wollongong City Council is not responsible for any toys or other personal items that the child may bring from home.
• When they're not in the child minding service, children are the sole responsibility of their parent / carer, and must be supervised at all times. Children must be kept away from gym equipment when moving through the Centre.

The safety of your child is our priority. The child minder will take every measure they can to protect your child from being hurt.

However sometimes accidents do happen. In these cases, we will deal with incidents as follows:

• comfort the child and reassure them
• assess the extent of their injuries and if necessary call for medical support / ambulance
• carry out any first aid procedures that are necessary
• contact the parent / carer as soon as possible.

After every accident, however minor. the child minder will:

• complete a report in the accident book
• ask the parent / carer to sign the report and then provide them with a copy.

If the child minder has reason to believe that any child within their care is being abused or neglected in any way, they will report it to the NSW Department of Family & Community Services (FACS).

Under these circumstances the childminder will not be able to keep information relating to the child confidential, but will need to share it with the FACS and / or police if requested.