What we do
The Service works to ensure the availability of a broad range of high quality daycare, play, registered nursery education and family support services for children and their families in County Durham.
Our work is informed by the Children Act 1989, a range of other relevant legislation and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
We contribute to the achievements of the objectives of the Children's Services Plan and the Early Years Development and Childcare Plan.
Our services include:
- Daycare for children who are assessed as being in need of this support either in one of our own nursery or family centres, in a private or voluntary sector setting or with a sponsored childminder.
- Formal and informal support to families who need help in caring for their children.
- High quality nursery education for all children attending daycare at our nursery or family centres.
- Advice and support for all those who deliver daycare, play, nursery eduation and family support services in the private and voluntary sectors.
We believe:
- That the welfare of children is of paramount importance.
- That we must work in partnership with children and families.
- That every child, parent and carer has the right to be treated as an individual and to have their individual needs respected and addressed.
- That the encouragement of independence, confidence and self-esteem must be a key feature of our work.
- That we must listen to and value children's and families own views and ideas about their lives and experiences, that young children make sense of their world and their experiences through play and activities which allow them to make choices and decisions.
- We aim to carry out all of our work according to these basic principles in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.
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Quality
The quality of our services is very important to us.
We are continuously working on improving our services and have set standards in a number of areas.
You will see these displayed in our centres (or ask any member of staff) and you can help us by letting us know how well we do and how you think we can do better.
Our job descriptions and Policy and Performance Manual which spell out how we should work, are used to monitor our performance and help us to identify our training needs.
We want to hear from you if you have a complaint or want to pay us a compliment or tell us about how we can improve what we do.
You should :
- Talk directly to the staff or the Team Manager, or
- Pick up a leaflet from one of the centres or from any member of staff, or
- Telephone the Complaints Officer at County Hall on 0191 383 3738
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Inspection
Our Centres:
- Are inspected regularly to ensure that we have the right number of appropriate staff, that our premises are safe and suitable and that our routines and activities meet the children's needs.
- Are registered to provide nursery education and are inspected to ensure that we meet the appropriate standard in this particular area of our work.
Our most recent inspection reports are available in each centre. You should see them on display. Please ask if you are not sure where to find them.
Partnership
Our most important partners are parents and carers.
We recognise that they are the first and main carers and educators of their children and those who make the most significant difference to their children's lives.
This means that we will :
- Make parents and carers feel welcome in our centres,
- Involve parents and carers in all decisions we take which affect or involve their children,
- Listen and talk to parents and carers about our services and the way we work and act on this information,
- Provide appropriate information for parents and carers,
- Make sure that parents and carers have a range of ways to let us know what they think of our services.
We recognise that we must also work effectively with other agencies and organisations in the best interests of children and families.
- We take an active role in developing good relationships with our colleagues in the Education Department and the Health Authority and in the voluntary and private sector
- We are members of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership and share the responsibility for developing childcare and other services for families.
- Some of our centres and staff are involved in local Sure Start Partnerships and are working hard to develop new and better ways of working.
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Equality of Opportunity
- We are very committed to treating everyone, adults and children with respect and dignity
- We believe that everyone should have an equal chance of a fulfilling life
- We work very hard to ensure that our centres and services are not discriminatory in any way
- Our resources and activity programmes for children are designed to foster an appreciation and understanding of equality issues in relation to:
- Gender
- Race
- Religion
- Age
- Ability
- Culture
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Special Needs
All of our centres welcome disabled children and parents and those with special needs. We ensure that all children who attend have appropriate access to nursery or family centre activities.
- Our centres all follow the Department for Education and Employment's "Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs". More information is available. Please ask if you would like it.
- We provide support for parents and carers who have special needs which mean they need extra support in caring for their children.
- We provide support and advice to voluntary and private sector services who offer places for children who have special needs or whose parents or carers who have special needs. The Early Years and Childcare Team co-ordinate this service.
- If we feel we are unable to meet a child's specific needs we will try to help to find an alternative service if we can.
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Work with Families
- We need to work closely, with parents and carers in order to do the best we can for children.
- We want to support the whole family as well as the children and can do this in different ways.
- Our outreach family workers will work with families in their own home.
- Our centre-based workers may invite families to come into the centre or may work in the family home.
- We run groups in the centres or at other community based venues. Staff at the centres will be able to provide up to date information.
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Learning and Development
We work hard to make sure that all children grow and develop during their time with us.
- We keep records which tell us how children are developing and help us to plan appropriate activities to help them to progress
- Our toys, equipment and activities are carefully chosen to be appropriate for children's needs and to stimulate their interest
- We are registered with the Department for Education and Employment to provide nursery education for three and four year olds to make sure that children who attend our centres get a good start.
- Our most recent Ofsted Inspection Reports are displayed in our centres. Please ask if you haven't seen them.
- Our plans for children's learning are on notice boards in the centres. Staff will be happy to talk about them.
We want to offer parents and carers the opportunity to be involved in their children's learning and development. Key workers will make sure that this can happen.
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Registered nursery education - areas of learning
Personal, social and emotional development
Children learn to understand and control their emotions, to be part of social groups and to be confident and independent individuals.
Physical development
Children relish opportunities for physical play and become confident in the way they move. They gain increasing confidence in handling and manipulating all manner of things.
Creative development
Children enjoy activities which allow them to be imaginative and to solve problems both independently and with support. Adults value children's ideas and the way they express them.
Language development
The provision of language rich environments helps children to become more confident communicators. Adults encourage all forms of communication and expression and help children to be ready for learning to read and write.
Mathematical development
Children learn as they play about numbers and counting, size and shape and about matching and sorting. The whole range of nursery activities provides opportunities for mathematical learning and staff will introduce language and ideas which help to prepare children for numeracy.
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Children benefit from experiences which encourage them to think about their community and the world around them. They have opportunities to begin to understand their world and to allow their interstes and curiosity to lead them to learning.
Child Protection
The health, safety and welfare of the children in our care and in the care of others is our primary concern.
- If we have any concerns about the children in our care we will talk to parents or carers and may consult a social worker or other appropriate professional.
- A copy of the Area Child Protection Committee Procedures is held in each of our centres. Our staff will be pleased to talk to you about it.
- We are obliged to report serious concerns about any suspected abuse of children, immediately, to the local Children and Families team and may not always be able to talk to parents first.
- Our centres and services are organised and managed in a way that minimises the potential for abuse to occur within them.
- All of our staff have a responsibility to be alert to the signs of abuse and know what to do if they are concerned.
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Records and information
In order to care for children safely and to work well with families, we need to have relevant information available to us and to keep records of our work.
- We keep records about children and families and our work with them to monitor children's progress and the effectiveness of what we do. It also helps us to work well with other professionals who are working with a child or family
- Our records are confidential but will always be made available to the family concerned.
- We will not share information with others unnecessarily and without informing parents and carers first, except in emergency situations or in the interests of protecting children from abuse.
Please talk to us if you have any worries about this.
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Our Staff
- Are committed to doing the very best they can for children and families
- Thoroughly checked on their suitability to work with children
- Fully qualified to do their job
- Attend training regularly to improve the way they work
- Skilled in working with children and adults
Our Service Management Team works to ensure that the service is delivered efficiently and effectively and includes :
- Our Team Manager who is responsible for managing the service as a whole
- The Senior Early Years and Childcare Adviser who is responsible for the line management of the Early Years and Childcare and Family Work Teams
- Nursery and Family Centre Managers who are responsible for the management of the nursery and family centres and the line management of their staff
- Deputy Centre Managers who are responsible for assisting Centre Managers
Our staff team is responsible for delivering the services and includes :
- Early Years and Childcare Advisers who are responsible for supporting voluntary and private sector providers
- Early Years Outreach Family Workers who work with families in their own homes
- Nursery Officers who work with children and their families in our nursery and family centres
- Cooks who provide a balanced and nutrional meals and snacks
- General Assistants who assist with the care of the children and look after the rooms within our centres
