Health and safety

Possum Place Child and Vacation Care Centre staff and management are committed and active in their responsibilities of ensuring a safe work and play environment for children, staff, families and visitors. Each team has a representative who has undertaken the accredited Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Workplace Committee training attend the monthly service OH&S meetings.

• Staff undertake a daily morning safety walk in and outdoors prior to the children arriving at the centre to ascertain any issues and where possible correct unsafe areas.
• Staff and children practice emergency evacuation procedures at least four times per annum
• Arrivals and departures of children require families to sign in/out their child, handover the child to a staff member and ensure the service staff are aware of any changes in person’s collecting the child (this person must be noted on the child’s enrolment form or a letter written).  We will request identification if we have not previously met the person collecting your child.

• All staff undertake consistent and regular hygiene practices such as hand washing, using personal protective equipment.  All equipment in the infants room is sanitised daily. 
• Bedding and food utensils are only used by one person before washing.
• Staff encourage families and children to practice these standards through notice and role modelling.
• The centre nurse liaises with the HNE Health Infection Control Unit on a regular basis, updating centre staff and families on best practice.

Health

• Possum Place is a group care facility for well children, there is no facility available to provide long term care (i.e. longer than 1 hour) for an unwell child.  Unwell staff are not permitted to work due to the possibility of cross-infection. 
• Families and staff are required to provide work and emergency contact numbers upon enrolment (updating them as needed) in the event that their child (or self) become ill and need to be collected from the service.
• Medications are only given under strict guidelines with signed permission by families.
• An enrolled (mothercraft) nurse is available to families wishing to discuss basic issues regarding childhood illnesses.

• Possum Place Child Care Centre provides a nutritionally sound breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, inclusive of water or milk for drinking.  Menus are located at the kitchen and can be provided on request to families.
• Morning tea, lunch (as provided by the family), afternoon tea and late afternoon tea is provided in approximately two hour time slots, with infants individual nutrition addressed by child care staff as requested by the family.
• Children with allergies or cultural food restrictions are provided for through an individual menu set by the dietician – consultation between the family and dietician is facilitated by the centre. 
• Possum Place Vacation Care Centre provides breakfast to children arriving before 7.30am. Children are required to bring a nutritious lunch each day. 
• Cooking, nutrition and physical exercise/movement are planned activities each vacation period with healthy and multi-cultural foods targeted.