Record of visitors to Family day care residences and/or venues policy

1. Purpose

To record all visitors to family day care residences and/or venues whilst children are being educated and cared for at the residence and/or venue.

2. Scope

FDC only

This Policy applies to the family day care approved provider, family day care contract educators and family day care educator assistants.

3. References

• Education and Care Services National Law Act, 2010 and Education and Care Services National Law Amendment Act 2017
• Education and Care Services National Regulations, 2012 and Education and Care Services National Amendment Regulations 2017
• National Quality Standard for Early Childhood Education and Care and School Age Care (2017)

4. Definitions

A visitor is a person visiting someone or somewhere, especially socially or as a tourist (Oxford English Dictionary).

For the purposes of this policy and attached procedures, a visitor becomes a resident after 14 continuous days of residing in the same premises.

5. Council Policy

Best endeavours will be undertaken to ensure family day care contract educator’s maintain a record of all visitors to family day care residences and/or venues whilst education and care is being provided to children.

1. The approved service provider must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the record of all visitors to the family day care residence and/or venue is kept by the contract educator.
2. The approved service provider must take all reasonable steps to ensure that visitors to the family day care residence and/or venue are not left alone with enrolled children.
3. The family day care contract educator will maintain a visitor’s record to comply with the r165.

6. Quality Records

• ECEC individual service handbook
• FDC Educator Jotform App

7. Attachments

Procedure

• Contract Educators must notify the Co-ordination Unit verbally in advance, of any guests staying at the home or within the property boundary, overnight or longer, while the home or in-venue facility is a workplace and children are in care.  This information will be documented on the Contract Educator’s file.
• Each situation will be assessed individually. The Co-ordination Unit reserves the right to make individual agreements with FDC Contract Educators in regards to the above.
• It is recommended that where possible families are introduced to persons with whom their children are in contact with.
• In accordance with Regulation 166 Contract Educators must supervise children directly when in the presence of visitors, including maintenance and other workers.
• Where a visitor negatively influences the quality of child care provided the schemes grievance policy will be followed.
• Adult visitors with or without children may visit occasionally, and are not to be encouraged to stay for extended periods of time.
• Overnight visitors: family members / residents who will be staying overnight for more than two week period require a National Police Record check. It is preferable that such visitors reside in an area of the home that is not utilised for FDC.
• Overseas visitors who are residing for more than two weeks are required to forward a criminal record check to the FDC Team Leader from the country of origin prior to residing with the FDC Contract Educator.
• Family day care educators will make visitors aware of appropriate behaviour when around children in care.
• Private care is not permitted during FDC hours.
• Regular care of relatives and children of friends: Children are required to be registered with the FDC service, make payments (if applicable) in accordance with the fees and conditions of the services and are to be recorded on record of care and payment sheets submitted to the Co-ordination Unit.
• Visiting children unaccompanied by an adult, e.g. school aged children after school, kinder friends: This should only occur occasionally, and children are to be counted in FDC numbers. Note: the key word here is “occasional”.  Note: These children are not covered under the FDC Contract Educator’s FDC public liability insurance. Visiting children must be signed into the Contract Educator’s Visitor Register.

Visitors Register

• In accordance with regulation 165, Contract Educators must ensure that all visitors complete the visitor’s register, including the date and signature of the visitor and the time of the visitor’s arrival and departure. This does not apply to parents or guardians during drop-offs/pickups (except where they are extended in duration).
• Visitors include: Co-ordination Unit Staff, tradespersons, families that are at the Contract Educators home premises for a family interview whilst children are in care, friends that drop in during the day, including other Contract Educators, Contract Educators own children’s friends.
• The visitors register must be accessible during operational hours for inspection by families of children in care.
• It is important to understand that the registered FDC Contract Educator has total responsibility for the care, supervision, and behaviour management of FDC children at all times.
• Visitors are totally responsible for the care of their own children.
• Any visitors during FDC hours must be made aware of the Home Safety Check requirements, confidentiality, tobacco smoke drug/alcohol policy, adequate supervision policy, emergency evacuation procedures and the Interactions with Children policy.