Feedback on Playcentre Aotearoa Policy and Procedures Folder

Policy or Procedure area Query/Concern/Suggestion Outcome
General    
The physical folder Having 3 holes is inconvenient for centres for adding new pages to the folder Understand that this is a concern. It was the type of folder that was required for the number of pages in the folder. We apologise for the inconvenience
Layout/Grammar Missing tohutō, e.g. whānau Apologies we thought these had been added where required. As we review policies and procedures we will ensure these are checked and added where missing
  Actual policies and procedures do not have numbers on them The policy/procedure numbers are at the bottom right hand side of each page.
Searching online Would be helpful to be able to search the policies/use key words to find topics If you are logged in you are able to search for any words that are in the titles of policies/procedures. Unfortunately we currently cannot search the contents of documents. We will look at this as part of longer term planning
Forms Requests for editable versions of the forms so they can be completed electronically/ stored for re-use e.g: Hazard and Risk Register, Daily H&S, Excursions form, RAMS These will be provided and uploaded to the Playcentre website by the end of November.
  Request for the length of time a form needs to be retained to be included on the form Will add when we review/ update forms
Contents page Request for an editable version of the contents page to enable centres to add Centre Practices We will look to provide this – but ask that centres be aware of not changing the numbers/ order of the standard policies and procedures
What Needs to be displayed If applicable the BWOF and associated IQP certificates should also be displayed (and must be kept for 2 years) We will add this to the ‘What needs to be displayed’ list and the ‘Retention of Records’ list.
Document Retention Request for list of documents and how long they need to be retained. We have provided a list of times to retain documents on the website
Additional items/ topics Request for the Watchout list to be a separate document from the Equipment List This will be done later- as part of an overall review of the Equipment List
  Request for a Poster of the Code of Conduct This is a nice idea. We will look to provide this as an optional extra
  No information on the minimum number of centre meetings/ quorum etc. There are no minimum requirements at present. We will look to provide minimum figures, as well as guidelines for centres to consider in future
Enrolment Policy includes sentence: “Allowing tamariki not enrolled to attend with homebased caregiver” – is this indicating we should encourage this? This sentence is simply meant to indicate that this is an area that centres need to consider individually, it should not be read as encouraging centres to enrol tamariki who are already enrolled with home-based caregivers
  Policy says that all attending tamariki and parents should be recorded on the attendance record – is this true even if we are not claiming funding? All people who attend the sessions need to be recorded as present, even if we are not claiming funding for them for some reason – this is for health and safety reasons, as well as ratio/building capacity issues
Curriculum Why the need for a termly meeting? If we are truly child-led we can’t plan in advance and we review our sessions at the end of each day. The policy states “formal reviews or curriculum planning sessions at least once a term”. We are required to ensure that we are doing curriculum planning, and also reviewing how that is working for our children. If this is being done successfully in daily or weekly meetings/ discussions/ online groups than that will meet the policy requirement for “at least once a term”. The statement is there to ensure it is being considered in all centres in a formal way.
Child Protection Flowchart says to reassure child they will receive help but this may not be the case. Could be harmful if abuse continues Will amend the flow chart. It should state “assure the child they have done the right thing”
  Child Protection Refresher training – who will provide this and what if people have not had it? This will be provided by the national body – we will look to have something developed by professionals as refresher training for those who have already undertaken some training. This may be an online course, or contracted to another provider. If individuals have not had this they are still able to be counted on session for qualifications etc.
Health and Safety    
General We used to have a sunscreen register for permission to apply sunscreen, but there is not one provided here Permission to apply sunscreen should be sought as part of the enrolment process. If you wish to have a register the centre can develop/use one but it is not a requirement.
  Trustee Board do not have primary duty of care – they have a due diligence requirement, Playcentre Aotearoa has primary duty of care. We will amend this in February update
  If any Playcentres are legal entities they also are a PCBU Yes- although most Playcentres are not legal entities, and the leaders of those centres are volunteers, so although they have a due diligence duty they will not be charged – responsibility will come back on to Playcentre Aotearoa
  Need to notify Worksafe/police asap about incidents Policy says to report immediately. The 48 hours is just putting a end limit on it.
  Worker participation in H& S should be mentioned- centre business meetings can cover this requirement Will look to add this in the Feb update.
  Vaping needs to be specifically included in policy Will add a specific comment regarding vaping.
  Why is there an allowance for smoking when children not present? Centres should be smokefree at all times The policy does state that centres must be smokefree at all times. The only exception to that is where the centre is not for the exclusive use of Playcentre – this is included as our Playcentre environments also include things such as home offices and we cannot prevent the families of our employees from smoking at home.
Laundry Why are there 4 types of laundry that need to be washed separately? Ministry recommends that different types of laundry are separated to prevent cross-contamination. Tikanga also indicates that certain items should be washed separately (e.g. kitchen/food items separately from clothing items)
  Can we keep and build up over a few days before washing Yes, the items just need to be removed from use daily and assuming you have sufficient items to have some out of action you can physically do the laundry once or twice a week. We will look to add wording to this effect to the procedure
Nappy changing procedure No nappy changing register when changing child other than your own It is not necessary to keep a register of this. It is more important to prevent the opportunities for abuse by having someone within line of sight
  Do we have to do the 3 step clean/disinfect/clean(rinse) process after every nappy change? Yes, it is important to follow these steps every time -however if the area is not dirty then any clean would be minimal. It should be disinfected every time though.
  Can we use a change mat/ sheet for individual child instead? Will look at if this option can be included in future version
  We required parents to take all nappies home (disposable or reusable). Is this still ok? Yes, in the space to write where to dispose of the soiled nappy write something like “by placing in a bag to take home. Keep out of reach of children whilst at the centre”
  We use hospital grade disinfectant wipes as quicker and reduces hazards. Does this fit new procedure Yes, the procedure states that an ‘approved solution’ can be used instead of bleach. You would still need to clean the mat if there was a mess on it.
  Can’t follow steps in order as toilet/ rubbish bin are not near change table That is fine. Just ensure each of the steps are followed. Do not need to be in order. Can clean child and get them dressed and back to play, before disposing of nappy etc.
  Understand don’t need supervision if changing own child but what about grandparents/caregivers for children In general, if they are the adult who is bringing the child to Playcentre/ the parent/guardian has entrusted them with the child this should be ok. Will consider how we can word this to amend the procedure.
Injury Incident and Illness Serious Harm form -this is the level of investigation expected for a minor incident. If there is serious harm the investigation will require much more and would need someone who is experienced in doing this. The actual investigation will likely require much more information and work, but as mentioned will need people with more experience than the general public/centre members. This is the basic recording of information at the time to then allow investigation to occur later as needed
  Serious Harm term is no longer in legislation, why was it used here? Not used for any reason other than for indicating it was a more serious event. Will consider an alternative term
  Do we have to use the Serious Harm form for minor adult injuries? No, we will amend form and procedures to allow for all minor injuries adult or child to be recorded on Minor Injury, Illness and Incident form
  Notifiable incidents- list shorter than on Worksafe website, all that are relevant to Playcentre should be added Most are not relevant, some may possibly be. Will look at amending.
  Notifiable events- requirement to notify within 24 hours could be illegal, should be asap Does say to contact asap on notifiable incident sign. Serious harm says to notify immediately, and provide form with all details within 48 hours.
  Sick Child – notifiable illnesses not mentioned in this form Clause 3.9 states that if illness is notifiable it should be reported.
  Can we use Collins Accident and illness register instead of Minor Harm form? Understand, and can use up what you have but then should use our form so we know it is being done in the same way.
  Filling out Illness, Injury and Incident forms and then adding to register is time consuming, why can’t we just use the register? Do not need to add to any register – no register was provided or included in this document. Forms are the register. The Ministry of Education also raised concerns over privacy if people’s illnesses/incidents were recorded in a shared space. The monthly review should only have a summary/key points of any incidents or illnesses so privacy is maintained.
  Header unreadable when copied more than once Will review what can be done about this
  Requirement to call Regional office immediately- but what if no-one answers phone Looking at how to ensure someone is always available. Centres should call Worksafe/Police/Ministry of Education directly if no response from Regional office.
  Minor Illness, Injury and Incident form – does not note who did the actions, which is required by criteria HS27 Will update form to indicate this should be included
  Minor Illness, Injury and Incident form- can we condense to fit more on one page – wastes paper We originally had 2 forms per page, but were told by the Ministry we could not do this, as it breaches privacy of the child. Centre could choose to print these in A5 size and fit 2 to the page for printing purposes, but would need to separate them before using.
Medicine Admin Merge Cat 2 register and administration form, and separately the Cat 3 register and administration form? Why do we need a form for Cat 3 when it is agreed to at enrolment? Can look at this – but trying to fit all the information/columns on a page is difficult. MoE have an example, but it does not allow for the training to be recorded. Parents need to reconfirm the medicine and administration requirements for Cat 3 medicines every 3 months, even if there are no changes
Hazard and Risk Daily H&S checklist was too long, and required a lot of paper Has been updated to fit on 2 pages
  Make all questions on form Yes/No (Where expected answer is Yes, if it is No there is an issue) Have attempted to do this. A couple were missed and will be updated
  Can we make the daily H&S checklist so that Indoor is on one page and outdoor on another page so different people can do? Just doesn’t fit unfortunately
  It is unclear what ongoing records need to be kept We will update the procedure with information about this.
  Daily H&S checklist needs to state” Exit signs are visible” and be checked for BWOF monthly checks Will update wording slightly to ensure this is clear.
  Is it really necessary to check temperature of water, and if so how do we do that? Do not need to check each day that water is at 40 degrees, etc. The question asks you to check that there is hot water. Given the high turnover of members at Playcentre we include additional information on this form so that everyone is aware of the required temperature and could check it if needed (by holding a thermometer under the tap water)
  Do we have to check things daily – we already have a plan for them Yes, but this is your check that the plans are being carried out. It may be that everyday the cleaner is tasked with taking out rubbish – but you still need to check before the next session that this has been done in order to ensure the health and safety on this particular day. It also helps new members be aware of the things that should be occurring – things like ensuring exits are not obstructed, and that there is a minimum temperature for the building.
  Would be helpful to have lines to add centre-specific hazards  Yes – but we can’t make the form small enough to fit on 2 pages and add extra spaces for centre specific hazards
  Nothing about how to identify hazards for Register Pages 5-8 of the Hazard and Risk Register have this information. Hazard and Risk Management procedure also indicates how risks may get to the register
  Request to make hazard and Risk form and RAMS form same layout. See benefit of this but also do not want people to get confused. They are also different situations -one is ongoing everyday risks, the other is one-off and covers areas that should not be a risk at centre
  Hazardous substance form Investigating this and will provide in Feb update if required
  Procedure requires presenting at centre monthly meetings- but there is no requirement for this?? Will change wording in flowchart to ‘regular centre reporting’
Excursions No sign in/sign out time on excursion form – no individual times only group times Form is not intended as sign in/out, as could be completed in advance of the session day. Will look at adding this but difficult to fit in. Tablets should be used for sign in/ sign out in most situations
  Change name of trips “regular” and “special” are confusing These names were selected as they are how the types of excursions are described in the regulations. We will update the definitions to make clear that Outdoor sessions, which are agreed to at the time of enrolment would be considered regular excursions
  More spaces on excursion form- 1 line per person instead of 3? Spaces for writing are already very small. Expectation is that you would print/fill in as many copies of page 2 as needed.
  For a special Excursion can some members stay at centre and what licensing requirements apply? We will amend the procedure to make the following clear: Yes, tamariki can remain behind at a centre during either a regular or a special excursion. When the group splits like this the following must be maintained in both locations: a first aider, adult:child ratios (including any increased ratios required by the risk assessment of the excursion), with a minimum of 2 adults. The Person Responsible must approve the excursion taking place and can be in whichever location is most appropriate. You are not required to have particular qualifications in each location, but must still have them on the session overall.
Food and Drink When washing dishes by hand you should not use a tea towel to dry – this procedure does not mention that Will add this information to the procedure
  No mention of healthy eating Will consider adding a statement regarding encouraging healthy, nutritious food.
  Can we please have a food allergy and dietary requirements register similar to medicine register Will consider adding this in Feb
Emergency Planning    
Fire and Evacuation Procedure Calling 111 before every drill – why, and does it need to be every time We are still working to come to an agreement with Fire and Emergency New Zealand on the best option here. Will update in February with what is agreed.
  Calling Communication centre after a drill The procedure was developed following these recommendations from the Fire and Emergency New Zealand website: Fire and Emergency recommend that the person managing the trial evacuation calls 111 as part of the trial evacuation. If you are going to make a 111 call during your trial evacuation you should phone your local Fire Communications Centre 10–15 minutes prior to your trial and immediately following your trial. This will help to avoid any confusion and/or unnecessary fire engine callouts, e.g. if neighbours hear your alarm and call 111 themselves.
Civil Defence Kit If using hot water cylinder must turn off water supply and power supply to it as can get contaminated/dangerous if not Will add this to updated version
Emergency Drills Quick ref record Place to sign as well as date when drill completed Will add this to updated version
  Do the emergency forms replace those in our grab bag? Yes.
Finance Request for a policy or best practice on running raffles and cash handling Will ensure this is on the list of additional policies and procedures to be developed
Cash handling/ Raffles Request for a policy or best practice on running raffles and cash handling Will ensure this is on the list of additional policies and procedures to be developed
Complaint Resolution Refers to protected Disclosure Procedure but cant find one This is yet to be developed.