At Buttercups Nursery School we support all employees returning to work after having a baby and understand that there may be times when a member of staff chooses our nursery to provide childcare alongside them working or that there may be occasions when a member of staff is working in the same environment a close relation e.g. niece or nephew.
In these cases we request the member of staff meet with the nursery manager and room leader, where appropriate, to discuss how best this will work alongside the nursery business needs.
We believe children learn best when they are healthy, safe and secure, have their individual needs met and have a positive relationship with the staff caring for them. It is our policy that all staff remain neutral and treat all children as individuals with the same regard.
When looking to accommodate staff members working alongside their own child or close relative in the nursery we will make an decision/agreement based on the following circumstances:
- The individual needs of the child, including if they have any special educational needs and/or disabilities
- The number of rooms/number of staff/staff deployment/ratios
- Age/stage of development of the child
- Staff members expertise and where/when they usually work
- Days/times the child attends
- Transition arrangements.
All decisions will be made on an individual basis; this may be that the child or close relation is better placed within the same room or a different room.
Once a decision has been made an agreed set of guidelines will be developed between the nursery and the member of staff setting out the expectations of working with their child/close relation. This includes that during their time at nursery the child is in the care of the nursery and it is the nursery that retains responsibility for the child and their care, what they will do if they need to cover in different rooms, outdoor play time etc. A similar agreement will be put in place for any staff that may not work within the nursery rooms but own child or family member still attends, e.g. manager, cook, admin.
Staff caring for another staff member’s child will treat them as they would any other parent/child.
Where this agreement is not working or is impacting on the care of the child or other children in the room, the manager will meet with the member of staff to review the agreement and the following will be considered:
- Time left until the child is due to transition to the next room/school
- Temporarily moving the staff member to another room. It is nursery policy to move the staff member and not the child (unless transitioning) so the child continues to be in the appropriate age/stage group and can forge consistent relationships with other children in the group
- Where the staff member is already in another room, but there are concerns there will be an agreement between the staff member, manager and room leader about contact with the child during the nursery day. Although we do not want to restrict a parent seeing their child, we must consider the room routine and the upset a visit may cause the child when their parent leaves the room again
Breastfeeding
Where a staff member’s baby requires breastfeeding, the nursery will adapt the above guidelines to suit both the baby’s and mother’s needs. Cover will be provided during this time.
