How many children aged under three should childminders and nursery staff be allowed to look after at the same time?
A relaxation in the number of pre-school children that nurseries and registered childminders can oversee has been announced in order to professionalise the pre-school workforce and cut the cost of childcare in England.
Giving your volunteers a full induction and offering training is important to help ensure that you do not compromise the quality of the care you provide, the ethos of your setting, or the health and safety of the children. The induction can be further strengthened by supplying your volunteers with volunteer handbooks.
Ideally, volunteers should receive training throughout their experience so they can improve their skills and get something meaningful out of volunteering (rather than merely helping out with relatively menial tasks). If you are able to offer volunteers accredited training, this will ensure they are best equipped to move onto employment after their volunteer experience.
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Some training topics you may want to consider include:
After your volunteer has been inducted, they will need to have a named staff member who is responsible for supporting and managing them. Make sure you have feedback mechanisms set in place between the staff member and the volunteer. This may range from regular, formal supervisions to ensuring the volunteer has an opportunity to raise concerns or seek feedback when needed.
When managing volunteers, it’s useful to make sure that you have a plan for:
Further resources
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The new name for Daycare Trust and the Family and Parenting Institute.
Report reveals childcare is the luxury that families have to afford as figures show that nursery, childminder and after-school club costs are all rising at more than double the rate of inflation.
The two charities merged on 1 January 2013 and the new charity will be launched in April 2013.
A review of Daycare Trust's achievements in 2012
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