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Note: This is a Legacy Copy of this Publication. Legislation Handbook for Early Childhood Settings (3rd Edition)
No full textBookThis handbook is an update on the 2008 publication Legislation Handbook for Childcare Providers. It is intended to act as a guide to the many areas of legislation that impact upon early childhood education and care providers in Ireland, such as full daycare and sessional pre-school services and drop-in centres. Much of the legislation included in this handbook will also be applicable to registered childminders and school age services.
Comprehensive knowledge of relevant, up-to-date legislation and regulations is crucial for ethical, safe, productive and effective work practices in early childhood settings. Regardless of the size of a setting, legislation and regulation play a key role in shaping its overall management, as well as determining how the daily activities within that setting are administered. Legislative and regulatory systems have a dual function: they ensure that services meet minimal outlined standards, and they encourage improvement in the quality of provision beyond minimal standards to promote children’s development and learning.
Compliance with legislation involves an awareness of, familiarity with and proactive approach to various areas of relevant regulations and legislation. It will also involve a regular review of policies and procedures and staff training where appropriate.
This handbook is divided into sections, each looking at an area of relevant legislation, with a quick reference guide at the start of the section listing the key areas. The section then outlines the main items of legislation along with a short description of the purpose, an indication of who the legislation applies to and a listing of useful contacts or sources of further information
Submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills on the Current use of Reduced Timetables
Get PDFPaperBarnardos provides services before, during, and after school to support children in their social and emotional development which supports their education. We also provide an evidence-based reading programme in schools which targets literacy development and an evidence-based programme delivered in primary school classrooms which has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children by raising social-emotional competence and increasing empathy. We know the transformative affect education can have on a child’s life, however for some children this potential is restricted due to them being placed on reduced timetables. In our work with children we recognise that reduced timetables can sometimes be used as a tool to support a child or young person manage their educational attendance. For example, in instances of teenage pregnancy, Barnardos has previously worked collaboratively with schools to negotiate a reduced school day in order to support the holistic needs of the young person. In other instances, a closely managed process of re-integrating within the school as part of the use of a reduced timetable has proved successful
Submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs on the Impact of Homelessness on Children
Get PDFPaperThe shameful impact of the housing crisis was recently highlighted by the Ombudsman for Children in his report – No Place Like Home – which captured the views and experience of children living in Family Hubs. Children consulted by the Ombudsman described how they feel shame, embarrassment, sadness and anger for the circumstances they are living in. Children also felt a sense of unfairness as they struggle to understand why they do not have a home
Children's Budget 2020
Get PDFPaperBarnardos mission is to help transform children’s lives through our services; support parents; and challenge society where it fails our children. Barnardos works with vulnerable children who have experienced an adverse event in their lives for which they and their parents need support, or children who are living in a challenging environment where their needs are not being met. In 2019, Barnardos embarked on a new strategic direction under the leadership of a new CEO. Our new trauma informed approach recognises that exposure to adverse childhood experiences such as inappropriate care giving, chaotic environments, unpredictable stress, persistent fear, or physical threat has a negative and defining impact on the developing brain of children damaging their emotional, social and cognitive development. Given our work to date across Ireland, we are particularly concerned about children and families in disadvantaged areas. Ellis and Dietz (2017)1 have developed a response to supporting families experiencing adversity both within their community and their family unit. Depicting this interaction as a tree2, the leaves represent the readily identifiable such as maternal depression, divorce or domestic violence. At the base of the tree the roots are shown to be anchored in poor soil depicted as community adversity such as poverty, violence or poor housing quality and affordability. This depiction is a useful way of considering the range of factors that can influence a child’s outcomes. Barnardos Children’s Budget 2020 sets out what the government must do in Budget 2020 in order to ensure that every vulnerable child:
• gets help when they need it;
• is safe, has enough food and somewhere comfortable to call home;
• has the opportunity to learn and have fun
Barnardos Annual Report 2017
Get PDFAnnual ReportTo a child, poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn’t commit and we have over 138,000 children being punished by consistent poverty in our country today. T o add to this, each month during 2017 the number of homeless children grew – up to a record of over 3,000 children homeless by the end of the year. It is a complex problem with no simple solution and it is easier to focus on looking after our own and closing our eyes to a sense of collective responsibility. Barnardos core work is delivering
community based services tailored to meet the needs of children and their parents across a range of disadvantaged communities. In my work with Barnardos, I have been struck by the number of building blocks of children’s development and wellbeing that are affected by factors beyond their control such as the family they were born into or where they live. Children are being born into a lottery that is stacked against them, and into situations over which they have no control
ChildLinks Issue 1: Inspections in Early Childhood Education and Care
No full textBarnardos journal ChildLinksInspections in early childhood education and care settings provide a tool to assess the quality of provision and have great potential to impact positively on children’s early learning experiences. Inspection processes can often also be a positive experience for early years educators, endorsing practice and raising standards. They can, however, bring challenges. Early years services in Ireland have been subject to regulatory inspection for over 20 years since the first pre-school regulations were published in 1996. Since then, settings have been assessed for compliance across a number of areas such as governance; the health, welfare and development of children; the safety and suitability of facilities and premises; and more. Settings in Ireland are also subject to inspection by Pobal to ensure they are adhering to the stated terms of funding programmes such as the ECCE scheme. More recently, early years education inspections have been introduced to evaluate the nature, range and appropriateness of early educational experiences offered to young children. All of these inspections, coupled with a series of other developments in the Irish early years sector in recent years aimed at improving the quality of services for children and families, are to be welcomed, but they come at a rapid pace for early years providers. This issue of ChildLinks considers early years inspections in Ireland from a number of perspectives, looking at both the benefits and the challenges of quality monitoring. In the first article, Helen Rouine, Quality Improvement Manager in Tusla Early Years Inspectorate, gives an overview of Tusla inspections in Ireland and outlines both recent developments, such as the Quality and Regulatory Framework, and future plans. Dr Maresa Duignan, Assistant Chief Inspector Early Years Policy and Practice, then describes the progress to date in the establishment and implementation of early education inspections by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills. Also included in this issue are articles that consider the role of inspections from the perspective of the early years provider. First, the manager of an early years services outlines her recent experiences of inspections and some of the challenges facing ECEC settings in Ireland today. Marian Quinn, Chairperson of the Association of Childhood Professionals, then considers the need for improved working conditions for members of the ECEC and how this links to the inspection system. Finally, Sharon Byrne, Early Years Development Co-Ordinator with Barnardos, considers the role of early years mentors in supporting settings to interpret inspection requirements, reflect on how they are currently meeting standards, set goals and review progress
Early Years eNews: Issue 2
No full textNewsletterIn this issue of Early Year eNews we bring you updates about the National Childcare Scheme including information about funding available to early years settings to support its implementation. This issue also provides information about other developments in the sector such as a new elearning programme as part of AIM, guidelines for degree programmes in ECEC and consultation on exemptions for certain children in the ECCE scheme and more
ChildLinks Issue 2: Children and the Arts
No full textBarnardos journal ChildLinksThis issue of ChildLinks looks at the impact of the arts on the lives of children. Arts experiences offer children the opportunity to immerse themselves in creative learning with complete freedom of expression, supporting cognitive, social emotional and physical development, communication skills, confidence, empathy, identity and belonging. Arts experiences deepen children’s understanding both of themselves and the world around them, and broaden and develop their creative capacities. Indeed, Objective 3 of First 5: A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028 explicitly names arts and cultural activities as among the factors that will improve the quality of children’s day-to-day lives, ‘Every child has the right to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreation activities appropriate to the age of the child, and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts’. A number of articles in this issue consider the role of the arts in early childhood education and care including an extract from a new publication from Barnardos and the National Childhood Network Explore, Play and Learn
through Arts in Pre-school Settings, which looks at the benefits of the arts for young children. There is also an overview of two early years arts programme; the first looking at an arts project introduced into an ECEC setting in Co. Clare and the outcomes for the setting, and the second outlining ArtVentures, a four-week programme with a focus on the visual arts in Sure Start projects in Northern Ireland. This issue also includes an overview of the Arts in Education Portal, a digital space led by the Department of Education and Skills where both artists and teachers can be supported and inspired. There are also articles looking at arts projects focused on a particular medium including Creative Dance Tales, designed to promote creative dance as part of the Physical Education Curriculum, to inform and encourage a cross curricular approach to learning, and contribute to developing varied pedagogical practices in dance. Another article outlines Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, which seeks to address the systematic dismissal of children’s voices within our society, and offers a platform for children’s lives and experiences to be valued and made visible through publishing and the arts. Finally, Emer Smyth of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) considers arts and cultural participation among children and young people, and questions whether disadvantage makes a difference
Strategy Summary 2019-2021
No full textReportBarnardos aspiration is to become a leader in the field of trauma informed work with vulnerable children and families. This means bringing a holistic mind, body and heart approach to our work and draws on recent progress in the understanding of human development and how the brain works. This aspiration is underpinned by a promise to help vulnerable children overcome adverse experiences, have happier childhoods and achieve better outcomes for them and their families