COURSE OVERVIEW:
Welcome to the Maintain a Safe & Healthy Environment for Children course. This training is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure a safe, healthy, and compliant environment for children in educational and care settings. The course is divided into two main sections: Knowledge and Performance, each covering critical aspects of health and safety in childcare services.
In section A, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the requirements and regulations that govern children's health and safety in educational and care settings. We will begin with the National Quality Standard (NQS) and related regulations and laws, providing a foundation for maintaining high standards of care and safety. You will learn about the Education and Care Services National Regulations, which outline specific health and safety requirements, ensuring that all practices meet the necessary legal standards.
Understanding the health and safety roles, responsibilities, and interrelationships of different personnel is crucial for effective teamwork and safety management. We will cover the regulations and requirements associated with the transport of children in vehicles, adhering to national and state/territory laws to ensure safe transportation practices.
Supervision planning, set up, and implementation are key components of maintaining a safe environment. You will learn about the critical reflection processes and principles of risk management for excursions, including how to develop a comprehensive risk management plan. The course will detail the permissions required and documentation, insurance requirements, and techniques for minimising risk during excursions, ensuring that every aspect of child safety is covered.
Section B focuses on practical application and performance standards. You will learn to access health and safety policies and procedures and establish the scope of your role and responsibilities in maintaining these standards. Modelling and monitoring compliance with service health and safety policies is essential, and you will be trained to encourage and assist colleagues through regular communication and up-to-date information.
Identifying and responding to issues promptly, reporting health and safety training needs, and maintaining accurate records are critical tasks. You will learn to identify potential or actual hazards based on monitoring children, activities, and physical areas, assess safety risks, and inform relevant parties as per service procedures.
Taking action to eliminate or control risks based on completed risk assessments, maintaining current knowledge about health and safety issues, and accessing credible information sources are important skills you will develop. Seeking feedback from colleagues and using both feedback and critical reflection to improve health and safety policies is emphasised.
You will also learn to complete excursion risk management plans, identify staffing requirements, assess locations and activities for potential hazards, and obtain necessary permissions from families. Confirming insurance, volunteer credentials, and transport requirements according to service policies and legislative requirements will ensure thorough preparation.
Using intentional teaching techniques to prepare children for excursions, planning communication, and collaboration between educators and volunteers, and documenting how risks are addressed in various areas (such as health safety, incidents, infection control, medical conditions, medication administration, emergencies, drop off/collection, and supervision) are integral parts of this course.
Finally, you will develop a risk management plan for an excursion, adhering to service policies and procedures and legislative requirements. This practical component ensures that you are well-prepared to handle real-world scenarios and maintain a safe and healthy environment for children.
By the end of this course, you will have a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and performance requirements to ensure the safety and well-being of children in your care, equipped to implement best practices and comply with all regulatory standards.
This course is designed to align with the content outlined in the Nationally Recognised Unit of Competency CHCECE041.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, you will be able to understand the following topics:
· Requirements of the National Quality Standard and related regulation and laws
· Requirements of the Education and Care Services National Regulations in relation to children’s health and safety
· Health and safety roles, responsibilities and interrelationships of different personnel in children’s education and care services
· Regulations and requirements associated with the transport of children in vehicles
· National and state/territory laws
· Supervision planning, set up and implementation requirements and considerations
· Critical reflection
· Principles of risk management for excursions
· Developing a Risk Management Plan
· Permissions Required and Documentation
· Insurance Requirements
· Techniques for Minimising Risk During Excursions
Section B: Performance Tasks
· Access health and safety policies and procedures.
· Establish scope of own role and responsibilities in maintaining health and safety from policies and procedures.
· Model and monitor compliance with service health and safety policies and procedures.
· Encourage and assist colleagues to meet health and safety requirements through regular communication and provision of up to date information.
· Identify and respond to issues according to service policies and procedures.
· Identify and report health and safety training needs to relevant supervisors.
· Complete and maintain accurate health and safety records according to service policies and procedures.
· Identify potential or actual hazards based on monitoring of children, activities and physical areas.
· Assess safety risk associated with the hazard according to service risk management procedures.
· Inform relevant parties according to service procedures.
· Take action to eliminate or control the risk based on completed risk assessment.
· Identify and use opportunities to maintain currency of knowledge about health and safety issues.
· Identify and access information from credible and authoritative sources.
· Seek feedback from colleagues on health and safety practices and potential issues through formal and informal communication.
· Use feedback and own critical reflection to contribute to the improvement of health and safety policies and procedures.
· Complete excursion risk management plan according to service policies and procedures.
· Identify staffing requirements and allocation of resources according to service policies and procedures and legislative requirements.
· Assess location, facilities and activities and identify potential hazards.
· Obtain permission from families and communicate expectations for the child’s involvement.
· Confirm insurance, volunteer credentials and transport requirements according to service policies and procedures and legislative requirements.
· Use intentional teaching techniques to prepare children for the excursion.
· Minimise and manage risk by planning communication and collaboration between educators and volunteers during excursion.
· Examine existing service policies and procedures and support materials, and document how risks are addressed in each of the following areas:
o health safety and wellbeing
o incidents, injury, trauma and illness
o infection control
o medical conditions
o administration of medication
o emergencies and evacuations
o drop off and collection of children
o supervision
· Develop a risk management plan for an excursion, according to service policies and procedures and legislative requirements.
COURSE DURATION:
The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.
COURSE DELIVERY:
Purchase and download course content.
ASSESSMENT:
A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.
CERTIFICATION:
Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.