reg 1.51 educators signing off and on the floor

[briode]

Hi

Need some suggestions for OSHC. At our assessment and rating visit last week I was informed that educators need to sign if they are "on" and "off" the floor when they are doing duties not directly with the children. It is all about regulation 1.51 and "who is responsible for the children at any given moment in time". These duties include washing up, cleaning up and packing away resources at the end of each session and when I'm doing admin at my desk/talking to parents etc. Just don't know how I am going to manage this !! Our oshc is in the multi-purpose room, with the kitchen within the same space and the storeroom off to the side (where children don't go into). We set up and pack up each day resources, tables and chairs and trolleys with art/craft, construction etc. I often sit down at a desk in this space to do parents accounts etc for a few minutes here and there on my laptop. It was suggested I add columns to the staff sign in and out sheets and when we are doing other duties we sign in and out. This seems crazy for a 5 or 10 minute job. DEET has told me if they ever ask for these records I need to produce documentation of such. How does everyone manage this? I was told this is compliance issues DEET will be cracking down on. It seems we have to just about document our every move and have less time actually with the children!!!

[Lorina]

Hmmm... interesting... I guess the best way to manage this is the same way they do similar in LDC, is you have to make time to be off the floor rather than spend a couple of minutes here and there. So, you will probably have to make up a timetable of some sort with the following:

Kitchen
Cleaning
Documenting
Setting Up
Packing Away

Then have the Educator add the time the time they are "off" and back "on".

You are going to have to organise staff and manage it so if there is an Educator off the floor you are still within ratio and that staff have to communicate with each other to make it work. Maybe you may even have to create a timetable with specific times so Educators can follow. For example, children arrive and have lunch from 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm then an Educator will be off the floor from 3:30 pm to 3:50 pm to clean etc.

It's all about trial and error I guess until you find what works with you. Just make it clear to other Educators of this requirement so they all keep informed.

Hope this gives you a few ideas!

,
Lorina

[briode]

Thanks Lorina. Some good ideas. It's just OSHC is so much less structured than LDC with parents coming and going from 3.30 right up till 6pm and the regulations don't seem to recognise that oshc children are school-age up to 12 years old. Plus we have 3 educators per afternoon including myself and LDC has anywhere from 10 -25 staff per day.

[Lorina]

You're right - the children are older so they don't need to be supervised as much as children in LDC that's why also the ratios are lower e.g. 1-15... So, it's a surprise that you have to sign all "off" the floor times throughout the entire day.

One of the advantages of having school children is that they can help as well so get them involved in cleaning, setting up etc and then you won't have to record "off the floor time" during these tasks since you have children with you as well...

Documentation seems to be getting harder with all these regulations, doesn't it...

,
Lorina