Involving Parents and Carers Policy

At Branches Out of School we recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents and carers to ensure that every child is happy, healthy, and safe whilst in our care.

We therefore aim to keep parents and carers fully informed of policies, events, and activities at the Club, by sharing information with them, answering questions, and addressing any concerns, and by encouraging them to participate in the life of the Club.

We do our best to keep parents informed about the Club by:

• Inviting parents to visit the Club before their children start.
• Giving all parents a copy of our Club Handbook which outlines how the club operates and includes contact details. For EYFS children, we offer information about the role of their child’s key person and introduce them to Capture
• Notifying the parents of their child’s key person when they start at the Club.
• Making all our policies available at the Club for parents to consult whenever they like.
• Producing a regular newsletter to keep parents up to date with news, events, new staff, changes to fees, etc
• Providing translations of our key policies and documents for parents who are non-English speakers, where possible.

We actively welcome parents and invite their input into the Club in the following ways:

• We collect information from parents which will help their child to settle at the club (via the Registration and Medical forms and, for EYFS children, the All About Me booklet).
• We involve parents in settling their children in at the Club (in accordance with our Child Induction policy).
• We consult fully with parents to establish the care requirements for children with additional needs.
• We greet all parents when they arrive to collect their children, and exchange any relevant information (eg any accidents, participation in today’s activities, etc).
• We can be contacted at all times, even out of Club hours, via telephone and email (see our Club Handbook for contact information).
• We conduct an annual satisfaction survey of parents and children at the Club to gain regular feedback.
• We encourage parents to volunteer, share specialist skills/knowledge, help on outings, etc.
• All of our staff wear name badges and uniforms so that children and parents can easily identify them.
• We obtain parental permission for outings, photographs, applying sun cream, etc.
• We can arrange for parental discussions with staff outside of Club hours if necessary.
• We respect parents’ input and opinions by responding promptly and appropriately to any complaints, in line with our Complaints Policy.

Written in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (2021): Learning and Development Requirements [1.1 & 1.3]