Cherry Kids� Club
Staff Welcome
Thank you for being part of Cherry Kids� Club.�
These few pages have been written by way of a light introduction to some of the more formal aspects of the Club that you might need to be aware of.� They also fulfil some of the obligations that the Club has to you.
The Club is the children we look after.� Without them, we would need no staff, no visitors or volunteers, no management committee and no venue.� With them, however, we are subject to their parents and guardians, the county council, the community school and any number of other bodies who have the children�s interests at heart.
The Club�s management committee is a small group of volunteer parents who, in effect, undertake to deal with these external requirements, freeing them to do the more important day-to-day business of the Club.� The extent to which the committee can actually do this will vary from year to year as its size and ability varies.
The Club was originally conceived as a project to provide a necessary community function that would enable, particularly single and low paid, women to work.� Although things have moved on since then, it is still true that it is not the Club�s primary function to provide employment or simply to make a profit.
The Club is registered as a Charity, which allows it to raise funds and gives it certain tax advantages.� As such, it has a small number of trustees (parents) who are financially responsible for it.
Despite the occasional involvement of the County Council�s under 8�s advisor, the city council, the police, the community office of the community junior school, accountants, and the management committee � it is the staff who overwhelmingly make the greatest contribution to the success of the Club.
In addition to playworkers who work under the coordinator and her deputy, the Club�s �staff� also includes escorts, and volunteers (such as readers), all of whom ought to have job descriptions.� By and large these descriptions include a reference to the Club�s policies, rules and procedures along with encouragement to read them.
The normal contract contains explicit reference to the Club�s Equal Opportunities Policy and its Grievance, Disciplinary and Misappropriation of Funds procedures.� There are, in fact, a great many more � all generated for reasons of best practice; as a pragmatic fulfilment of an external requirement; or, sometimes, from occasions of direct need.� Many of them have no relevance unless staff know about them.
The following gives you an idea of what is in them.� It is not really a good substitute for reading them directly (particularly since they may have changed) � they should be available from the coordinator or from the Club�s web page:
http://www.uk.research.att.com/~cgg/ckc/
You will find some things that occur again and again in the policies.� Staff are responsible for the health and safety of children in their charge (a Health and Safety policy is currently under development).� Supervision numbers are strictly limited: there must be at least one qualified adult for every eight children in the Club.� There must be at least one qualified adult in each supervised area.� Qualified adults have been police checked � if they have not yet been checked they are not qualified in this sense.�
These and other important issues will normally be discussed by the coordinator with new staff.
The Club exists to (a) provide daily care and recreation and (b) educate and train those providing them.� Club members are parents and guardians (not children).� The management committee must have a chairman, secretary and treasurer and between 2 and 8 members and must meet at least 6 times a year.� Honorary officers cannot be in post for more than 3 consecutive years, 2 years must pass before standing again.
The Club is bound financially in a number of ways by the Charities Act 1992.� Cheques must be signed by two authorised signatories.� If the Club elects to dissolve itself, it must give any profit to a similar charity.� This fact, and the object of the Club (above) cannot be altered.
These are those give in our constitution (the Club�s �object�) � (a) provide daily care and recreation and (b) educate and train.� This document says how these two objectives are to be met.
Highlights for (a) include: invite outside speakers; emphasise to children which behaviour is acceptable and unacceptable; have a resource-based, imagination-based and team-based games; and, listen to children.
Highlights for (b) include: give employees and volunteers opportunities to attend courses, workshops, other Clubs and provide relevant reading material; have annual staff appraisals; first aid and behaviour training for all; offer cr�che to help staff with the above; and always address Social Service inspection reports with urgency.
We promise to make parents welcome, keep them informed, be reliable, discuss their children with them, involve them in Club decisions, ask their permission for outings etc. and listen to their views.
We will have an equal opportunities policy, families can ask the committee to be considered for subsidised places, we will use a venue with a high level of accessibility (e.g. to those in wheelchairs), and menus should be appropriate to the children�s cultural mix.
There must be no negative discrimination � including discrimination on grounds of disability.� The Club aims to have staff who are diversely representative of the local community; to ensure its facilities are physically accessible; to promote non-stereotypical values and cultural identities.� Grievances are made through the co-ordinator to the management committee.
Children and staff have to respect each other and visitors � in return, staff provide children with care and safety.� Children, staff or visitors who bully, are aggressive, or intend to generate conflict show unacceptable behaviour for which a four stage procedure is to be undertaken: incidents are challenged by staff and recorded in the Incidents Book; reported as a matter of concern; referred to the management committee; and, finally (should it come to that) considered for exclusion.
Absolutely no weapons or toy weapons.
The Club should promote conservation and practice sustainable use of natural resources.
The Club should provide a substantial snack prepared using fresh ingredients under the Health and Safety regulations.� All children normally eat together.� Menus will take account of individual cultural and religious preferences. Menu suggestions will be solicited from parents annually.
Escorts are police checked, have job descriptions, have ID cards and have an accompanied 1 week induction period.
Admission is open to everyone equally.� When there is too much demand each working day has its own waiting list of children.� Everyone has to update their registration information for September in June.� Changes in attendance need a month�s notice.
Fees are the same for everyone and must be paid at least a week in advance.� A lateness fine of �5 per 15 mins can be charged after 18:05.� Children of staff pay 50% normal rate.
Note that the behaviour policy includes a procedure for dealing with bad behaviour and the Equal Opportunities Policy has a short procedure for dealing with complaints about discrimination.
If aggrieved staff cannot resolve problems informally, they should write to the chair of the management committee.� When this fails, the matter can be referred to the management committee, which must meet within four weeks.� The aggrieved can then appeal against any decision within 15 days.
In cases of gross misconduct (e.g. sexual harassment, assault, major theft, malicious discrimination) the chair of the management committee must provide the allegation to the member of staff in writing and the management committee must meet within a week to decide the case.� The employee or representative may attend.� If substantiated the employee must be given a reasoned notice of dismissal without pay.� Appeal must be within 28 days and must be considered within two weeks by a more independent appeals panel.
If informal efforts to resolve lesser misconduct fail the chairman of the management committee should investigate and propose an informal solution.� If this fails the matter is referred to the next meeting of the management committee which can send a letter of warning, alter the employee�s responsibilities, or dismiss the employee using the above procedure.
Notwithstanding any sympathy there may be for a member of staff, every effort must be made to recover misappropriated funds.� If money is not returned on request a solicitors letter will be sent.� If these measures fail the management committee must decide whether to refer to the police.
Complaints about the Club are preferably in writing to the management committee.� They must be acknowledged within 5 days, and acted upon in committee within a month.� In considering a complaint the committee can decide to amend procedures, take action against committee members and staff , or apologise.� Whatever is decided must be conveyed in writing to the complainant.
New children are invited to visit before attending.� First attendance is preferably only half a session and should include a induction period when rules, regimes and expectations will be outlined.� Preferably another child volunteers to be the novice�s mentor for up to two weeks.
Rules formerly agreed with the children, including: do what playworkers ask; no wandering without permission; remain seated at meal times; and, wash before eating.
Rules agreed with the community school, including: first aiders and rota of workers to be given to community of office; accidents and damage to be reported within 24 hrs; regular checks of toilets; no storage on top of cupboards.
Rules agreed with the school about outdoor play provision, including: children must be properly shod; no climbing in bad weather; and, smaller children should be segregated.
Ratified in committee: 12 June 2000