Cypop

As a parent you may wish to know the legal issues surrounding your child/childrens rights when taking them to a home-based childcarer. Legislation is the laws of the country that define rules and regulations passed by Acts of Parliament. There are numerous laws relating to children and young people in the UK including the Education Act (1981) “Secretary of state required to publish a code of practice for children with special educational needs. Parents of children under 2 years have the right to ask for the child to be formally assessed”, the Reporting of injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurences Regulations (RIDDOR) (1995) “Specify certain accidents and incidents that must by law be reported”, the Children Act (1989) “First acknowledgement in UK law of children’s rights, encapsulated by the phrase: ‘the needs of the child are paramount’” and many more but the most influential Acts are:
- The Children Act (2004), which arose from the Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’. It identifies five outcomes for children:
• Be Healthy
• Stay safe
• Enjoy and achieve
• Make a positive contribution
• Achieve economic well-being

- The Childcare Act (2006) which introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England. The EYFS comprises a set of Welfare Requirements and a set of Learning and Development Requirements which must be followed by providers of care for children below 5 years old. The Welfare and Learning and Development requirements are not specified in the Act but in separate Orders.
All childcare providers, including childminders, nurseries, and pre-school classes, are obliged to register under the Childcare Act in order to operate legally. To become and remain registered they must comply with the Welfare requirements, and with the Learning and Development requirements for settings in England.
Briefly, the EYFS implements six areas covered by the early learning goals and educational programmes:
• Personal, Social and Emotional Development;
•...