1. The Saturday Club
Welcome to The Saturday
Club
- a meeting place for children with disabilities and their families.
The Saturday Club is an activity club for children with disabilities and their siblings and
parent(s)/carer(s). The Club provides a friendly, calm and inviting environment where families
have the opportunity to meet, share experiences and develop links with each other whilst having
lots of fun. Parents/carers and children alike can find friendship and support, enjoying the
different activities on offer, such as, arts and crafts, outdoor play, cooking, the sensory room,
and a variety of toys, interactive games and puzzles.
The Saturday Club runs once a fortnight and there is no booking required. At least one
parent/carer stays with and remains responsible for their children at all times during the session
although volunteers will quite happily engage the children in activities. The venue is
The Xtend Centre, Dedworth Green First School, Smiths Lane, Windsor
and the club runs from 9.30a.m. until 12.30p.m.
Referral is through The Learning Difficulties & Disabilities Service – 01628 685878.
The Saturday Club currently has 3 co-ordinators who are directly line managed by The
LDD Service.
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2. The Saturday Club is part of a range of resources and services for children with disabilities
and their families in The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. (RBWM)
The Saturday
Club
Referral Policy.
The Saturday Club is part of a range of resources and services for children with disabilities
and their families in The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. (RBWM)
Children with disabilities and their families are referred to The Saturday Club through The
Learning difficulties & Disabilities Service (LDD). Relevant information will be passed to the
co-ordinators to support the referral. The Saturday Club is for children with disabilities aged
up to 18 years old, their siblings and parent(s)/carer(s).
Behaviour Management policy
At The Saturday Club, the belief is that children flourish best when they know how they are
expected to behave and should be free to play without fear of being hurt.
The aim is to provide an environment in which there is acceptable behaviour and where children
learn to respect themselves, other people and their environment.
Methods
• We require all volunteers to provide a positive model of behaviour by treating children,
parents and one another with friendliness, care and courtesy.
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3. • We require everyone to use positive strategies for handling any conflict by helping
children find solutions in ways which are appropriate for their age and stage of
development.
• We praise and endorse desirable behaviour such as kindness and willingness to share.
The Saturday
Club
• We try to avoid creating situations in which children receive adult attention only in return
for undesirable behaviour.
• When children behave in unacceptable ways, we help them to see what was wrong and
how to cope more appropriately, according to their stage of development.
• We do not use techniques intended to single out and humiliate individual children.
• We handle children’s unacceptable behaviour in ways which are appropriate to their
stage of development – e.g. by distraction, discussion or by withdrawing the child from
the situation.
• We work in partnership with children’s parents/carers and we will do our best to ensure a
safe and happy environment, but in the final analysis, it must be the parent/carer who
takes responsibility for their child’s behaviour.
Safeguarding Policy
At The Saturday Club, all adults are responsible for the protection and safety of children.
The Saturday Club co-ordinators work to the RBWM guidelines as set out by the Local
Safeguarding Children Board. The co-ordinators work directly with The LDD Service
who take lead responsibility for the protection of disabled children.
The Saturday Club will
• provide a secure environment, ensuring that we have control over who comes into The
Saturday Club so that no unauthorised person has unsupervised access to the children.
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4. • ensure the layout of the centre allows for constant supervision.
• carry out CRB checks on all adults who are employed or volunteering at The
Saturday Club.
• ensure volunteers under the age of 16 do not work unsupervised.
The Saturday
Club
Complaints Procedure
The Saturday Club believes that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and
prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. Suggestions on how to improve The
Saturday Club are welcome and prompt attention will be given to any concerns about the
running of the Club. It is anticipated that most concerns will be resolved quickly by an informal
approach to the Club Co-ordinators. If this does not achieve the desired result, there is a set
of procedures for dealing with concerns.
Methods
To achieve this, we operate the following complaints procedure.
How to complain
Stage 1
• Any parent who is uneasy about an aspect of The Saturday Club provision talks over,
first of all his/her worries and anxieties with The Saturday Club co-ordinators.
Stage 2
• If this does not produce a satisfactory outcome, or if the problem recurs, the parent
moves to Stage 2 of the procedure by putting the concerns or complaint either verbally
or in writing to The Saturday Club Co-ordinators who will follow RBWM complaints
procedures, via The LDD Service.
Most complaints should be able to be resolved informally at Stage 1 or Stage 2.
A record of complaints against The Saturday Club and/or the co-ordinators or volunteers
working at The Saturday Club is kept, including the date, the circumstances of the complaint
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5. and how the complaint was managed. Additionally, compliments are welcomed and will also be
recorded.
The Saturday
Club
Confidentiality Policy
The Saturday Club will respect the privacy of children, parents, carers and volunteers in our
commitment to their safety and well-being.
The Saturday Club will ensure that all parents, carers and volunteers can share their
information in the confidence that it will only be used to enhance their welfare.
This includes:
• Name, address and telephone number.
• Emergency contact details.
• Referral form which may include relevant information concerning the needs of individual
children.
Records will be maintained in line with the confidentiality policy of RBWM.
If there is cause for concern regarding the protection of children, the co-ordinators have a duty
to inform Social Services immediately.
Equality and Diversity Policy
The Saturday Club is committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory
practice for all children, parent and carers.
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6. The Saturday Club will
• provide a secure environment in which all our children and their parents/carers can
flourish and in which all contributions are valued;
• make inclusion a thread which runs through all of the activities of The Saturday Club
and keep this in mind when planning our activities and buying new equipment.
The Saturday
Club
Health and Safety Policy
The Saturday Club believes that the health and safety of children is of paramount
importance. The Saturday Club is a safe and healthy place for children, parents/carers and
volunteers.
The co-ordinators will ensure that everyone is aware of health and safety issues and minimise
the hazards and risks to enable the children to play in a healthy and safe environment. There
will always be a staff member/volunteer who holds a current first aid certificate. All accidents
and incidents are recorded in line with RBWM policies and procedures.
Risk Assessment
The risk assessment process includes
• checking for hazards and risks indoors and outside and in activities and procedures. The
assessment covers adults and children.
• health and safety issues are checked before the session begins and risk management
strategies and outcomes are recorded and regularly reviewed.
Children’s safety
• All volunteers have been checked for criminal records by an enhanced disclosure from
the Criminal Records Bureau.
• All children are supervised by adults at all times.
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7. Security
• Parents/Carers are responsible for the safe arrival and departure of children.
• The arrival of families and volunteers is recorded.
• Immediate outdoor area is fenced and gated.
• Use of outdoor space and large outdoor equipment must be supervised by an adult.
Doors
Precautions are taken to prevent children’s fingers from being trapped in doors.
The Saturday
Club
Floors
All surfaces are checked before each session to ensure they are clean and not uneven and
damaged.
Kitchen
• Children do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen.
• All surfaces are clean and non-porous.
• There are separate facilities for hand washing and for washing up.
• Cleaning materials and other dangerous materials are stored out of children’s reach.
• When children take part in cooking activities, they
are supervised at all times
are kept away from hot surfaces and hot water
do not have unsupervised access to electrical equipment.
Outdoor area
• The outdoor area is checked for safety and cleared of rubbish before it is used.
• All outdoor activities are supervised at all times.
Hygiene
• The toilet area has a high standard of hygiene including hand washing and drying
facilities and the disposal of nappies.
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8. • Good hygiene practice is implemented by
cleaning tables between activities;
checking toilets regularly;
providing aprons, tissues and wipes;
encouraging regular hand washing.
Activities
• Equipment and resources are checked regularly for cleanliness and to ensure that they
are safe for the children attending The Saturday Club. Any dangerous items are
repaired or discarded.
• The layout of equipment allows adults and children to move safely and freely between
activities.
The Saturday
Club
• All materials – including glue and paint are non-toxic.
• Physical play is constantly supervised.
Food and Drink
• All food and drink is stored appropriately
• Adults are encouraged not to carry hot drinks through the play areas and not to place
hot drinks within reach of children.
• Snack time is appropriately supervised and children are encouraged to sit down with
food and drink in the dining area.
• Parents/carers will be responsible for ensuring that children do not have access to food/
drinks to which they are allergic.
Fire Safety
• Fire doors are clearly marked, never obstructed and easily opened from inside.
• The Saturday Club co-ordinators will hold responsibility for all fire procedures which
will be in line with those of The Xtend Centre, Dedworth Green First School.
• Visitors to The Saturday Club will be informed of the fire safety procedures.
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9. First Aid
At least one person with a current first aid training certificate (relevant to infants and children)
is on the premises during a session.
The first aid kit
• complies with the Health and Safety(First Aid) Regulations 1981;
• is easily accessible to adults;
• is kept out of children’s reach.
The Accident/Incident report forms
• are kept safely and are accessible;
• staff and volunteers know where they are kept and how to complete.
The Saturday
Club
Volunteers Policy
• All volunteers have been checked for criminal records by an enhanced disclosure from
the Criminal Records Bureau. They are also required to complete a volunteer
application
• Volunteers should not give out any personal information such as their address, telephone
numbers or e:mail.
• Volunteers are advised not to link to individual children’s social networking sites such as,
facebook, myspace, bebo etc.
• Volunteers may be deployed during the session by the Saturday Club co-ordinators to
an area that requires supervision.
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