📒Out of Hours Babysitting Policy (QA2) (video needed)

National Quality Standard (NQS) - Quality Area 2: Children's health and safety

Implementation

We work to develop positive and supportive relationships with children and families. We understand that families may request individual educators to babysit or nanny for them outside the service hours of operation. We pride ourselves on employing educators of a high standard, who are suitable for our Service. However, we are unable to provide assurance to families of an Educator’s suitability to look after a child or children unsupervised in a babysitting environment away from our Service.

 Due to possible legal implication, child protection legislation and privacy, we strongly discourage employees from babysitting children outside of work hours. However, we acknowledge the educators right to financial expansion. Therefore, Educators undertaking babysitting or nanny positions in their personal time must undertake the following: 

• Educators must advise the Nominated Supervisor/Management of the Service that a request has been made by a family. 
• Any babysitting arrangements must be recorded in the ‘Babysitting log’ 
• Babysitting must not interfere with the Educators job/work at the Service
• Confidentiality must be adhered to at all times 
• Educators will ensure favouritism does not result in external relationships with children and families outside of the Service 
• Families must be made aware that other adults who may accompany the babysitter may not have the relevant working with children checks, resulting in the inappropriateness for them to care for children. 
• The service will not be made accountable for any health and safety issues that may arise within the private arrangement being made 
• Families understand that our Service has a duty of care to protect children whilst on the premises and in our care, this duty of care does not extend to private arrangements between Educators and Families outside of the Service. However, Educators do have a duty to report any safeguarding concerns in and outside of work, including child protection concerns. 
• Educators must understand that an incident whilst babysitting could have an impact on their suitability to work at the Service. 
• If an Educator is to collect a child from the Service, they must be authorised and/or listed as an emergency contact. 
• Educators will complete an agreement with families in regards to expectations and use of personal mobile phones and photography to ensure privacy and confidentiality is maintained whilst babysitting. 
• Educators and families will complete the ‘Babysitting Agreement Waiver’ acknowledging that they choose to waive the right to hold the service liable should a child be harmed whilst an Educator is waiting outside of work hours.  

Babysitting Exemptions

If an employee has a pre-existing relationship prior to the child’s enrolment at the service (relative, family friend etc.) babysitting is not discouraged. However, to ensure the children’s health and safety employees will: 

• Disclose the relationship to management  
• Be authorised or provided with written permission to take a child from the Service
• Understand that the Service will not be held responsible for any health or safety issues that may arise from private arrangements.