Rules and regulations

The information below will give you an introduction to inspections and some useful links to help you make your club safe, legal and efficient, for both you and your members. It can only serve as a guide, and you should always check the specific regulations of your Local Authority, senior management team, premises and your funders.

Jump straight to the relevant area using these links:

Food Hygiene, Food Policy, First Aid, Insurance, Health and Safety, Child Protection

Food Hygiene

All your staff handling or preparing food should have completed a basic Food Hygiene Awareness training course.

As good practice you could also look to get one of your staff enrolled on the Level 2 Award in Food Safety, which is certified by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Contact your local council Environmental Health department for more information on courses and options in your area.

Information on nutritional standards can be found on the health - a balanced diet page. 

Food Policy

Schools are now subject to much more rigorous standards in the types of food and nutritional standards of food that they serve. This includes breakfast clubs. Visit the School Food Trust website to make sure you know exactly what the standards are.

First Aid

Your school or centre should have a policy on the ratio of First Aid trained staff you must have, check this with a member of senior management. It is good practice to have at least one first aid trained adult on the premises whenever the club is running. St John’s Ambulance runs specific first aid training for those working in a school environment.

Insurance

As a club you will require public liability insurance cover to operate legally. If your premises are local authority operated you may be covered through their insurance procedures. Again check with a member of your senior management team or your local authority study support team. Regulations may well be different for those operating as formal child care provision.

Health and Safety

You should check with senior management your specific health and safety regulations. As good practice you should:

• Contact your local Health and Safety Executive for advice
• Be fully briefed on the building fire procedure and display notices where relevant.
• Have a checked first aid box and trained first aider on site.
• Take a brief medical history from each child noting any specific allergies (especially food allergies) or conditions eg epilepsy or asthma.

Child protection

You should always:

• Obtain written parental consent for the child to attend the breakfast club. This should include details of any parental responsibility eg transporting the child to the club safely. Contact phone numbers are useful for emergencies.
• Consider the ratio of supervisors to children. At no time should there only be one adult.
• Ensure all staff and volunteers have been CRB checked. This can seem daunting but is worth the effort. Try and arrange for a pool of volunteers to be checked at the same time so you always have someone who is approved available to cover staff sickness or absence.
• Develop a disclosure policy with regard to information given to staff in confidence by a child. As a general rule any disclosure where the child is at risk or is at risk of harming others should be reported to a senior member of staff for action. Be upfront with members about where lines of confidentiality are drawn and consider highlighting a list of issues that you would need to discuss elsewhere eg risk of harm, inappropriate behaviour. Reassure them they are right to tell you if they are troubled. Take guidance from your school or organisation disclosure policy.
• Keep a daily record of attendance so you know who and how many people are attending each day.

For more information on CRB checks and disclosure information contact:

www.direct.gov.uk/crb - information and access to services for CRB applicants and the general public
www.businesslink.gov.uk/crb - information for Registered Bodies and other associated businesses and organisations using the CRB service
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crb  - corporate information and publications for particular interest groups and partners

Scotland:
Disclosure Scotland