If you own a childcare facility, you are required to have an up-to-date health and safety policy. In this policy you state how your organisation protects children from health risks. You should draft, implement and evaluate this policy with all concerned parties and adapt it accordingly to ensure continual improvement.
How to create a health and safety policy
Every childcare facility must have a health and safety policy (in Dutch). You may decide which risks are covered by the policy with the pedagogical staff. The policy must be approved by the Parents’ committee, who can also amend the policy (in Dutch). Once approved, everyone employed at the facility needs to work according to the health and safety policy.
You are required to keep the health and safety policy up-to-date. You need to adapt the policy accordingly when something in your facility changes, or when your policy falls short of its intended purpose.
Main health and safety policy requirements
In your health and safety policy (in Dutch) you should address:
- how you address the main risks with serious consequences for the health and safety of the children
- how to limit risks which might create unsafe or unhealthy situations for children under your care and how you take action in case such a situation occurs
- how your pedagogical staff teach the children to deal with small risks.
- how you reduce the risk of transgressive behaviour on the part of both adults and children.
- how you create, implement and evaluate your health and safety policy with your pedagogical staff
- how you train pedagogical staff, interns, volunteers and parents in following the procedures laid out by the policy
- in the case of childcare centres, how you apply the four-eyes principle
- in the case of just 1 pedagogical employee on hand, how you handle emergency support (achterwachtregeling)
Transporting children
If you transport children to or from your childcare location, whether by car, electric cargo bike, or special motorised vehicle, you need to do so safely and responsibly. You must comply with the rules and guidelines for the mode of transport you use.