NHS Fife

1. Index Page • Philosophy of the Child Development Centre • Aims of the Child Development Centre • History • Who provides the service • Other Students • Health & Safety • Philosophy for providing a Positive Learning Environment for Students • Student/Mentor Information • Staffing • The Children • ‘Play’ is our ‘Work’ • What is Play • Different types of Play • Links with other Agencies • No Smoking Policy Gordon Cottage Child Development Centre NHSFife Name Student Nurse Information Booklet Gordon Cottage, 118 Cocklaw Street, Kelty, Fife Telephone: 01383 830441

2. Philosophy of the Child Development Centre Aims of the Child Development Centre • To provide a Community based service for infants and pre-nursery children with additional support needs in order to promote development and provide the best possible start in life. • To provide a service which promotes equality, values diversity and respects the culture, religion and language of all children and their families. • To provide rich learning experiences for each child through play and other developmentally appropriate activities suited to each individual child and as appropriate provide nursing and therapy input. • To provide support for children and their families whilst attending the centre and during the transition period on to playgroup and nursery. • To work alongside families to help the child by establishing and maintaining open and ongoing communication. • To work flexibly to meet the needs of each individual child and family. • To facilitate parents to meet other families with children with additional support needs to offer mutual support. • To provide information, support and resources as appropriate to children and families referred through the PSCT irrespective of whether the child accesses group sessions or not. We welcome each child and their family into a happy, safe and caring environment where parents and professionals work together to encourage each child to reach their maximum potential. Everyone will have an awareness of each other’s roles, sharing knowledge and respect the individual skills of all concerned. Parents and professionals work as a team in the assessment and realistic plan of care, which will be evaluated on a ongoing basis. We encourage parent’s active involvement in the centre as this allows them to work alongside the staff and carry on any ideas/suggestions in the home setting. We aim to support and empower them to be an advocate for their child. Parents are welcome in the centre at all times although some respite can be offered. We recognise the importance of play and daily routines and use these in our assessment and intervention to promote development.

3. Who provides the service? History of the Centres Gordon Cottage Child Assessment Unit was opened in 1965 to provide a service for pre-school children with additional support needs and their families in Fife. A further two assessment Units were later developed. Leven Child Assessment Unit was opened in November 1967 followed by High Valleyfield Child Assessment Unit in 1974. Some years later a further centre , the Forth Child Development Centre was opened in Kirkcaldy. In March 2004, the units changed their names to Child Development Centres. In October 2009, Forth Child Development Centre moved premises and is now situated in Glenrothes. Initially referrals for the centres came from the Community Paediatric Consultants but over recent years, a new multi-agency referral system has been introduced. Families with a pre-school child with additional support needs are referred to a ‘Pre-school Community Team’. This allows a co-ordinated approach for children with additional support needs and their families. For some children, part of that co-ordinated approach may include a period of assessment and/or intervention at a Child Development Centre. At the centres, all staff liaise together and with others in the community, such as Health Visitors, Educational staff and Social Work staff to offer support and an integrated service. Families benefit from a base of care, empowering them to identify their specific needs and acts as advocate for their child. • The service is provided by NHS Fife, Primary Care Division. There is no cost to parents for the services • Other Students • The centres take Nursing Students, Social Work students and occasionally other students studying childcare or supporting additional needs. Health and Safety All staff undergo a thorough screening and recruitment process and are subject to enhanced disclosure checks. A nurse is present at all times when children are in attendance. The centre has a designated risk assessor and risk assessments have been done throughout the centre and are reviewed regularly. The Health and Safety guideline outlines measures taken to ensure the Health and Safety of everyone within the centre. Please discuss any concerns you have over Health and Safety issues immediately with the Nurse in charge.

4. During the Placement: • Mentors will be responsible for the student’s induction/orientation. • Students are welcomed to the placement and encouraged to give feedback on how the learning environment or the student experience within the placement can be improved. • Mentors will meet with the student in the first week to discuss the placement, students learning needs and develop the learning contract. • Mentors will provide support, teaching, supervision and assessment activities. • Mentors will have allocated time to assess the students developing competencies/achievements of learning outcomes. • Mentors will provide ongoing guidance and feedback to the student. • Mentors will conduct a fair and objective assessment of the student performance and complete the relevant documentation. • Should any issues arise, mentors will discuss with the student in the first instance and when required, seek advice and support through the student’s personal tutor and/or the link lecturer. Philosophy for Providing a Positive Learning Environment for Students • Gordon Cottage aims to provide a positive learning environment for students, as it is for the core team and he multidisciplinary/agency team, which operate within the centre. We acknowledge and respect that knowledge, skills and value base that each professional brings to the team and reflective practice is encouraged so that the team is constantly growing and learning, which happens through working in partnership with families. • To ensure students are well supported within the placement, the following will happen: • Prior to placement starting: • Students will be allocated a mentor prior to the placement starting and this will be stated on the welcome letter. • Mentors will ensure that a welcome letter and information booklet is sent out to students prior to the commencement of the placement. • The mentor will ensure that an initial programme of learning is in place. This will include access to learning through the multidisciplinary/agency team and identified visits out with the centre. This can be re-negotiated depending on the individual students learning needs.

5. Students/Mentor Information • Mentors will seek feedback from the core and multidisciplinary/agency team regarding the student’s performance. • Mentors will meet with the student for a midway placement meeting. • Mentors will meet with the student for the final assessment. • On Completion of the Placement • The student will be asked to complete a student evaluation form, which is submitted to the practice educational facilitator. • The mentor or coordinator will discuss the placement with the student and ask for suggestions which could improve learning experience for a future student. • Mentors will reflect on any comments/suggestions from the student evaluation form or discussion and take action if appropriate. Gordon Cottage would like to welcome you to the Child Development Centre. Your mentor in Gordon Cottage will be Staff Nurse Susan McLuckie and your associate mentor will be Dawn Farrell Nurse Team Manager. This placement should provide you with a positive and important part of your learning, understanding and work with children. Students have all undergone necessary background checks and are supervised at all times. While in Gordon Cottage there may be opportunities for students to observe during review meetings or home visits. Parents consent will be requested before this take place.

6. Staffing The Children There is a core team of staff at the centre, who work both as key workers for children and also as a team providing a happy, safe and stimulating environment in which the children can develop. The staff are, Susan McLuckie (staff nurse), Janet Eddie (nursery nurse), Laura Boyd (nursery nurse) and Dawn Dibben (nursery nurse). Dawn Farrell is Nurse Team Manager for the four CDC’s in Fife and also has direct overall responsibility for Gordon Cottage. There are a number of other professionals who visit the centre on a regular basis. These include, Rachael Barlow (speech and language therapist), Aileen McFarlane (occupational therapist), Mairri McGinlay and Heather Morrison (physiotherapists). There is also medical input from Dr. Heather Graham (staff grade paediatrician) and Joanne Smith (child development psychologist). The centre has a high ratio of adults to children with 1 to 1 or at the most 1 to 2. • In the centre the children are the most important people. Children attending the centre can have many additional support needs, for example:- • CEREBRAL PALSY • EPILEPSY • VISUAL IMPAIRMENT • HEARING IMPAIRMENT • COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES • DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY • GENETIC DISORDERS • CONGENTIAL ABNORMALITIES • CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS • Pre-school children from the ages of 1 to 3 years access the centre although there is also a baby group to include younger children. The children attend the centre for 1, 2 or 3 sessions per week depending upon their needs. A maximum of 8 children can attend each day. CDC staff and therapists plan care with the families and keep written records which are updated after each session. • Children are provided with a diary/passport. • Children’s medication will be administered if required. • CONFIDENTIALITY is assured at all times.

7. Play is our work What is Play The centre is run on similar lines to Nursery, with the emphasis on therapy through play. Play in the centre at times is structured slightly differently in comparison to Nurseries/Playgroups, but activities are specially chosen to help the child develop skills, abilities and understanding, allowing them the opportunity to reach their maximum potential. The child with special needs may take longer to reach each subsequent milestone, but must be given the time and opportunity to do so. They need constant encouragement and stimulation during play to attain these milestones. Play is important for the all round development of the child. We use play to stimulate interest and curiosity, which result in learning. We all work together and plan appropriate types of play for each child. Therapy programmes are carried out through the play activities in the centre. Therapy through play can be in a group setting or individualised. The Centre provides a selection of activities to encompass the needs of the child. There are areas of cross-over and no activity is better than any other, but a balance provides the best opportunity for the child. The children can experiment, practice physical skills, imagine, create, solve problems, learn about and cope with feelings. Play is fun. Everyone agrees about that. Some people think that play is just a nice way for children to use up their free time but that it can’t be important or useful. They are wrong. Just because you enjoy it, doesn’t mean it isn’t good for you. So what is play for? Why do children of all ages, all over the world play whenever they have the chance? The simple answer is that play is how children learn and making it fun is nature’s way of ensuring that children get lots and lots of practice. Even tiny babies play, practicing moving their hands or sucking their toes which helps them to control their bodies. The games children play are directly linked to the needs of the growing body and mind. Children’s play has been closely studied by child psychologists who have catalogued the pattern of development of skills and abilities from birth. It is not only young humans who play as a way to learn, young animals do too. A kitten will chase, pounce on and play-fight a ball of wool or toy mouse. It will lie in wait for you and then attack your foot as you walk past. It is busy learning how to hunt and catch its dinner.

8. Children have much more to learn and it takes much longer to grow up. So many skills to learn: how to walk talk, make things with your hands to name a few. Each one needs lots of time spent playing and practicing to perfection. We can’t afford to begrudge the time children spend at play. It is how they learn. If play is a child’s work then they must also have the tools for their trade. Toys are tools that help a child to enjoy play. Different Types of Play Children develop from tiny, helpless babies and need to practice lots of different activities to develop the skills and abilities they need as they grow. Exploratory play - to explore the world, to see, to hear, touch and taste new things. Construction play - to discover how things work. To take them apart and put them together again and learn what properties they have – size, weight, colour, shape, materials. Energetic play - to practice new physical skills to help the maturing body become more versatile and skilled e.g. Running, climbing. Modelling - to learn from watching others and copying them. Pretend play - to act out a mixture of fact and fantasy in a safe context away from adult interference. This may be to explore new things a child finds difficult or frightening or it might be just to let off steam.. Social play - to provide a pleasant opportunity to be with other children who are more important than the game itself. Different games may be tried then abandoned to avoid damaging disputes unlike pretend play there the game is more important. Skilful play - to practice skills involving finely controlled, small movements or complex sequences of activity. Some play activities will involve several of these elements.

9. Links with other agencies No Smoking Gordon Cottage Child Development Centre is part of NHS Fife which operates a No Smoking Policy, therefore staff are requested not to smoke on the premises. We have close links with the Pre-School Educational Home Visiting Service, Social Work Services, Health Visitors, Local Nurseries, Special Schools, Sensory Support Services and Voluntary agencies.

10. We do hope you enjoy your placement at Gordon Cottage and take away with you a positive learning experience.