Recruiting and managing staff
1. Overview
This guide provides general information but you must ensure that you meet employment law and equality legislation (Equality Act 2010) as well as childcare legislation. You are advised to seek expert advice as needed.
Two useful resources are:
Employing People - A-Z of Government advice to employing people including contracts, dismissing staff and redundancies, health and safety, payroll, pensions, recruiting, leave and time off, trade unions and worker's rights.
ACAS gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice. They also offer training and help to resolve disputes.
Qualifications and ratios
The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage sets out the qualification and ratio requirements for those looking after children from birth to the 31st August after their 5th birthday.
You can find the requirements for the Childcare Register Requirements on GOV.UK.
Check qualifications digitally on GOV.UK to see if a person's qualifications allow them to be included as qualified in staff: child ratios.
See also the EYFS staff:child ratios - DfE approved qualifications on GOV.UK.
The Department for Education has released the following guidance relating to early years:
- pathway into an early years career
- qualifications that do not count towards ratios and qualifications that do count
- experienced based route for early years staff
Health and safety of staff
Employers have a general duty under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. This guidance will support organisations to write a policy that enables them to meet their duty: HSE health, safety and welfare guidance [PDF 107KB] Employers also are required by law, to display the HSE law poster
Further information available from the HSE website.