Why Every Setting Must Show it has Effective Health & Safety Procedures
Laura Robshaw, Quality Manager at NDNA, talks about Millie's Mark and keeping your H&S policies alive
What is Millie’s Mark, and why is it necessary? Millie’s Mark is the gold-standard award in paediatric first aid, aiming to raise the standard of first aid care within early years settings while providing much-needed reassurance to parents who entrust their young children to practitioners. All early years settings in England can get involved.
It was created because research identified that although many practitioners have undertaken training in paediatric first aid, their confidence in administering what they’ve learned is low.
This need has been translated into the criteria that support early years settings to consider staff deployment.
Although the legal requirement is that at least one person who has a certificate must be on the premises and available when children are present, the Millie’s Mark requirement is for all staff to be trained in paediatric first aid.
Following a strident campaign, Dan and Joanne Thompson of Millie’s Trust persuaded the government to develop Millie’s Mark and introduce the requirement for all new staff at Level 2 and 3 to be first aid-trained.
Is this just following new EYFS guidelines, then? Millie’s Mark goes further. All members of staff will need to have a paediatric first aid certificate and demonstrate they are confident in delivering first aid at a moment’s notice.
Settings need to show they have effective policies and procedures in place, and show how they keep knowledge alive. They need to think about how they deploy staff and progress their workforce’s skills and experience.
How long does it take, and do we need to use specific trainers? We allow settings a maximum of six months but a minimum of three months from sign-up. This gives managers and staff time to fully reflect on their practice and put improvements in place. Gaining this mark is not just about loading up certificates.
There is no preferred supplier for training, but you must ensure your provider meets the requirements of the EYFS course content criteria and the Millie’s Mark criteria. Providers taking part must demonstrate they have carried out due-diligence on the training providers to validate this. All staff must renew their training every three years without a gap in training.
Does it include all staff in our setting? A: The requirement to achieve Millie’s Mark is that all staff who work directly with children must have an up-to-date paediatric first aid certificate. It is the responsibility of the early years provider to decide which staff members need to be trained and what qualification staff in their setting should hold – for example, the six-hour emergency or the full 12-hour course. Assessment of who should be trained might highlight additional people such as lunchtime supervisors and drivers.
What are the advantages? First and foremost, using the audit provided, your setting will go through a process of reflection on current practice. This may identify where improvements can be made to help keep children safe. During the last year we have identified lots of improvements that early years settings have made as a result of taking part in Millie’s Mark.
Parents are now beginning to recognise the mark and this is a great selling point for nurseries. Parents have told us that Millie’s Mark offers reassurance and they know that the nursery goes the extra mile with regards to first aid. One nursery told us they had 17 more children as a direct result of achieving the mark.
Once awarded, as well as receiving a certificate, you can use the Millie’s Mark logo on your stationery and website, and be listed on the Millie’s Mark website.
The mark has also been recognised as best practice within a recent Ofsted report. You will get information on how to promote your success, including an example press release to raise awareness of your achievements.
How is a setting assessed? A: Settings must carry out a full audit of existing practice, a risk assessment and provide full information of staff training using the templates provided. All certificates must be uploaded and the whole application is assessed online.
To maintain the credibility of the award, spot-check visits are carried out with 24 hours’ notice. Ten per cent of settings are spot-checked on submission for assessment and a further 10 per cent are spot-checked following award at any point over the three years. This is to ensure that standards are maintained.
How many nurseries have been awarded the mark? A: Since it launched just over a year ago, Millie’s Mark has been awarded to more than 100 nurseries and other settings. Read how this has affected their businesses at milliesmark.com/case-studies
Millie’s Mark costs between £230 and £330 plus VAT, which includes everything you need – from a dedicated NDNA mentor to a full online assessment, resources, spot checks and IT support. To apply, ensure all your staff are paediatric first aid-trained, then go to the sign-up page at milliesmark.com.
Laura Robshaw is Quality Manager at NDNA.
