Policies and Procedures

Where delays in payment are expected

Any expected delays in payments must be first discussed in advance and a payment plan agreed on a case-by-case basis with the Person in Charge/ Programme Coordinator. We hold the right to refuse to enter into a payment plan should doing so be financially risky or detrimental to the business.

Accounts in Arrears

Any account in arrears will be monitored and if your account reaches arrears of 4 weeks your booking will be suspended, and you will be at risk of losing your place permanently. We hold the right to set a pre-payment paid amount against your outstanding bill of more than 4 weeks, however, written communication will be issued to you first to inform you of this intention.

Late Payments and Interest Rate applicable

Late payments will incur interest charges of 5% calculated daily and if fees are not paid, they may be handed to our collection agency that will actively seek all monies owed, including seeking legal redress where deemed necessary. Children will not be permitted to attend any sessions until the overdue fees are paid.

Distressed Child/not Settling after trial periods

As a very last resort, Sherpa Kids also reserve the right to request that the Parent/Guardian withdraw their child/children from the service where a child is distressed for prolonged periods of time, or where they fail to ‘settle in’ or adapt to the environment after a period of time. A phased period of settling in may be requested to alleviate distress to a child who is struggling to settle, and we expect that parents/guardians will support this process in the best interests of the child.

In the scenario where a phased settling in period, reduced hours, or other accommodations made do not alleviate distress for a child, management hold the right give no less than two weeks’ written notice of this decision to the Parent/Guardian so that they can make alternative arrangements in the best interest of the child.

Sherpa Kids is child central in its approach and will always prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of the individual child. Where are child is not coping well in the Sherpa Kids environment at any point (due to tiredness, over-stimulation, noise triggers etc) Sherpa Kids staff will contact the parent and request the child is collected in his/her best interests. We are not funded or obliged to provide long-term one-to-one care for children at Sherpa Kids. Sherpa Kids holds the right to reduce a child’s hours of attendance temporarily where the child is at risk to themselves or to others due to their exposure to a busy setting of 1 adult to 12 children. During this time, a child-centred well-being plan may be put in place and the parent/guardian will always be invited to collaborate with us.

We understand that children can become ill suddenly or with little to no notice. We also understand that children may be collected from school on a day they are poorly or when circumstances change at short notice. In order to prevent the need to seek updates from the school on a regular basis, we ask that Parents/guardians inform us if their child is not attending our service on any given day and as soon as possible. This should be done by sending an email to the service no later than 10.30am on the relevant day, and to also let us know when your child will return.

Parents/guardians must make contact (even briefly) with a member of our staff team when dropping children off in the mornings if they attend Rise then Shine (Breakfast Club). Equally, we ask the same during pick up and collection. This is to ensure we are made aware of the child’s presence so that we can sign them in/out using our devices. This is also to ensure that there is a brief opportunity to exchange any relevant information (such as where an incident report may need to be signed) and to minimise the risk of a child ever being left unattended.

In the case where our services are located a short walking distance from any given meeting point, all children are accompanied as a group by a known staff member. The safest most direct route is always taken. Young children are encouraged to hold hands when crossing roads, and staff walk behind children to ensure greatest visibility. The required staff/child ratios are always followed.

Staff will always meet children at the designated pre-arranged place within the school. A register is called to check all children are present. If a child is missing the staff member checks if the child was in school that day. The same safety rules apply when walking children from school to the service as above.

If a child is booked into our afterschool programme and does not arrive, we will:

1. Phone the school to check if the child was in school that day.

2. Telephone the parent/emergency contact person.

3. If the child was in school and the parent cannot be contacted, we will report the child missing to the gardai.

If a parent is late and cannot be contacted by phone or text, management will contact the listed emergency contact persons. If the service is unable to make contact with the emergency people after trying for a maximum of 2 hours, then the service will contact TUSLA or the Gardai. Should parents/guardians fail to collect a child after the service has closed (6pm) and emergency contact persons are not successfully reached, management hold the right to contact TUSLA or the Gardai sooner.

We do not routinely administer non-prescription/prescription medications. We ask that medications such as antibiotics are administered before or after your child attends our services.

We only ever administer essential medicines with the correct signed permission from parents/guardians.

Medicines must only be brought into our Breakfast Club or Afterschool Programmes for administration by the staff when it is absolutely essential. This means where it would negatively impact on a child’s health if he/she were not to be given it. Medicine should be in its original container with the doctor’s instructions. We cannot give medication without its original packaging. We cannot give medication not licensed for the age of your child or where the instructions are not written in English.

Our staff will always contact you first before administering non-prescription medication such as Calpol to seek permission. Should your child develop a fever or be in pain, we will contact you immediately and ask you to collect your child without delay. In certain circumstances, we will ask your permission to administer the correct dosage of anti-febrile medication (Calpol) to your child.

If we give your child any medicine, staff will sign a medical form confirming this and ask you to sign to confirm you were informed that your child was given medication.

If your child has an allergy or a medical condition such as diabetes, epilepsy etc. you will be asked to complete a medical emergency care plan in full before your child commences in our service. Any updates to a child’s medical needs or emergency medication are required to be communicated to us clearly and in a timely manner.

Our staff have received training on responding to anaphylaxis and administering an EpiPen.

Parents/guardians of children who have a prescribed EpiPen are required to provide us with an additional clearly labelled EpiPen to store appropriately and permanently for the time the child is registered to attend Sherpa Kids. This is to ensure there is minimal risk of an EpiPen being mislaid between the classroom and Sherpa Kids, or to avoid the risk of a child removing the EpiPen from another child’s school bag.

Parents/Guardians are fully responsible for supplying an in-date clearly labelled EpiPen to us along with their medical emergency care plan. We will notify you of a pending expiration date, however, we ask that parents/guardians make note of when the emergency medication they have supplied us with is due to expire.

Asthma inhalers are regarded as "oral medication". Oral medications must be prescribed by a GP and have the manufacturer instructions clearly written on them.

Inhalers must be provided to the service clearly labelled with the child's name.

Medications, including emergency medications such as EpiPens and Ventolin inhalers should not be stored in your child’s school bag. You must inform us in advance if you are sending your child in with medication, including topical medications such as skin creams. All medicines must be kept in a locked cabinet at our service to avoid accidental ingestion or overdosing by children.

In the event of a serious medical emergency arising for any child the service will contact emergency services first. Parents/guardians will be informed as soon as possible. A staff member will accompany a child to hospital and stay with the child until the parent/guardian arrives.

All medical information about children is kept securely on the premises and kept for a period of 2 years.

Appropriate measures will be taken by management and service staff to minimise the risk of the spread of infection. Appropriate processes and hygiene practices will be employed from recognised health authorities and put in place for children to observe and participate in a safe and healthy environment. We endeavour to work together with you to help avoid the spread of infection into our busy setting. When our staff become ill, it can prove difficult to replace them in accordance with the regulations on ratio balance and required vetting and training. The outbreak of an infectious condition can prove extremely disruptive to our setting as a whole.

We ask if an infectious disease becomes apparent at home that the parent/guardian contacts our service about the child’s condition so appropriate action can take place. If this becomes apparent at our service, we will contact parents/guardians or emergency contacts about the child’s symptoms and the immediate need to collect the child from our service. We will also remind parents of the necessary exclusion’s periods and/or our right to request a medical practitioner certificate to allow the child to attend the service again. Exclusion periods may apply for certain symptoms or diseases.

Please see list overleaf on our Parent/Guardian Handbook.

We work hard to always keep children safe and to avoid a situation where a child is found to be missing. To ensure this we implement the following:

• Strict security measures are always in place in our services.

• The main door to the premises remains closed and secure from unauthorised access from the outside.

• Parents are requested not to admit anyone else into the service whilst entering or leaving unless they are knowledgeable that the person is an authorised collector of a child attending, and to check that all doors are securely closed behind them, at all times.

• Children are never left unattended without a staff member present and the necessary staff/child ratios are always adhered to.

• Head counting is done regularly, routinely and manually and checked against the number of children recorded as present in our software system.

• Head counting is done on arrival into and from the outdoor area and during Fire Drills to account for all children.

• In the unlikely event that a staff member cannot locate a child on the premises the following procedure is put in place immediately:

• The premises will be searched thoroughly and immediately.

• The register will be called to determine which child(ren) are missing.

• The grounds surrounding the service will be searched.

• The child will be called out by name by a staff member to prompt a response.

• Blind spots will be checked.

• Staff will call the local Garda.

• Staff will inform the parents/guardians.

• A full and thorough review of procedures and practices will take place to determine how the incident occurred and changes will be made if appropriate.

• An accident/incident form will be completed and appropriately signed.

There is an approved fully stocked first-aid kit and other supporting kits available and a staff member trained in first aid, anaphylaxis & asthma will be present onsite at each service. First Aid kits are checked and restocked monthly or as required. All documentation pertaining to the contents and replacement of items is retained by Sherpa Kids.

All incidents, injury, trauma and illness events including serious incidents are recorded and discussed with parents, staff and where necessary reported to the appropriate authority and Sherpa Kids Head Office.

If a serious accident occurs our policy is to ensure the safety and well- being of the child first. This may mean an ambulance or other appropriate form of medical help is sought before the parent is called. We do not use our cars or public transport to escort children to hospitals, GP surgeries or to their homes.

The safety of staff, children and visitors to our service is vital in the event of an emergency. Emergencies include events as fires, floods, extreme weather conditions, other catastrophic events, the presence of dangerous persons and animals and any other situation or threat which requires a lockdown or evacuation of the premises. We have a critical incident plan in place in the event of an emergency, including a ‘lock-in’ procedure in the event of an external threat.

Staff and volunteers will initially be made aware of emergency procedures and drills at our service during their inductions and this information will be reinforced with the children during regular practice drills.

We ask that you apply suncream to your child (or ensure they have protection from the sun) before arriving at our services. We also ask that you, where possible, supply your child with additional sun cream (such as a travel sized bottle) to allow them to ‘top up’ accordingly.

We advise that Factor 50 suncream is used on all occasions to best protect a child’s skin.

The permissions form within your Booking sets out whether you consent to us providing your child with hypo-allergenic Factor 50 sun cream protection on any necessary occasion where you have not provided some.

We will always encourage children to self-administer sun cream, however, it may be necessary to assist younger children to ensure adequate protection from the sun.

If a child attending the service becomes unwell or very upset, we will contact the authorised people listed on the Enrolment form for them to pick up the child as soon as possible. This is in the best interests of the child.

We ask that you please keep children who are unwell at home until they have recovered, as we do not have the facilities to look after sick children.

If a child has been booked into the service but does not attend due to sickness, please inform the Person in Charge (Programme Coordinator) as soon as possible. Should a child not attend school due to illness, we ask that you inform us before 10:30am on that day where possible.

We also welcome parents to visit our service before a child’s first session where this is possible to help the child to adjust and feel comfortable with our staff and service. If a child does not settle in a reasonable amount of time, we will contact parents to discuss together how best to support the child.

A phased or staggered settling period may be required in the best interests of the child. We ask that parents support this process and are patient with it until the child develops confidence in attending.

We feel passionate about local Irish registered charities who are doing positive things for school age children without the help of government funding. Our Charity of Choice for 2024 is A Lust For Life, an awardwinning Mental Health Charity with a panel of experts developing crucial programmes and resources that facilitate young people to be the effective guardians of their own mind. We are helping them achieve their goals by fundraising in various ways throughout the year, by accepting staff contributions, family contributions and by organising on-site events such as cake sales and pyjama parties. We have consulted with the Charities Regulator and sought guidance on our fundraising approaches. We make opting out at any time easy and are more than happy to make reimbursements to you should you change your mind.

We facilitate a growing number of families in a high volume of services.  Most of our families now avail of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and we are therefore required to meet full compliance on inspection of our receipt of funding to apply subsidies to our fees.   

4 week’s written notice 

We require no less than 4 week’s written notice from you of changes to or a permanent cancellation of your booking to allow us adequate time to make these amendments.  This can be sent to your Programme Coordinator (Person in Charge at your Service).  Anything less than 4 week’s written notice will incur a continued charge for the period of anything up to 4 weeks. 

2 Reduction/Swap Booking Changes per school year 

We understand that people’s circumstances can change and that less hours/days, or different days may be required at any given time.  We will therefore allow you to make no more than 2 changes (reduction of days/hours, or to change days of your use of Sherpa Kids) to your booking.  This ‘2 changes’ allowance is per family in a given school year (Sept-June) as long as we receive 4 week’s written notice.  Changes include swapping your days and/or reducing your days/hours, either with a permanent or temporary intention.   Changes do not include ‘pausing’ term-time service use when you don’t require it.  Should you wish to avail of your 5 consecutive day allowance without charge, please revert to the above section.  Should you wish to increase your hours/days, we will do our best to accommodate you based on availability, however, we will still require written notice.   Please note that where a change request alters a Court/Access order in place, we will require supporting legal documentation or an updated Court Access Order to allow us grant such requests.  We cannot guarantee change requests that impact custody/access rights in place in the best interests of child safety and welfare.    

Cancelling your Booking 

You can permanently cancel your place at any time and will not be charged anything once we receive a 4-week written notice in advance of your cancellation.  Failure to provide this will result in a charge equivalent of up to 4 week’s fees.   

Please note that while we endeavour to facilitate your changes as best we can, they require many manual amendments on our side.  We are also not in a position to make up the financial loss of reduced hours/days.  We hold a right, therefore, not to facilitate more than 2 changes (reduce or swap days) per family per year.  Repeated requests (more than 2 per school year) for changes are prohibited and risk the loss of your child’s place at Sherpa Kids during that school year.   We have many families on waiting lists to avail of our services.  

Retaining your Booking after 2 changes   

If you wish to retain your booking despite more than 2 changes made per family in a given year, you must contact your Programme Coordinator (or Person in Charge in your Service) and you will be charged during this period in order for us to hold your place.   

Click Here to View our "Children with Additional Complex Needs and ASD Units at School" Policy

At Sherpa Kids we believe that a CHILD’S WELLBEING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of a child’s development that we can embrace and help nurture.  We recognise that children need to relax and play after a busy day at school, and yet, that homework still needs to get done.  We therefore encourage children to allocate quiet time for their homework with our best support.  We strive to strike a healthy balance by allocating some but not all of the time a child spends at Sherpa Kids on their homework.  We respect if parents/guardians prefer their children to complete their homework at home instead, however, we expect you to communicate this clearly to us as we do have an ‘opt out’ for homework time inclusion.  

We allow approximately 30/40 minutes for homework per day, depending on the child’s educational stage. We will always be flexible according to a child’s age, stage and pace and will encourage focussed, quiet time in a supportive and supervised environment.  If a child has no homework or finishes prior to the time allowed, they will be able to choose other suitable activities, for example from our Sherpa Kids adventure box.   

Our staff are not expected to enforce that children complete their homework, or that their homework is 100% accurate. They are also not teaching staff and are not expected to fully understand or interpret school curriculum. Staff will, however, provide support to children in order for them to complete homework tasks as best they can in the time allocated and to encourage each child to have a positive, calm attitude towards school and homework.  We do not tolerate any form of criticism towards our staff regarding the quantity or quality of homework completed by children during their time at Sherpa Kids.  We always strive to support children in any way we can with their homework tasks, most importantly in their emotional wellbeing during the homework period.  

If there are any issues regarding homework or your child has any specific or additional needs, please make sure you communicate this to the Person in Charge (Programme Coordinator) and include this information on the Registration form. 

Sherpa Kids recognises the importance of the parent/guardian’s role in homework support and encourages them to check work completed and play an active role in the homework supervision and support of their child. 

All our staff are trained in fire prevention and evacuation. Your child will participate in monthly fire drills, so they know what to do in the event of a fire or on hearing a fire alarm.  All fire equipment is readily accessible and serviced regularly in line with the fire regulations.  

Fire notices and fire exits are clearly marked in our premises, please make note of these when you are in our premises. If you are in our premises and you hear the fire alarm sound, please make your way to the nearest fire exit and go directly to the fire assembly point as directed by staff.  Do not remove your child from the service if you arrive to collect during a Fire Drill, unless authorised to do so by a member of staff.  This is so that your child has an opportunity to participate in the Drill in the interests of their own safety and practice, but also to ensure we correctly account for your child’s presence or absence during the Drill.  

We have a strict No Smoking and No Vaping policy in place on school grounds for all staff, parents and visitors to our service.