Well done, you made the correct decision.
Here are some points that you need to consider. You should have included all of these in your reflective activity.
- Interrupting your manager’s meeting to update her on Tommy’s condition is the right thing to do. You are now taking appropriate action to assess and manage a potential risk to Tommy’s health. You are demonstrating you are able to recognise signs of illness in children and respond according to work setting requirements.
- You made a mistake earlier when you assumed Tommy had not drunk any milk and you did nothing. Even if you are not sure whether a child’s health has been put at risk, you must act quickly to protect him.
- You are doing the right thing now but your earlier mistakes could call into question your suitability to be a child care worker. An investigation by your employer could result in disciplinary action.
- You need to learn your employer’s policies and procedures for monitoring and maintaining health and safety. These are designed to keep children safe and to uphold their right to be protected from danger and harm.
- You must recognise the power that comes from your work with children and use this responsibly. You must not put children at unnecessary risk. Always seek additional support in relation to health and safety issues when necessary.
- You need to improve your approach to promoting health and safety. You must understand the responsibility everyone has to raise concerns about any possible harm that may have come to a child.
- The effectiveness of a team is built on trust, respect and open communication. You need to learn when information needs to be urgently passed on.
- It is essential to show children, their families and your colleagues you are trustworthy and reliable. Your earlier actions suggest parents and colleagues may find it difficult to trust you in future. You need to update your knowledge and make improvements to your work to earn their trust.
When you first realised it was possible Tommy had drunk some milk, the right thing to do would have been to immediately tell your manager and closely monitor Tommy. You can find out why this was the right thing to do here.
Click here to download a copy of this feedback
What do you want to do now?
(click one of the following to choose)