Continuous Professional Development

Contact Carlow CCC for information on upcoming training by email info@carlowccc.ie 

Child Protection Training

Children First, National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017, applies to all those working in a voluntary or paid capacity with children and families. It outlines the roles and responsibilities in relation to recognising, responding and reporting child protection and welfare concerns.

The full Enactment of the Children First Act (2015) has resulted in significant changes for those employed in the Early Years Sector.  With a legal responsibility for organisations to have a Child Safeguarding Statement in place and the identification of those employed in Early Years Services as Mandated Persons, the Always Children First Foundation Module has been updated to reflect these and other important changes.  Trainers from Carlow County Childcare Committee have completed their training and are now ready to roll out the updated module to Early Years Providers and in particular, to Designated Liaison Persons (DLP) and Deputy Designated Liaison Persons (DDLP).   A prerequisite of attending this training is that participants have completed the Tusla E Learning Children First Programme and Mandated Persons E Learning (if a mandated person) within the past 6 months.

Ireland’s National Child Protection and Welfare Guidance Training

It is recommended that everyone involved in early years services including staff, board members and volunteers complete the Tusla’s Children First E-Learning Programme.  

An additional E-Learning module has been developed to provide information on, and understanding of, the role and responsibilities of mandated persons as outlined in the Children First Act 2015: Tusla’s Mandated Person E-Learning.

The designated liaison person (DLP) is responsible for ensuring that reporting procedures within your organisation are followed, so that child welfare and protection concerns are referred promptly to Tusla. The designated liaison person should be knowledgeable about child protection and should be provided with any training considered necessary to fulfil this role. Follow link to:  Tusla’s Designated Liaison Persons (DLP) E-Learning Module  .

Children First Child Protection Revision Webinar

This webinar was developed to highlight the key elements of the face-to-face Always Children First Foundation training while it is on hold due to current public health advice. Its purpose is to serve as an interim revision resource for ELC practitioners, SAC practitioners and Childminders.

Follow Link: www.childsafeguardingelc.ie

Quality and Regulatory Framework (QRF) eLearning Programme

The first three modules of the  Quality and Regulatory Framework (QRF) eLearning programme are now available to access on the TUSLA website;

Visit: QRF E-Learning Programme

The aim and purpose of this QRF eLearning programme is to:

  • Assist registered providers and staff of early years services to prepare for a Tusla early years inspection.
  • Support early years professionals to meet the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 and the Childcare Act 1991 (Early Years Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2016.
  • This eLearning programme may be used as a resource by other professionals in the early years sector; it identifies what quality early years provision looks like in practice and as such may also be of interest to parents and guardians.

The Reason for Developing this eLearning programme:

The QRF  eLearning programme was developed following consultation with the early years sector in 2017/ 2018 in relation to the supports identified to support compliance with the Childcare Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016.  The Quality and Regulatory Framework eLearning programme is an additional support to the Quality and Regulatory Framework document, which has been circulated to the sector and available to download from Tusla website.  The programme also supports the Guidelines to Developing Policies and Procedures in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings a Practical Guide which were also circulated to all registered early years providers in Autumn 2018 and January 2019 and is also available to download from Tusla website.

Access the eLearning programme now:

Tusla Early Years Inspectorate, invite you and your staff to log on to access the programme, we hope you find this eLearning programme beneficial as you continue to work to provide quality early learning and care experiences in Tusla registered early years services.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Training 

An element of the universal supports (Levels 1-3) for the early years sector includes a new Inclusion Charter underpinned by updated Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Guidelines for Early Childhood Care and Education. 

Funding has been made available under the AIM programme to provide for training for all service providers on the guidelines and charter.

The training available will be a 15hr programme on Equality Diversity and Inclusion and will be delivered free of charge by Carlow CCC, contact 059 9140244 for more information.

First Aid Responder

Under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, a new regulatory requirement will come into force from June 1st, 2020.  From this date under Regulation 25, there must be a person(s) who has trained in FAR (First Aid Response) with a trainer approved by the Pre- Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) immediately available to children attending the service.

By completing this training the First Aid Responder will be equipped with the necessary practical skills, knowledge and confidence to give effective life support, diagnose and treat injuries or illness, and maintain care and comfort of a patient who has become suddenly ill or injured in the workplace or elsewhere until the arrival of emergency medical services.

LINC Training

The Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years programme, LINC, is a Level 6 Special Purpose Award (Higher Education), that is designed to support the inclusion of children with additional needs in the early years. The course is offered for free to people working within early years education and is fully funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Once qualified, graduates will perform the role of Inclusion Coordinator within their early years setting.

The development of the programme is part of government response to local, national and international demands for high-quality education and training leading towards graduate pathways in the combined field of early childhood care and education (ECCE). The programme seeks to address the need for continuing professional development (CPD) in relation to the inclusion of children with additional needs.

LINC is a free (fully funded) higher education blended-learning programme designed for early years teachers, to promote the inclusion of children with additional needs. After completing the programme, graduates will carry out the role of Inclusion Coordinator and will also meet the educational requirement for room leader status. Once a qualified graduate is working within an early years setting as the INclusion COordinator, the setting will be entitled to an extra capitation payment of €2 per ECCE/CCS/TEC qualified child.

Further information about the programme can be found by visiting the LINC programme website www.lincprogramme.ie.

Aistear Síolta initiative

The National Síolta Aistear Initiative (NSAI) has been developed to provide central support and coordination of Síolta and Aistear implementation across the early childhood sector. The initiative has two strands. The first will focus on Síolta, including the introduction of Síolta awareness raising workshops and the expansion of the Síolta Quality Assurance Programme (QAP). The second strand relates to Aistear and will see the development of workshops and coaching to support practitioners to use Aistear in their setting. Carlow CCC under the NSAI offer the following support to Early years services in Carlow:

  • The Síolta Aistear Practice Guide Introductory Workshop
  • Síolta awareness raising workshops
  • Aistear Workshops
  • Aistear Síolta Mentor support
  • Síolta Quality Awareness Programme (QAP)

This programme aims to support you in becoming more familiar with Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and aid you and your team to effectively use the framework to develop and maintain a high-quality practice in all aspects of your service.

This training is a prerequisite for Aistear and Play CPD

ONLINE ‘GDPR FOR MANAGEMENT’ TRAINING

The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) came into force on 25 May 2018 and all organisations are responsible for ensuring that they are meeting their obligations under the GDPR.  The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) is offering complimentary online General Data Protection Regulation Training to all childcare services to support them in meeting their Data Protection obligations.

This training is designed and delivered by iHasco and is available at GDPR online training.

Disclaimer: DCYA holds no responsibility for the content of the course. It is at the discretion of each service whether they choose to complete the training. DCYA is not in a position to provide individual GDPR advice. Further details on GDPR and Data Protection can be found on the website of the Data Protection Commission: https://dataprotection.ie/docs/Home/4.htm