February 2001

Entitled "Childcare: Policies and Procedures" the guide deals with everything from nappy changing to HIV and employee entitlements.

The manual comes in two parts, the first covering issues relating to management and administration. The second deals with issues like parental involvement and harassment.

The brief can be used to evaluate the quality of childcare service and help plan for the future while also being a useful tool in the induction of new staff.

According to Ms Anne Prendeville, manager of Fatima Children's Day Care: "This is not an abstract report that will gather dust on the toy shelf. It is a valuable, common sense, practical work manual that will get used, dog eared and copied".

The guide was officially launched at the Shelbourne Hotel on January 18th. Present at the launch were Fatima Task Force's Mr Joe Donoghue and Ms Irene Ward, and Kilmainham community Garda, Vincent Hourican. Singer/songwriter Sinead O'Connor was happy to associate herself with the project by posing for a photo shoot to launch its release.

The daycare centre recently benefited from a capital grant from the Minister for Justice, Mr Donoghue. Under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Program the centre is to receive £51,200 and a further £120,000 staffing grant.