Setting the Table Guidance

5 Putting the guidance into practice

5.1 Supporting healthy eating in your setting

Everyone working in early years has a responsibility to support children to eat healthily and have positive healthy eating experiences, that can help them to develop good lifelong eating habits.

Knowing what food to provide and how to go about it, can be daunting. The following information aims to provide practical advice and signpost to a variety of best practice guidance documents that are available to help.

The Health and Social Care Standards: my support, my life (HSCS) set out what we should expect when using health, social care or social work services in Scotland. These human rights-based standards should be considered by care providers when planning children’s care. There are specific care standards that relate to eating and drinking and these have been highlighted below.

Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS): Eating and drinking

1.33 I can choose suitably presented and healthy meals and snacks, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and participate in menu planning.

1.34 If I need help with eating and drinking, this is carried out in a dignified way and my personal preferences are respected.

1.35 I can enjoy unhurried snack and meal times in as relaxed an atmosphere as possible.

1.36 If I wish, I can share snacks and meals alongside other people using and working in the service if appropriate.

1.37 My meals and snacks meet my cultural and dietary needs, beliefs, and preferences.

1.38 If appropriate, I can choose to make my own meals, snacks, and drinks, with support if I need it, and can choose to grow, cook and eat my own food where possible.

1.39 I can drink fresh water at all times.

The Care Inspectorate’s Keeping children safe: supporting positive mealtime experiences in early learning and childcare (ELC) provides support and guidance around the planning, preparation and provision of nutritious and healthy meals and snacks for children.

The provision of food in childcare settings provides children with many opportunities for learning experiences. This nutritional guidance should be considered in conjunction with Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC), Curriculum for Excellence, Realising the Ambition: Being Me and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 3 and 24) to support those experiences.

5.2 Developing a food and nutrition policy

Whether you provide meals or snacks, or children bring food into your setting from home, it is good practice to have a food and nutrition policy in place. Your policy will help you share your approach to food provision, as well as demonstrate how you will support a child’s learning journey with food.

The content of your food and nutrition policy will depend on your childcare setting and the type of food provision.

If you are in partnership with your local authority, you must follow The National Standard For Early Learning And Childcare Operating Guidance and have a food and nutrition policy in place.

When developing a food and nutrition policy some of the important points to include are:

• Information that covers all aspects of your setting’s approach to food and healthy eating.
• Information on how your policy is developed e.g. in partnership with children, parents and staff.
• Information on your food and drink provision.
• Infant feeding guidance e.g. weaning, breast or formula feeding.
• The mealtime environment and social aspects of mealtimes.
• Celebrations and special occasions.
• Management of food allergies and dietary needs.
• Provision for cultural and dietary preferences.
• Policy on food brought in from home.
• Learning about food.
• Cooking with children.
• Food safety and hygiene.
• Sustainability.
• Protecting children’s health.

Remember, because every setting is unique, you will need to adapt your policies to reflect your own service provision.

5.3 Importance of menu planning

Planning menus in advance can help you feel confident that you can provide children with well-balanced and nutritious meals and snacks in a relaxed and nurturing environment. Planning menus also helps to minimise waste and potentially reduce food cost.

If meals are provided by your local authority or other food service provider, they will provide you with a planned weekly menu.

Involving children in menu planning can help their interest in food. Their increased curiosity can support language development and the development of early numeracy skills.

Consideration of children’s dietary, cultural and support needs is essential. This links to HSCS: 1.37 ‘My meals and snacks meet my cultural and dietary needs, beliefs, and preferences’. Further information on meeting the needs of all children can be found in Section 4. To help ensure children’s dietary needs are met and that all food is safe to eat, it is important to work in partnership with parents and carers in the planning and preparation of menus and home-provided packed lunches.

Preparing and providing your own food can often make mealtimes a lot less complicated; children eat the same or similar foods, and you can be sure it is healthy and nutritious. Providing your own food can also help minimise exposure to potential allergens in your setting. See Section 4.3 and Section 4.4 for more information on allergens.

Consideration of the different types of food groups is necessary to ensure that the content of your menus meets the food and drink standards outlined in Section 3. A menu checklist along with nutritional guidance and sample menus are also available to support you in menu planning.

Some foods should be included in your menus more often than others. The checklist is designed to help you with this. The menus can be adapted for use in any childcare setting.

Relevant HSCS:

1.38 If appropriate, I can choose to make my own meals, snacks and drinks, with support if I need it, and can choose to grow, cook and eat my own food where possible.

Some other considerations when planning menus are:

Rolling snack or all-together snack?

A rolling snack is where children choose when to have their snack and can serve themselves when they feel like it. An all-together snack is where all children are given and eat their snack at the same time. What you choose to do will depend on your childcare setting and what works for you.

If you choose to offer a rolling snack, you should make sure that:

• You supervise this sufficiently and that children are always safe.
• There is a ‘snack window’ so that food is kept fresh and appetising for the children.
• There is a gap between the end of the rolling snack and the next mealtime.

Some children will forget to have a snack if there is no set time, so it is important that practitioners support the children who may need reminding.

All pre-school children spending two hours or more in the care of a participating, regulated day care provider and/or childminder are entitled to funding for a daily portion of milk (189 ml), or specified non-dairy alternative and a healthy snack of fresh fruit or vegetables through the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme (SMHSS).

Always hungry

Be aware that children have different needs and different appetites. Even if they are the same age, some children will eat more than others. It is important to be guided by the child’s appetite and offer portion sizes that meet their needs. Remind yourself of the following points:

• We know that children have growth spurts and during these times they may need more food to fuel their growth.
• Be mindful that active children may also be hungrier.
• Knowing whether children have eaten anything before they arrive in the setting is important i.e. they may feel particularly hungry if they have not had breakfast before arriving.
• Make sure they are not just thirsty. HSCS: 1.39 ‘I can drink fresh water at all times’.

Not hungry

Some children have smaller appetites and may not eat as much as their peers. It is important to look out for signs of fullness and avoid pushing children to eat more than they are comfortable with. Below are some ways you can support reluctant eaters at mealtimes:

• Make sure you know the child well and are aware of their likes and dislikes. Family engagement is important.
• Make sure the environment is welcoming and nurturing and that the individual child feels safe and comfortable.
• Don’t fuss, try to stay relaxed.
• Never force a child to eat. Appetites may vary between children and across different days and weeks. Appetite can be affected by many things, such as how active the child is, if they are unwell, their mood and whether others are eating with them.
• The child may not be hungry; they may be tired or upset. Offering regular meals and snacks according to your planned menu allows the child regular opportunities to top up on nutrients and energy later.

Experimenting with food

Get children involved; think about the opportunities for socialising and learning, which can support meeting the ‘experiences and outcomes’, for the Curriculum for Excellence:

• Allowing children to touch, feel, taste and smell new foods is a good way of increasing their familiarity. Encouraging children to explore the sensory qualities of food will help them experience the joy of food.
• Providing the opportunity to try unfamiliar food several times will encourage children to try to accept them.
• Offer children gentle praise and encouragement when they do try something new.
• Be a good role model; children will often follow the lead from a trusted adult. They also learn from their peers.
• Allowing children to play with food outside mealtimes can provide them with opportunities to experience new foods in a relaxed, fun and sociable way.
• When considering food-based learning experiences, think of ways that food waste can be minimised or if the food could be incorporated into food provision.
• Provide opportunities for children to explore and discover where their food and drink has come from.

Food-based learning experiences do not always have to use real food. You can expose children to new foods by simply looking at pictures of foods, reading books that include foods or using play foods for role-play.

! It is important to remember that flour is raw. Flour or raw flour products should not be eaten by young children as it may contain harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning. The Food Standards Agency provides further information about the handling of raw flour for consumers at home. Operators of care settings or other businesses where children are handling raw flour or raw flour products may also take account of this advice when considering how risks associated with these activities are managed as part of their risk assessment process. Good hygiene measures should always be applied to reduce the risk, including making sure hands are washed before and after handling flour or dough and ensuring surfaces and utensils are cleaned thoroughly.

Food from home

If parents and carers bring food from home into the childcare setting the following points should be considered:

• Have a food and nutrition policy in place that sets out your approach to food and nutrition. Discuss this with parents and carers when new children start to ensure they understand your regulatory obligations about promoting a well-balanced and nutritious diet alongside positive eating experiences.
• If applicable, it is helpful to provide examples of the type of foods that parents and carers could include in their child’s lunch box. This should be part of your food and nutrition policy. Remember that foods brought from home will need to be checked for potential allergens so that the risk of cross contamination is reduced.
• It may take a period of adjustment for new starters; be patient, parents and carers sometimes send ‘treats’ in their lunch box for their child because they are anxious and just want to make sure their child eats something.

Section 5.6 provides information on food safety and hygiene, which will support settings further when food is brought in from home. The Parent Club website provides a range of recipes and has easy, fun, healthy and affordable food ideas for families.

Celebrations

Many families like to celebrate their child’s birthday and other special events, often by bringing in a cake or sweets to the childcare setting to share. Unfortunately, this can mean that some children are eating these unhealthy foods several times a week; this may be at the childminder’s house, in the nursery or at playgroup as well as at home.

An alternative way of celebrating the occasion should be adopted and be part of your food and nutrition policy. This could be choosing a special activity or going on a special trip. It does not have to involve expense.

If you do celebrate with food, try to make it an activity that uses healthy ingredients and be mindful of the special dietary requirements of children in your setting. It can be a fun way to appreciate and respect different cultures. Section 4 provides more information on meeting the needs of all children, particularly food allergies and intolerances.

5.4 A nurturing mealtime environment

Whilst the food provided by childcare settings is very important, it is equally important to provide a nurturing environment. This should be one where children are supported to make healthy and appropriate choices, enjoy the food they are offered, and have positive social interactions and learning experiences associated with eating and drinking together.

The physical environment is important. Make sure that children can sit comfortably at the table and are provided with appropriate crockery and cutlery for their age and stage. Section 2.1 provides information on feeding babies in the first year of life.

Creating an environment where children can develop new skills is essential. Skills such as pouring their own milk or water and serving, spreading and chopping their own food will support development of gross and fine motor skills. It is good practice for practitioners to sit with the children when they are eating, so that they can supervise, provide support and role model behaviour.

Food Matters is a resource that highlights examples of good practice from across the childcare sector. It includes examples of small changes settings have made that result in significant improvements, for example, trialling different sizes of serving utensils so that children can be supported to serve themselves.

Think about how you can make improvements in your setting. Food Matters includes information to help you do this.

Relevant HSCS:

2.21 I take part in daily routines, such as setting up activities and mealtimes, if this is what I want.

Table setting

• Children can be supported to use appropriately sized crockery and cutlery.
• Practitioners need to know the children well, understand their capabilities and support them appropriately.

Location, location, location

• Planning the right environment for children to enjoy their food is essential.
• Whether meals are provided in a dinner hall, an outdoor setting or a smaller/home setting, think about how you can make the mealtime experience a sociable, peaceful and nurturing one.
• Think about each child’s individual needs. Some children need more time than others need and might find busy environments intimidating. Does your environment work well for all children? Think about what you could do to enhance their experiences.

Active children use up a lot of energy and may need more food to sustain them. This might be particularly so in outdoor settings where children are always on the move.

If children spend a lot of time outside, it is a good idea to provide them with a hot lunch and warm milk at snack times, especially in the colder weather.

5.5 Family engagement

Working alongside families and sharing your approach to food provision is essential. It will help families understand the routines that are in place in your setting and may help them plan their routines at home.

It is important that you have clear communication with parents and carers on children’s food intake to make sure that they know what their child has had during the day.

Involving parents and carers in the decisions you make around food provision can help demonstrate your commitment to providing healthy, varied and enjoyable food. Where any child has specific support needs you should liaise with families and health professionals where required. This should be identified within the child’s individual care plan. Section 4 provides information on meeting the needs of all children.

5.6 Food safety and hygiene

Food safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Childcare settings need to be registered as a food business operator to provide food. Registration is free and can be done by contacting the Environmental Health team at your Local Authority.

Circumstances that require you to register as a food business include:

• All types of food businesses, including those that; grow food, produce food, cook food, sell food, store food, handle food or distribute food.
• If you provide children with any food, including meals and snacks.
• If children bring their own food that needs to be stored, sometimes heated, and then served to them.
• If you carry out food-based activities such as baking and cooking with the children.

If you are a childminder and are not sure, whether you need to register as a food business or not, Food Standards Scotland sets out the legal requirements.

Food Standards Scotland offers a guide to registering a food business, including a questionnaire to help determine whether you need to register as a food business or not.

All childcare settings are required to follow correct food safety and hygiene practices. Settings involved in the provision of food must adhere to the Food (Scotland) Act 2015. Check with Food Standards Scotland for food safety guidance.

Food must be stored, prepared and presented in a safe and hygienic environment. Extra care is needed with babies and young children as they have a lower resistance to food poisoning.

! It is important when you serve hot food that you follow the guidance from Food Standards Scotland to ensure food is heated to the correct temperature before serving. This is to avoid food poisoning. However, food should not be served to children at this temperature. Food should be left to cool a little in a safe area, away from children and should be tested by tasting, before serving. For management of burns and scalds, follow the guidance on NHS Inform website.

When considering the risks involved in preparing and/or serving food for children, you should make full use of the free expertise of your local environmental health team who are there to advise you on how to comply with the food safety legislation. You can find details of your local environmental health team at Food Standards Scotland.

Food hygiene training

All food handlers should be appropriately trained and have sufficient knowledge to prepare and supply food that is safe to eat. What training you require depends on what kind of provision you offer.

For instance:

• Anyone handling food or preparing and storing breast milk or infant formula milk will need training in food safety and hygiene.
• All food businesses, regardless of size, location or type of food must be aware of the food law that is relevant to their food business.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) is responsible for improving and protecting health and wellbeing in Scotland through education, training, and qualifications in Environmental Health. Details of food hygiene training providers across Scotland can be found on REHIS website.

There are different levels of food hygiene training. The Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice will help you decide what level of training you need.

Food Standards Scotland provides useful advice for businesses around food provision that is relevant for all settings including childminders. Some useful resources include:

• Safer food, better business for childminders
• CookSafe Manual
• Advice on the 4Cs (chilling, cooking, cleaning and avoiding cross-contamination) of food safety/hygiene.

Choking

For babies and young children, food can be a choking hazard, especially when they do not chew their food well. Choking can happen with any foods, but firm foods, bones and small round foods can be particularly dangerous.

! It is important to always supervise children when they are eating and provide help if required. Section 2.8 provides further information on choking in babies.

Supervision is the key to avoid choking in young children. All children in childcare settings, regardless of their age and stage of development, must be supervised during meal and snack times. Practitioners need to stay with children when they are eating. Children should always sit down when they are eating. Children are more likely to choke if they eat while lying down, running around or playing.

Childcare settings need to encourage babies and children to chew and swallow food properly and not to rush eating. Providers must ensure all practitioners are aware of children’s individual needs. Always work in partnership with parents and carers.

If a child has additional support needs that impact on their eating, you may need to seek expert advice. Try contacting the child’s named person, this is likely to be their health visitor or a family nurse. They will know of other health professionals who are involved with the child and would be well placed to refer you to other services, if needed.

Food Standards Agency provides an Early Years Choking Hazards Table on food safety advice on choking hazards in early years settings, and other information on how to prepare food for young children to minimise the risk of choking.

The Care Inspectorate: Good practice guidance prevention and management of choking episodes in babies and children document raises awareness of preventing and managing episodes for those caring for young children.

The British Red Cross website provides advice on what to do when a baby or child is choking:

• Learn first aid for a baby who is choking
• Learn first aid for a child who is choking

Section 2.8 provides information on how to prevent babies from choking.

5.7 Regulation of childcare settings

All childcare settings in Scotland are regulated by the Care Inspectorate, a scrutiny body that supports improvement. They look at the quality of care to make sure it meets high standards. Where they find that improvement is needed, they support services to make positive changes.

Meal and snack times offer registered care providers useful opportunities to demonstrate how they meet children’s individual needs and support their learning and development.

The Care Inspectorate Hub provides access to a range of resources aimed at supporting improvement in childcare settings.

5.8 Staff development and training

The Scottish Government describe having a high-quality workforce as the single most important driver of the quality of a child’s early learning and childcare experience.

“Continuous professional learning (CPL) is an essential component of childcare quality and is linked to children’s development. We want a well-trained, professional, and skilled workforce with access to high quality training resources to help deliver the best childcare experience for our children. Evidence suggests that CPL helps ensure staff are aware of best practice and are continually supported in their workplace”.

A clear understanding of child development is essential for those working in childcare settings. This will include an understanding of children’s nutritional needs. A training and development programme should be in place to assess the training needs of all practitioners, and appropriate training and support should be provided.

Relevant HSCS:

1.39 I can drink fresh water at all times.

The level of training that is needed depends on the type of childcare setting, the food that is being provided and the role of the individual involved in the food preparation and provision. Induction for new practitioners should include information on meeting children’s needs about food and nutrition in the childcare setting. It is good practice to have a training plan for practitioners at induction, and to provide for ongoing learning and development that includes opportunities to improve knowledge and skills around eating, drinking and nutrition.

This supports HSCS: 3.14 ‘I have confidence in people because they are trained, competent and skilled, are able to reflect on their practice and follow their professional and organisational codes’. Health and Social Care Standards: my support, my life provides further information on all Health and Social Care Standards (HSCS).

Early learning and childcare: national induction resource is a useful tool to support professionals in their induction.

Links to training opportunities:

Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) offer a variety of registerable qualifications, including the HNC in Childhood Practice, vocational courses across SCQF levels, and other degree level qualifications include learning and training in this area.

The following websites provide useful information on training opportunities:

Scottish Government - National induction resource

Public Health Scotland - PHS Learning Zone: Health Behaviour Change Level 1 and Health Behaviour Change Level 2

REHIS - Community Training: accredited Food Hygiene and Food and Health courses.

REHIS - Allergy Awareness Joint Award

Food Standards Scotland - Online Allergy Training

Food Standards Scotland - Advanced Online Allergen Training

Allergy Action - Training Courses

Anaphylaxis UK - Early Years Allergy Training

There are also a range of continued professional learning (CPL) learning opportunities related to healthy eating and food hygiene available from the National CPL Directory.

SSSC CPL opportunity

After reading this guidance, reflecting on what you’ve read and applying your knowledge in your practice setting, you will be eligible to apply for a SSSC CPL+ MyLearning Badge. This can be used as evidence towards your SSSC CPL requirements. We suggest that this guidance covers the Wellbeing and Support core learning element of your CPL, however you may also make links to other core learning elements.

To be awarded the CPL+ badge, you will have to provide evidence of how working through the guidance and implementing some of the practical examples is relevant to your professional learning. You will be asked what you have learned, why this is important to you and the children you support, and how applying your learning will improve quality and increase your confidence. Once awarded, your supervisor or line manager can endorse your badge.

The CPL+ badge can be accessed online or by scanning this QR code.