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It is always a good idea to visit the OSCAR service before you enrol your child. Observe the children's activities and behaviour and the interactions between staff and children. Is everyone happily occupied? Are the staff engaged with the children? Is undesirable behaviour dealt with calmly and firmly? Is the level of supervision appropriate for your child? Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions.
Before you enrol your child in an OSCAR programme you may want to check out the following areas.
Written policies and procedures covering:
 Enrolment of children - there should be a separate enrolment form for each child with relevant personal details, including emergency contact numbers and any special information affecting the child's care e.g. medical conditions. Parents must give consent for their child to receive emergency medical treatment. The parent's responsibilities regarding informing the staff if a child is going to be absent, if a child is not well etc should be clearly stated.
Staff selection - all staff, both paid and unpaid should be interviewed and screened for their suitability to work with children. All staff should also be police vetted.
Discipline - should be managed positively. Children should not be physically punished, disciplined or treated in a way that is degrading, humiliating or causes fear or anxiety.
Accidents and emergencies - clear instructions on what to do including what happens if a child does not arrive or goes missing. There should be regular fire drills. A record of all accidents should be kept.
Excursions - are planned in advanced, including staff visiting the site beforehand and preparing a plan covering possible hazards and how they will be dealt with. Parental permission must be obtained for each trip.
Medications administered to children - must be clearly recorded in accordance with the parent's instructions.
Collecting and transporting children from school (if applicable) - should follow a clear routine with pre-arranged pick-up area and a plan in place if a child does not turn up. There must be supervision to ensure the children's safety at all times.
You could also look at:
Staff - How low staff turnover is, is the supervisor experienced and trained to work with children, is staff trained in first aid?
Supervision - are children supervised at all times, are there always at least 2 staff members present, there should be no more than 10 children per adult, are play areas clearly defined and are children aware of the boundaries, is there a clear procedure for informing staff when children are collected at the end of a session.
Facilities - is there is an inside and outside play area, does the inside area include spaces for quiet and active games separately, is there a telephone easily accessible, are food preparation areas clean and adequate, are toilet facilities accessible, clean and adequate, is there a a locked, well-stocked first aid kit.
Activities - the children's activities should be planned in advance, a variety of activities should be available to provide choice for children of different ages, interests and energy levels, is the equipment safe and in good repair?
Transport - do vehicles have seat belts and a current Warrant of Fitness, is there is adult supervision other than the driver on the buses and vans.
Ask your OSCAR service if they have CYF Approval for OSCAR Services or it they comply with any of the OSCAR standards. There are no mandatory legal requirements for programmes to meet any childcare regulations or standards of care so because of this it is especially important for you to check that your child is receiving safe, quality care.
 CYF Approval for OSCAR Services
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