Alison Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 we share photos but we dont print excellent copies just small 9 pics on an A4 page printed on ordinary paper so they won't scan very well when parents take them home. that reduces the risk of exploitation of the photo I wouldnt blank a childs face out, alot of these photos will be keepsakes in years to come and the children will look back at who they played with at nursery. we tell parents on their enrolment forms that photos will be used to enhace development folders and to make displays in the room but no names will be put on these photos. parents have to option to object if they dont want their child included I allow photos to be taken at plays, parties and open days but ask parent to keep these photos for their own privete photo albums not to upload them onto any web pages or social net working sites and so far I havent had any complaints of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Sometimes I think the world has gone completely mad. Thanks for the link to the article Marion: if people aren't using safeguarding children as a way of stopping us doing something completely natural, then the data protection legislation will do just as well. I'm obviously talking about photographs being taken in the context of practitioners behaving professionally and where a setting's practice is underpinned by policies and procedures that are fit for purpose. I think we're all well aware of the special treatment that certain children require, and also of the risks to children when professional abusers gain access to children in settings whose policies and procedures are inadequate, or are inadequately implemented. I did once have one of my more spectacular 'episodes' in the reception area of our local leisure centre when I was looking at the entries to a Christmas card competition run by the local paper. Because the pictures were stuck to glass I could clearly see not only each child's age, address and if I remember correctly, their telephone number. No-one in the leisure centre seemed at all perturbed at this, despite there being a headline on the front of the local paper about a young girl being plagued by nuisance calls from someone who had seen her name in the paper and tracked her down because the article had given her address. It was only when I threatened to ring up our MP (who was going to use the design for her annual Christmas card to contituents) that they thought maybe they should do something. Sorry - rant over. Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Wow just got in to check on this post and what a hot topic! I totally agree with Maz and I am a little disheartend about my new setting on this. The supervisor said she had thought long and hard about it and was advised by 2 seperate sources (think one may have been our early years team?)..will settl down at nw setting ans thn may broach th subject again.... I gave out learning journals that I had done to my leavers last week and a couple of mums were in tears! They thought they were lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Well firstly I'd track down whoever gave this advice and ask them to justify it. On what basis is the setting being asked not to include photographs that exclude the child's friends? How sad to look through a learning journey and see no other children in the book with your child: one might well assume that your child has formed no friendships at all at nursery. What messages are we sending children if we black out children's faces in their photographs? I can't think of anything worse. All our parents give permission to have their child's photograph taken at nursery, and every family is made aware that their child will have their own special book containing hundreds of photographs of theem working and playing with and alongside other children. Children playing and learning together is such a crucial part of what happens at pre-school and to spend time moving children out of the way whilst we take photographs would not only be time consuming - but imagine the effect on children's self esteem. How do you explain to a child well enough so that they won't conclude that they just aren't good enough to appear in their best friend's photo? Photographs stored on a CD perhaps offer a different challenge (as witnessed on the Evian thread - images can be manipulated) and I don't at present give parents an electronic copy of their children's photos until I can figure a way round it. But come the day that I am told I can't take photographs of groups of children for their special books then I think I shall give up and go and work at Tesco. Sorry but you seem to have hit a nerve here - I'm off to lie down in a dark room! Maz PS I would just like to say that where a parent does not want their child photographed, then that is an entirely different matter. However, other than one family who didn't want their child's photo being publicly displayed or printed in the newspaper we haven't had this happen in the six years I've been working in my setting. Ive just picked up on this thread and have to say "well said Happymaz" Our parents too sign for photos and they are made aware that these photos may be used in other childrens learning journeys this has not caused any problems. When Tyrell starts nursery i would love to look back over his learning journey and see him playing alongside other children, we should not forget it is important to a parent to see the social side of a childs development, and for the children to look back with happy memories of the fun times they have shared with their friends. jojom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 ..will settl down at nw setting ans thn may broach th subject again.... Probably best! You don't want to ruffle too many feathers too soon! I'm lucky in that I can ensure my views prevail in my group, unless a particularly well thought out argument makes me re-think! Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 ooopppsss...rally sorry about the typos! I can spell...honest...just got to get nw kyboard!!??.eeeeeeeeeeee...se it can do it when i punch it really hard!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Learning journals and 'evidence' gathering aside, how many thousands of parents buy the 'school / nursery /preschool Group photo', every year, often with the name of the school clearly visible'? What is the difference between this and photo's of children at play? (apart from the commercial aspect ) Does the fact that they are 'sold' make them more acceptable? Why has no-one ever suggested banning these in terms of safeguarding issues? (I'm not suggesting they should be banned, just wondered why they are not mentioned when it comes to policies about photographs within educational settings) Even my foster child was included in my preschool group photo's, I arranged that 2 were taken, one with her in the group (which she now has and periodically looks at and talks about her preschool friends 2 yrs later) and one with her out of the group for all other childrens parents to purchase if they wanted to. Peggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Even my foster child was included in my preschool group photo's, I arranged that 2 were taken, one with her in the group (which she now has and periodically looks at and talks about her preschool friends 2 yrs later) and one with her out of the group for all other childrens parents to purchase if they wanted to. This just shows how flexible we can be when our usual procedures don't quite meet the needs of individual children, Peggy. We are professionals, after all. I hadn't considered this whole debate in the light of group photographs being commercially available, but you're quite right. I wonder what marley's group have been told in respect of this type of photography? Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 with regards to posting photos on facebook etc........................ what about putting an extra note in 'permissions' slips, asking parents to agree NOT to place photogrpahs of any child other than their own on them? I would probably say that it is our policy to discourage this in the interests of childrens safety, and to respect the privacy of other families? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 with regards to posting photos on facebook etc........................ what about putting an extra note in 'permissions' slips, asking parents to agree NOT to place photogrpahs of any child other than their own on them? I would probably say that it is our policy to discourage this in the interests of childrens safety, and to respect the privacy of other families? I did this for our Christmas play last year - everyone was happy to undertake not to upload group photographs of our celebrations to facebook or other social networking site without permission from the parents of the other children involved. That way everyone was able to take video/photos of the whole event and I didn't have to worry about photos appearing in places unexpectedly. That said, everyone has given permission to have their child's photo displayed on our website, so there may be mixed messages there. But then I'm not exactly going to upload an unflattering photo, whereas some people might find it funny to show a photo of little Johnny wth his finger up his nose. Anyway, it all seems to be working for us - the next thing I need to think about is whether I add a bit in our registration paperwork about asking for permission to put their children's photographs in other children's special books, and to provide these photographs on a CD/memory stick to families of other children when they leave. I don't actually do this at the moment, but before I start doing it I want to make sure I have all the boxes ticked! Taking a photo seems such a straightforward thing until you consider all the issues involved! Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 (edited) We get the parents to sign a slip saying they will not share 'scrapbook' photos on social networking sites etc - we then include a copy of the slip tucked inside the book when they leave. This slip also gives consent to the sharing of their childs photos (or not). We aslo remind them about the group photo issues - although in truth we are already aware of parents/carers that my have concerns. We also briefly run through the social networking /mobile phone photo 'rules' before each major event - christmas shows, group picnics etc. We try not to make a big things of it, just gently reminding them. It seems to work for us ak. xxxxxx Edited August 8, 2009 by louby loo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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