kristina Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Just a quick question, we are a private pre-school within school grounds. At present my mobile phone is the contact for parents during session as for obvious reasons the school office wouldn't want calls coming into them! In light of everything that has been going on (although todays new case of child abuse hasn't mentioned mobile phones yet!) what does everybody else use as a means of contact!! I am thinking of looking into having a phone line run in, however my husband seems to think that this would be huge amounts of money!! So if that isn't feasable then I really am back to a mobile phone, and trying to find one without a camera is proving pretty tricky too!! Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 It seems to me that the cheaper the phone the less likely it is to have a camera. I bought one at the beginning of term for £9 (am on Orange) and that doesn't have a camera on it. We rent the village hall and so can't have a phone line installed, and none of our parents is concerned that we have a mobile as the only point of contact. I think you need to have clear policies about the use of mobiles, so that you can reassure parents that you have effective safeguardin practices in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 To be honest I'd carry on as you are. If you are that worried - I managed to by a £9.99 phone without camera from Asda just before Christmas. Personally I feel that having robust safeguarding practices if far more important. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 To be honest I'd carry on as you are. If you are that worried - I managed to by a £9.99 phone without camera from Asda just before Christmas.Personally I feel that having robust safeguarding practices if far more important. xx totally agree - many settings use a mobile phone as a point of contact. it does also have some benefits in that it can always be heard if it is with someone at all times. With all the noise of children playing you could miss the landline when it rings. also there are advantages when you go on outings as it is the same number, or in the holidays someone is able to pick up messages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I looked into having a landline put into the hall we rent (not for safeguarding actually, just to enable us to get broadband!) It ended up being prohibitively expensive, because you have to pay a big monthly line rental and you would be classed as a business. Stick with the mobile, camera phones are not the problem, it's inadequate systems. I hadn't heard about the case you refer to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upsy Daisy Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 How will the children be safer because you don't have a mobile phone? Don't you have a camera in your setting anyway. I honestly don't think you need to go to such lengths. It's considered perfectly acceptable for childminders to have cameras and mobile phones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigsue Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 We are in a hall too, I have a mobile as contact (not my own) Its so old it doesn't have a camera but its really loud so we can hear it!!! (Old ladies our hearings going ) Its a pay as you go, most call are incoming! Its only on when I arrive 7am and goes off when I leave. It comes with us on walks and outings but I always take my personal phone as a back up on outings (it does have a camera but I don't use it as we have a camera for pre-school evidence etc) I do check message in holidays. We would love internet access but its acost out of our reach I also believe there isn't really the need in pre-school for the internet (personal choice) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 At school we are not allowed to give parents our mobile numbers to protect our own privacy as much as anything else, so we have a couple of work phones (£9.99 a go from Toys R Us as it happens) to take on school trips, walks outside and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Hi if its any help to any of you my daughter works in Carphone Warehouse and they are now selling mobile phones, without a camera for 1p, yes that's right, 1p!! When you buy it you have to do a £10 top up though!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Like Mary, I would never use my own mobile number as my contact number so if that is your main concern, I would agree with others and get a cheap pay as you go and use that. The main issue there might be that if for any reason you are not in one day, that someone else will have access to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristina Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 I looked into having a landline put into the hall we rent (not for safeguarding actually, just to enable us to get broadband!) It ended up being prohibitively expensive, because you have to pay a big monthly line rental and you would be classed as a business. Stick with the mobile, camera phones are not the problem, it's inadequate systems. I hadn't heard about the case you refer to? Hi SuzieC8 I caught it on lunch time news that a nursery in Birmingham has been closed for the day and that a 20 year old gentleman working there as an assistant has been arrested suspected of abuse! There's not much more info at the moment but no doubt there will be!! Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I would think it's easy enough to make the camera not work, simply by spoiling the little lens on the camera either with a drop of glue or by physically sticking something over it. Parents use the Preschool mobile which lives at Preschool in case I'm not there, and also occasionally use (but never abuse) my own mobile or home landline number if they need me at other times. They can email me, or leave me a facebook message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jayr Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Just a quick question, we are a private pre-school within school grounds. At present my mobile phone is the contact for parents during session as for obvious reasons the school office wouldn't want calls coming into them!In light of everything that has been going on (although todays new case of child abuse hasn't mentioned mobile phones yet!) what does everybody else use as a means of contact!! I am thinking of looking into having a phone line run in, however my husband seems to think that this would be huge amounts of money!! So if that isn't feasable then I really am back to a mobile phone, and trying to find one without a camera is proving pretty tricky too!! Kris My mobile is the contact phone for our setting, I am the superviser. At my setting we have a box on the counter top for staff and myself to put in our mobiles. All mobiles are in view of everybody. I don't mind them being switch on because staff have older children some times they need to be in touch with their parent. We have a policy to cover the use of mobile's but the policy is only as good as ............... the paper it is written on, you have to trust your staff! .........and I do. Best Wishes to you all. Jayr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Sadly, the case you refer to is moving forward. The 20 year old man has been charged with two very serious counts of sexual abuse and the setting has had its registration temporarily suspended while investigations continue. Seriously, Ofsted inspected this setting recently and were concerned that safeguarding policies were not in place, yet the place got a 'Good' grading. I despair.......................how do we ever keep our children safe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 , Ofsted inspected this setting recently and were concerned that safeguarding policies were not in place, yet the place got a 'Good' grading. I despair.......................how do we ever keep our children safe? I guess we have to wait for the full facts to emerge, but as I understand it they were initially inspected and were given actions to improve their safeguarding systems, reinspected a short time later and then given the good. What worries me is the inevitably knee jerk reactions and the endless speculation and wringing of hands by certain parts of the media. Let's hope the family of the child at the nursery who was identified are getting as much love and support they need from everyone at the moment. I can imagine life is very hard for them just now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynned55 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Poor child, poor family- how awful for them. As Happy Maz as saids, it is the knee jerk reactions to cases like htis that are so concerning. I have already seen one article that states 'this will ask the question 'should men be in childcare' Stupid, stupid people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jenpercy Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) The setting was inspected in March 09, getting mostly 3s. OFSTED commented that Arrangements for safeguarding children are in place and understood by staff. Staff have a secure knowledge of child protection and of their role. They demonstrate awareness of how to recognise signs of abuse and neglect and they have clear knowledge of procedures to be followed if they have concerns for children’s welfare. The recruitment processes are robust. and gave them a 3 for safeguarding. then in August 2010 there was a complaint which gave rise to the setting beeing given 4 points of action including safeguarding policy and recruitment, training, appraisals and personal development. They were also asked to improve their routines to improve children's experience and also their assessment procedures. Then by november, they were rated good in every single category. I should add that the offences took place up to July. Even so that was a remarkable turn around to being good in every category. Edited January 7, 2011 by jenpercy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I must admit that I find myself cursing that it was a man - how on earth will other male practitioners feel now? And how will they be treated? Inevitably some parents will have a knee jerk reaction and believe that it was because he was a man that it happened. Obviously this case highlights that Ofsted and increased paperwork ISN'T the answer to safeguarding, but what is? I wonder if the answer has to be that the government must fund settings sufficiently so that staff can ALWAYS work in pairs? Or that they pay for CCTV cameras to be installed in all early years settings? Or is the answer that settings must be completely open plan, so that there are no places where such things could happen? I'm not sure there is any other way of completely protecting children of this age, particularly in nurseries with separate rooms. Happily, I trust our staff and it would be pretty much impossible for something like this to happen at our setting simply because of the layout of the space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upsy Daisy Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Is there ever a way of completely protecting children? What sort of experience would children have if their world needed to be completely risk-free? We could never leave them with a baby sitter or at a birthday party or let them out of sight in a playground or soft play centre to say nothing of playing outside in the street or having sleepovers at a mate’s house. Realistically we cannot remove the risk completely. We can implement the most effective procedures and review them often. We can act quickly on any suspicions and take nothing for granted. We can listen to the recommendations from investigations into terrible situations like the one which is coming to light today and act on them in a way which genuinely limits risk rather than making changes for the sake of being seen to do something. Beyond that we need to accept that our children live in the real world and in that real world a very small number of children will be harmed by people who are determined and inventive. Whatever measures are put in place these people will sometimes find a way through. Ofsted inspectors make assumptions based on snapshot observations of settings. If the sample of staff they ask about safeguarding happen to have a good level of awareness they will apply that judgement to the setting as a whole. Not ideal but, short of working in each setting day in, day out for several weeks, I don’t know how they could find better evidence. Clearly something was amiss in this setting but the overwhelming majority of Early Years practitioners have the best interests of the children at heart, work very hard to keep them safe and deserve the trust which is placed in them. That trust is an important part of the relationship between staff, children and parents. Let us hope that the inevitable knee-jerk reactions which Maz mentioned don’t involve pointless new procedures which weaken that trusting relationship to the detriment of the children in our care. Rant over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredbear Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Here here Upsy Daisy couldn't have put it better myself. Another possible tragic case of poor management i personally feel, and my heart goes out to everybody affected by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 the point being is not matter how tight your policy and understanding of safe guarding is. if someonme wishes to commit abuse then they will find a way, very sad and one our profession could do without. All we can do is stay vigilant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Absolutely.......................I just hope the families involved do get as much support as they need to get through this. Just awful for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 mobile phone anyone wanting a cheap phone just to use for parents contact this one is just 1p with 10.00 credit top up.. and no camera.. think it would be worth it so parents don't have your private number Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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