Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Just wondering how others record accidents? At the minute we have forms but i feel its a lot of hassle faffing around filling lots of info out for sometimes the tiniest of injuries eg. a slight graze or a tiny red mark. Then we get the parent to sign, i know its important to let the parent kknow but its hard catching all the parents when we have alot to get siggned, also most of the parents are not really bothered as they know what their children are like and don't even bother reading it and just sign, then they're supposed to be filed away but with time, they get piled up and just doesn't seem very good. I wondered if an accident book would be better, and maybe a little slip to just give to parents? I don't know, if anyone has any suggestions that would be great!
klc106 Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 we have an accident book which everything is recorded in and then have bump notes which we send home if they bumped their heads or anything requiring a plaster and things like that
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 That sounds like a lot better idea, what kind of setting are you in? I'm in a preschool, i don't know if it differs for like a school or nursery??
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Hi, We were pulled up by OFSTED about our accident record book. We thought they were fairly comprehensive but now we have a full sheet for all details with an outline body to mark exactly where the injury is and an explanation of how to fill the form in (in block capitals ) It may be a faff but it's expected
catma Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 In schools small things would be recorded in an acccident book, but there's no specific format, it can just be a written dated sentence of what happened and if a serious injury requiring medical attention etc there is a specific H+S form for that. Otherwise a pre printed note that says I bumped my head etc is usually used to inform parents when the child is collected. Iif it is worse than that then parents are generally contacted directly anyway at the time of the incident so they know straight away and can decide to come and colect or agree what will be the course of action. I've never had Ofsted say anything in school inspections about it. cx.
Panders Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Until recently, I made up my own forms on the computer, and stuck them down onto pages of hardback book with numbered pages (so if there were a dispute in years to come, it could be seen that no pages had been removed!), that was on the suggestion of an ofsted officer. However, very recently I have returned to using a ringbinder system. Each child has a dedicated page or two which is pre-populated with their name, date of birth, allergies, any meds regularly taken etc. We record any knocks and bumps they have on their own sheet now, it's easy to see any patterns forming, better for safeguarding, and so far we like the system. We also give out notes, particularly for head bumps. At the end of each term I go through the accident book to see where the major accidents are occuring and we decide whether there are any changes we need to make, be that to equipment, layout or overall behaviour.
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 i like your idea panders! I was thinking about that as with a folder as its all together and there really and easy to hand. Do you still get the parent to sign in that folder?
Inge Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 we were pulled up by Ofsted for one a parent had not yet signed... so would ensure each injury is signed by a parent and full signature of staff member also printed name underneath it... again something we had not done... so would ensure all is signed and double checked..Ofsted had no issue with the folder.. just the one missing signature where we had told the parent but they were in a hurry so we did nto get it signed until next time they came, unluckily O came inbetween. also a preschool... and we had a binder like Panders where any injuries were added to one sheet with supplementary ones for any injuries needing the pictures etc.. it did show if any one child had lots of accidents.. we also added any injuries they arrived with on the same form so it did give a good picture of each child. I checked them weekly .
Cait Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 We do same as you, Panders, except accident, incident, health care plan, meds etc sheets are all kept in the ringbinder with the children's registration forms - that way it's all together per child.
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Great idea panders, would defo save time filling out individual child details every time and then evaluating each accident book as it is filled. Just a quick question, do you do the same for incidents? and is there any chance of a sneaky peek at your proforma?thanx
Panders Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 i like your idea panders!I was thinking about that as with a folder as its all together and there really and easy to hand. Do you still get the parent to sign in that folder? Yes, there's a column for parental/carer signature as well as any witness, and/or person dealing with accident.
Panders Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 We do same as you, Panders, except accident, incident, health care plan, meds etc sheets are all kept in the ringbinder with the children's registration forms - that way it's all together per child. I agree, Cait, that is probably where we are heading next. At the moment, we still have paper registers and so in that file I keep all their registration forms so that during fire evac I can grab that and have all necessary docs to use if needed. Our incident book, is still a book,we don't record many incidents it has to be said, not because they don't happen,but because they are rarely serious enough to have to record in our opinion anyway. I have a Medication book too,but we rarely have to use that, and this is where our Health Care Plans are kept, only one child currently on any kind of Plan in that respect,so all these things could easily be incorporated into one large ringbinder.
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 I may tell my manager about all these ringbinder ideas, they just sound so much better than our system, its really annoying me, and somethin needs to be done, as for instance if ofsted needed to see a particular accident form i would have to say we'd find it hard to put our hands on it.. its embarrassing.
Cait Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Just point her to this thread Jigsaw! It needs to be a system that works for you, in your setting, whatever you try to do. I would just say that Ofsted don't like loose sheets in a filing cabinet sleeve as they can be easily out of sequence. They also seem to like sheets where confidentiality is respected - so one page per child, per incident/accident with no other references to a child by name on them, so when parents sign, all they see is details of their own child
Guest Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Thats what i mean, everything is so mixed up, and i'm very organised and to try and work with this is getting annoying. Yes thats what i was thinking when i thought about a book, obviously everyone can see but an individual sheet sounds good to me! Easier to review like you say and just generally alot better! Thank you for all your ideas Just hope my manager listens and takes action...lol.
narnia Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 we use the Playgroup Network accident book, one page per accident/incident and a copy for the parent to take away with them
Deb Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 A word of caution - we used to have a ring binder with a page for every child. However, we had an H&S inspection from a company who carry out inspections prior to students from colleges or schools coming on placement. We were told that we needed a book that was compliant with the data protection act which means that every accident is recorded on a separate sheet and then filed in the office, in a ring binder. Our accident book is pre-printed and each page and book is numbered so book 1, page 1, book 1 page 2 etc. We tear off each individual sheet, leaving a stub with the date, book 1, page 44. It might just be worth trying to get a definitive answer before you go changing anything.
lashes2508 Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) all very interesting as I too am changing my recording soon , we currently have a preprinted book from the PLA but it is cumbersome and waste of space as each accident covers 2 pages , even the parents have commented on it - I have just checked ofsted resources and this is the recommendation The records you need to keep Both registers require you to keep records of accidents. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage states that ‘Providers must keep a record of accidents and first aid treatment’. This includes all times at which children are in the care of the provider, including outings. The Childcare (General Childcare Register) Regulations 2008 state that: ‘in the case of a registered person who is not a home childcarer, a record is maintained of accidents occurring on the premises. Whilst this does not specifically include outings, we recommend that you include in your accident records all incidents that occur whilst a child is in your care, including those that happen on outings.’ The requirements do not specify the details of what to include in such a record. It is good practice to include details such as: the date, time and place of the event; personal details of those involved (name, age); a brief description of the nature of the accident and/or injury; and the type of treatment given. You can keep the record in any form you wish. You could, for example, choose to keep your records by: keeping copies of report forms in a child’s individual file recording the details on a computer maintaining a hand-written log in your accident book. Any records you keep must be easily accessible and available for inspection by Ofsted. It is also good practice for you to regularly review all your accident and injury records to identify any patterns or trends and to use this information as part of your risk assessments. Edited January 22, 2012 by lashes2508
Cait Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Aha - thanks for that - no requirement given there for the need for a body map, or drawing of the accident area ..
Deb Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 I wonder Cait if this 'requirement' by Ofsted has somehow been confused with the 'Record of Previous Injuries' form. Our record of previous injuries form has such a body map but our accident form does not.
Cait Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 Yes, I've a body map on that one, but not on my accident form
lashes2508 Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 I agree Deb , body map would surely only be appropriate when child came in with injury and it was recorded as an incident re; safeguarding .
Lyanne Posted January 22, 2012 Posted January 22, 2012 we were pulled up by Ofsted for one a parent had not yet signed... so would ensure each injury is signed by a parent and full signature of staff member also printed name underneath it... again something we had not done... so would ensure all is signed and double checked..Ofsted had no issue with the folder.. just the one missing signature where we had told the parent but they were in a hurry so we did nto get it signed until next time they came, unluckily O came inbetween. also a preschool... and we had a binder like Panders where any injuries were added to one sheet with supplementary ones for any injuries needing the pictures etc.. it did show if any one child had lots of accidents.. we also added any injuries they arrived with on the same form so it did give a good picture of each child. I checked them weekly . We have some children who attend preschool for the morning & lunch then we take them to the school nursery for afternoon sessions, so if we have an accident for one of these children, we write in the parent's signature column of the accident book 'Compliments slip in X's lunch box taken to nursery, told Mrs Y (nursery teacher), parents to sign tomorrow/next time in', then make sure we get parent to sign on the child's next day in. Ofsted have been fine about that, and we also record in there if we phone parents to notify them - I mean we would anyway, but particularly the ones who don't collect from us. We'd do the same if they were collected by a childminder too.
thumperrabbit Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 I also like the idea of a page per child in a ring binder, we are using the PLA one at the moment and as mentioned above it's not particularly user friendly. When a child leaves the setting will you remove that child's accident form and place with the child's registration form, medication forms etc ? Or Does the accident book have to remain intact ?
Lyanne Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 I also like the idea of a page per child in a ring binder, we are using the PLA one at the moment and as mentioned above it's not particularly user friendly. When a child leaves the setting will you remove that child's accident form and place with the child's registration form, medication forms etc ? Or Does the accident book have to remain intact ? We use 1 set per term, so start afresh each term & keep the old ones in a poly pocket labelled 'Autumn 2011 accident reports' in a drawer in a locked filing cabinet.
Inge Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 I also like the idea of a page per child in a ring binder, we are using the PLA one at the moment and as mentioned above it's not particularly user friendly. When a child leaves the setting will you remove that child's accident form and place with the child's registration form, medication forms etc ? Or Does the accident book have to remain intact ? because accident book needs to be kept a lot longer than the children's files we kept them togehter and bound them at the end of each year , could have been more often if we had lots of them but usually annually was enough.. ours were done in child alphabetical order so all for one child was together..
Guest Posted February 2, 2012 Posted February 2, 2012 Helllo, has anybody got a template of the accident record form which you keep in a ringbinder? Just so i can have a sneaky peek? and get some idea of how to do it???
Guest Posted February 3, 2012 Posted February 3, 2012 This is what we use, hope it helps Claire Accident_Form_Report.doc
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