Cameras (cctv) in pre-school

[hellotrout]

Not sure if this is a thread elsewhere but after a lot of incidents and aacidents with staff involved saying they 'didn't see' 'don't know what happened' we are seriously considering installing cameras just wondered if there are any settings out there who have installed cameras.

 

Would like to know what is involved, is it expensive? pros and cons really

 

Thank-you in advance!

[narnia]

Before worrying about getting CCTV installed, I'd have a staff meeting and underline the need for vigilence ...........( you said 'a lot of incidents and accidents?)......it's worth reminding them that it is part of their job.their responsibility to know what is happening with the children ( for instance, I know that a child in my care bashed his head on the (carpetted) floor this morning because he was angry that another child sat in a chair he wanted........I can fully detail what happened and why. I can explain that no other child touched him and this was the result of pure temper. I can detail this to his parent and then I will ask them to sign the accident /incident book, safe n the knowledge that my information is correct).............you and your staff need to sort this out. CCTV will not replace care

[Guest]

We don't have any cameras, so can't offer any advice on that front, I don't know what you mean by "a lot of", but just to offer another opinion, whilst you wouldn't expect lots of incidents that aren't witnessed, with the best will in the world, it is impossible to watch all children all of the time and even if you are watching like a hawk, it often seems to be the moment you turned away that something happens!

[narnia]

I disagree; you can have an overview of everything if staff are deployed properly and effectively. It shouldn't be necessary to install CCTV simply to witness accidents and incidents. That is what staff are for

[hellotrout]

I agree Narnia, we are having some very silly issues with staff at the moment and cameras were just one idea that we chucked into the mix. The staff are not playing ball so unfortunately we are having to try a variety of ways to get them on board before the last resort but I appreciate your opinion and I share your opinion I too agree that staff should be able to be deployed and be effective.

[Stargrower]

I have to say I agree with Narnia too. Yes, accidents can happen right under your nose, but staff should be accountable, not for the accident, but for being able to report it and saying what happened. I would hate to have cameras in my setting. We don't have anything to hide, but I feel it would be intrusive and could make staff even less vigilant. I hope you can sort out the problem. :1b

Edited March 21, 2016 by Stargrower

[tish501]

We have installed CCTV couple of years ago....for security really at night and the weekend....staff have no trouble with it as far as I am aware....but came in handy few months ago when a child fell over his own feet and his head hit the wall near front door....replaying the cctv showed that the other child near him was not responsible..so we could confidently write up the accident form and say to the parent that they could see the replay if they so wished.....bought from Maplin....good price......as works outside even when pitch black if anyone chooses to break in.....

[Rob6692]

Accidents happen and it's impossible to watch every child all of the time, but as has been said, something is going wrong if unobserved accidents are happening regularly. Also, although we can't see everything, between the staff they should at least have a reasonable account of what happened - maybe they didn't see the exact moment of the accident, but you should nearly always be able to piece together what happened.

I don't like the idea of cameras and I'd honestly feel really uncomfortable being filmed all the time. I'd also feel like my manager didn't trust me to do my job.

I don't think it's been mentioned so have you considered data protection? How and where will data be stored? Have you received permission from parents/carers to do so? I would be uncomfortable with my child being filmed

[Upsy Daisy]

I agree with Narnia too.

You've identified a problem in that the staff are not sufficiently engaged/vigilant to prevent accident and incidents and therefore also unable to account for what has happened. Cameras aren't going to change this. The accidents and incident will still happen.

You need to make changes to how the staff are working in order to keep the children safer, rather than record the staff allowing the children to be unsafe.

 

What do you think might be leading to this lack of engagement and awareness amongst the staff?

[BroadOaks]

We installed CCTV for security reasons and we don't use to monitor accidents or incidents but it could help of course.

[Lyanne]

We have CCTV for security, as does the school we're on the site of. I don't know about the school's CCTV, but our hard drive only records at night/weekends/school holidays. The monitor shows what the cameras see, & when children notice it in the office, they think it's wonderful!

 

I have noticed, when watching it with children, that staff are clumping together to chat rather than interacting with or watching the children...

[HoneyPancakes]

I worked in hospitality for many years and was more than comfortable with being under constant camera observation. It made me diligent. Three times recently children have been injured within a few feet of me and I haven't been able to confidently say what happened. I don't think I was negligent. It only takes a moment of being engaged with another child's needs for something to happen out of view. Did the child fall or where they pushed? On Thursday a toddler strapped safely in the car was found to be covered in blood when I looked in the rear-vision-mirror - I could only assume he'd put his finger up his nose and scratched, but if another child had been next to him I might have assumed he'd been kicked or smacked in the face. If you can afford it I'd go cameras all the way.

 

H