Guest Posted January 18, 2007 Posted January 18, 2007 I have spent a few days at my new setting, although i dont start in an official capacity until after the Feb half term. I asked the team how they currently update their assessment profiles. I was told that all the keyworkers have their children's profiles in their homes and they take home their observations and update them there. The sessions finish four days a week at 12.15 but we have access to the hall until 1pm. On Mondays the session runs all day from 9.30 until 3.30. I always thought that chidlrens assessment profiles had to be kept on the premises in a secure filing cabinet, there is a filing cabinet in secure cuboard which could be used for this purpose. Also as the observations should be used to inform planning (the team meets every Tuesday for a planniing meeting) then the observations need to be readily available at the setting. Could somebody advise me on whether what is currently done conforms with guidlines or is this something i should be looking at changing. The setting is fortunate to have a duty parent daily as an extra adult to count in ratios, so was thinking that perhaps it would be possible for key workers to have weekly non contact time at the setting to do assessing on the premises.
Guest Posted January 19, 2007 Posted January 19, 2007 HI our assesment records aren't kept in a locked file, they are kept in each persons room, but on NO occasions do staff take them home, they have none contacyt time to update files. would be interested to know whta other nurseries do. Dawn
Guest Posted January 19, 2007 Posted January 19, 2007 We are a pre-school but all keyworkers take their files home daily, but must have them whilst at work! we dont get any non contact time and must update/fill in children's records at home in our own time.
Guest Posted January 19, 2007 Posted January 19, 2007 In maintained settings the principle is to have two files. the first would contain basic info like contact details and any confidential documents such as SEN assessments or referrals to social services or other such stuff and would include a copy of the child's end of year report to parents. This file should be securely locked away and only accessible on request by staff. The assessment file/profile should be clearly accessible within the setting on a shelf , so that a parent could look at it whenever they wanted. Or the child too for that matter. Officially staff would not be allowed to take any information home with them but in practice especially when report writing staff will take home files and return them the next day. This has held true in all four maintained settings I have worked in. Keeping the files at home is unacceptable as is expecting staff to work at home in their own time for no money. Settings really need to find time to allow staff to work on profiles at work as it is an integral part of the job and a necessary expense. To put it another way - if a member of staff point blank refused to record keep at home in their own time could they be dismissed? Only if a setting wanted to be on the receiving end of an unfair dismissal claim.
Deb Posted January 19, 2007 Posted January 19, 2007 We take our profile files home to update, in our own time for nothing and it can take hours! No strictly confidential information is taken home though.
Guest Posted January 20, 2007 Posted January 20, 2007 Hi I agree ours go home if staff want to do them at home if they are left in the building overnight then they are locked in the filing cabinet. Strictly confidential info will usually be taken home with my mum and locked in her house (she lives on her own so no one will have access). I think so long as staff understand that partners and children do not go mooching through them its ok Deb
Guest Posted January 20, 2007 Posted January 20, 2007 Our developmental records are accessible throughout the day, keyworkers do sometimes take them home to complete but have to bring them back next day. You have to have them accessible to Ofsted at all times so keeping them at home is not good practice! My staff do not have non contact time but do try to share out any available time they do get to allow all staff to complete records in work time. Milly
Guest Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 We were just talking about this on Friday at a staff meeting! We keep our key files in a locked filing cabinet in a locked cupboard and take them home to update them in the holidays. They have to be on the premises at all times that we are open. We get paid a set fee (about £6 or so) for each file completed to make up for doing it in our own time and it is part of our contract to do so.
hali Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 commitee have just bought us lockable filing boxes to keep at home for our files, and deputy has had to write a risk assesment on transporting files between home and nursery
Guest Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 Our achievement files are displayed in the setting, access to parents, supervised that parents aren't able ( not that they would want to) to look at other childrens files. They are easily accessable because we write directly into them on a daily basis, any spontaneous obs, comments from children, art work etc. The only items which are not put straight into the files are photo's, these are downloaded onto CD and comments written onto sticky labels and then placed in files. When my staff team ws larger, I used to pay non contact time and provide staff cover. I used to pay for work done at home but found that the task took longer or didn't get done at all and I wasn't happy about files going home, basically if they got lost, damaged or staff forgot to bring them in every day. Peggy
Guest Wolfie Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 Hali, I think your committee have come up with a very sensible and practical solution to what is obviously an issue in a lot of settings. To be given non-contact time within the nursery day to update children's files is great but often really a "luxury" for a lot of reasons, and by making that gesture in relation to work the staff do at home, your committee are recognising the commitment that the staff have to carrying out their role effectively and showing that they value it.
hali Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 thanks Wolfie it was the only solution for us, we cant have time within session or after sessions as it is a community hall and we cannot store files at work though lack of space - so home is the only solution
Andreamay Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 We always did them at home before i took over and i wasnt happy with this so i did change it but as we have no non contact time and we have extended our hours and numbers there is no longer anywhere quiet for staff to go to update profiles etc also i found staff were coming back at end of the day with their school age children which was difficult for the cleaner and me if i needed to do paperwork also some staff were rushing to get thru it,so i made the decision to allow the profiles to go home again,hoping the staff respect the 'rules' of confidentiality.
Guest Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 We take ours home if they need updating but only if we return them the next day, then stored in a lockable cabinet normally. I always feel weird about bringing the records home and am so paranoid about where they are - everyone in my house knows - and is probably not interested anyway - that my work box is to be left alone as it is private!!
Guest Posted January 21, 2007 Posted January 21, 2007 Thanks everyone, you have given me plenty of food for thought on this issue. It is something I intend to discuss at my first team meeting. Hali - I really like the idea of lockable filing cabinets kept at home, out of interest could you let me know how much each cabinet was and where you purchased them, this might be something our committe would consider. Claire x
Marion Posted January 22, 2007 Posted January 22, 2007 As a teacher if I didnt bring them home they wouldn't get done but as Shire says I do try to keep them in a secure place and everyone knows not to touch my paperwork on pain of death
Beau Posted January 22, 2007 Posted January 22, 2007 We take ours home too, as much like Hali it would be impossible to find time at work to do it. I have my own 'office area' on the landing and my desk has a lockable cupboard which is where I keep anything confidential. However, the files are not secured between work and home. Perhaps this is something to think about.
Guest Posted January 22, 2007 Posted January 22, 2007 I too take mine home as there is not enough time at=t school but they are kept oin my lockable drawer in my desk
Guest Posted January 23, 2007 Posted January 23, 2007 We are the same as many, we take the childrens work/observation folders home to update, but they contain no personal information. I like the idea of the lockable boxes for transportation. Any help on where and how much would be great Many thanks
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