Consent Forms

[Guest]

Hi i have a new parent who has refused consent to let us put on sun cream however she is insisting that her child goes out to play. Has anyone else come across this and if so what action did you take, would you allow this i dont feel its right and have asked the parent to reconsider her decision other wise we cannot allow the child to play out on sunny days, is this unreasonable of me..

This same parent wants to bring her own food and does not want the child to have anything our housekeeper makes, i have worries about this too as if the child falls ill because of something he has eaten at the nursery and the safe transportation of the food to the nursery where would we stand.

Any help yuo could offer on these two issues would be very much appreciated. x jojom x

Edited April 17, 2007 by Guest

[belle06]

Hi

We do not allow children outside to play without sun cream for their own protection as the parent giving reasons would she prefer to come in on warm days and apply cream this should cover for the amount of time you are outside.

With the food we have in the past allowed own food for very severe allergies e.t.c for parents peace of mind, but we have a consent form parents fill in each day saying what the food is, when it was prepaed, when it is to be used, the minimum temp we will reheat to and that the parents understands we accept no responsibility for the food consumed by the child, and the parents complete and sign for each batch of food. We aslo inform parents we will not except any food containing rice or seafood. Hope this is a help if you have any questions feel free to pm me. Shelley

[Rea]

Gosh thats a hard one jojom

I think we have to decide who has final say over the way a child is bought up and treated.

We might not like how people treat their children but we have limited powers.

We can talk to the parent and offer information which will hopefully help them to make the right decision, especially where skin safety is concern, but until there is a law that states children must wear protection I think we are bound by the parents wishes.

Has she said why she doesnt want sun cream used? My friend is quite happy to let her children sun bathe in mexico because she likes a tan and actively looks for tan lines on them, while all the time I am plugging away telling them all how damaging it can be in the long term.

The food is a different issue I think. Have you shown her your facilities and menus? Does she fully understand that you will cater to all preferences? Parents can be over protective as we all know but is she just scared of losing control and not having a say in her childs every moment away from her?

 

My personal view is that I dont think you can allow her to bring her own choice of food in. What if you have a child with an allergy to nuts or something, could you be absolutley certain she was adhering to your rules?

You obviously wouldnt be comfortable letting the child play out in the sun, especially with the summers we've had of late, but neither would it be fair on the child to never be allowed outside.

I'm not sure how to handle it but I would stick to my guns on this. If she decides to go elsewhere thats her choice, unfortunate but still her choice.

I'm interested to see what others say on this.

[hali]

umm a toughy.....we are a sessional pre school and ask that parents apply sunscreen before children come otherwise they have to stay and paly inddors or in the shade....

[narnia]

I have just sent out my sunny play letter to parents, telling them that they must provide hats, t shirts and sun cream for their child or they will not be allowed out to play on very sunny days asI cannot allow children to get burnt, so if parent says no to suncream, the child won't go out.I send out the same letter every year and haven't had a problem yet.I do keep a spare bottle of hypo allergenic cream in case they forget it, but then they have to sign my consent form to say the child can have it applied.One mum brought us a lovely bottle of Clarins cream last year, for us all to use, and oddly enough, no-one refused the offer of that one!! The food one is more difficult........perhaps she's worried about (and don't get me wrong, i'm not suggesting you have a problem!!) hygiene standards, or your cooks qualifications???Or are the family from a minority culture, so she's worried about adherance to a particular diet??

[Guest Wolfie]

I have come across some sun protection policies in the past - maybe if you implemented one at your setting then you could get round the issue that way? I think there is a site by one of the cancer research bodies that has a sample policy - I'm sorry, I can't remember which one but I know that they sent me some promotional material when I had my nursery, maybe someone else knows?

[Guest]

Regarding the sunscreen question-do you have spare clothes for your children in case of accidents? If so do you have long sleeved tops and long thin trousers they could wear? That way you are not penalising him for his mother being awkward and you are ensuring his safety. We have a supply of safari style hats for all our children-it makes life easier just to plonk one of those on their heads rather than putting their own on-many of them don't bring one anyway. You could have a couple and they could wear one if she doesn't supply a hat herself. We ask parents to apply sunscreen before they arrive, which they should do anyway if they are out and about, but we are sessional and we tend to go out first thing in the morning when it isn't too hot.

Quite frankly, I would not have wanted my children outside if it was a blazing hot day if there is nowhere for them to play in the shade.

The food one-I would ask her to sign a disclaimer if she is adamant on bringing in her own food stating that nursery will take no responsibilty if the child is ill due to food eaten on the premises which has not been prepared by your staff. I would suggest you talk to her first and find out why she wants this done.

Linda

[Guest]

Hi the parent just doesnt want this child to have sun cream because she doesnt see the need for it and she feels the risk of going out on sunny days is small and is insisting the vhild must go out. We dont go out when it is hot anyway.

The parent has been given copies of our menu and has seen our food prep area and met the housekeeper but i dont really think this is the issue its more about the parent wanting her child to only eat food she prepares.

[Guest]

In that case you need to get her to sign a form which states that she doesn't want her child to wear sunscreen. I do feel it is a bit unfair to exclude the child from going out to play when everybody else does just because of his mother's attitude. If you ensure he is covered up as much as possible then at least you are giving him the opportunity to be part of the group.

Linda

[Guest]

I agree with you Linda but if this child does suffer in the sun then the nursery is responsible and it is impossible to keep a child covered up and shaded at all times we will ensure the child is included and take steps to ensure his safety in the sun and we dont go out in hot weather but we are a very outdoor nursery and the outdoor curriculum is as big a part of our nursery day as the indoors is x

[Guest]

Hi

We do not allow children outside to play without sun cream for their own protection as the parent giving reasons would she prefer to come in on warm days and apply cream this should cover for the amount of time you are outside.

With the food we have in the past allowed own food for very severe allergies e.t.c for parents peace of mind, but we have a consent form parents fill in each day saying what the food is, when it was prepaed, when it is to be used, the minimum temp we will reheat to and that the parents understands we accept no responsibility for the food consumed by the child, and the parents complete and sign for each batch of food. We aslo inform parents we will not except any food containing rice or seafood. Hope this is a help if you have any questions feel free to pm me. Shelley

 

Bit worried as I have not heard about "rice" not coming in - can you let me know what impact this has.

Nikki

Edited April 17, 2007 by Guest

[Guest]

I've seen children playing when on holiday in 'sun protection' suits which basically cover them from more or less 'head to foot'.

If the parent does not 'believe in sun protection' perhaps she could be shown information about this kind of a suit and guided towards one - i would suspect they are expensive though.

If also shown information which proves that a sun tan is actually sun damage, especially on young children, then surely she would wish to protect her child. Children have rights also and maybe this is a safety issue also!?

I think the covering up with long cotton trousers and long sleeved shirt is a good idea, however the sun's rays will still penetrate the material if the child is outside for a prolonged period.

For the child - this seems a 'no win' situation....

Is she concerned about an adult running their hands over the child's body I wonder?

[Guest]

i know it's a bit different but my daughter has terrible food allergies and as a result I've always provided her food at nursery. i used to cook it all the night before but as rice is dodgy to reheat properly i send a boil in the bag rice now along with cooked veg and meat. the nursery also cooks her pasta but we've had to go through the 'using separate equipment to prepare her food' thing. The nurseries concerned have been brilliant - I've never had to sign a disclaimer but i guess my daughter is more at risk from the food provided by the nursery than the food provided by me!

i also send in my own suncream because of her eczema - but I think she's a very rare case and it's a case of not being able to be the same as everyone else rather than being an awkward parent!

[Rea]

Nikki, I believe its to do with rice breeding bacteria very quickly when it cools. Most food poisoning cases are from rice rather than the meat that was eaten with it, I've been told.

[Beau]

Regarding rice look here.

[Guest]

Sorry to hijak this post, but we are also having problems and dont as yet have a safe in the sun policy, i wonder if anyone would mind posting one for me to have a look at and adapt for our setting?

 

Thank you.

 

jenni x

[Sue R]

Hi there!

 

Jenni, do a forum search as I'm positive this subject has appeared before!

 

Sue

[Beau]

You can find some guidelines on writing a policy here.

[Guest]

Hi thanks for your advice everyone i telephoned the NDNA advice line today and they said that the parent has to sign a disclaimer for the food and the sun cream and we have to ensure we are specific about the steps we will take to keep her child safe in the sun but to be careful to ensure the parents views are taken into account

[alis2son]

Hi,

 

We are due to review our child protection policy soon and are thinking about putting it in here. unless the parent has valid reasons for the child not to wear sun cream its just negligent.

 

We have our own hypo allergenic sun cream and have consent forms from all parents as part of the initial induction. We have one child who is allergic, and comes out in a rash with any cream we have tried.

 

Our guidelines are simple, all children must wear suitable sun protection;

* sun cream applied at home and then reapplied each time we go outside,

*clothes must cover shoulders,

*any area not coverered must be protected by cream

 

Basically for this parent they would have to ensure that their child wore clothes with long sleeves and trousers and a hat with the neck + ear flaps. We would ensure the child stayed in the shade, and as we do not go out between 12-2 when the sun is strongest, unless in the shade for sit down activities, this is fine for us.

 

As for the food, we allow our holiday care children to bring in packed lunches and we have only just started providing the lunch for daycare. We give out a policy on packed lunches stating do's and dont's including that they must provide a freezer pack in the container. Basically; no eggs, nuts, sweets, chocolates, fizzy or sugary drinks allowed, and suggestions of healthy options which the children have for the lunches we provide.

 

We also check the lunches and take out any things not allowed to be returned to the parent with a note asking not to be brought again.

 

Again, its what works for us. Good Luck

[Deb]

Cancer Research have a Sun Safe campaign with an example policy and letter to parents. Have a copy of my other computer if you have no luck.

 

We ask parents to apply cream before coming to the setting (sessional) and try not to go out after 11 am (as suggested in the above campaign) unless under the trees.

 

Some of our parents won't let us put one of our hats on their child if they forget theirs because they are afraid of nits. So far only 1 this year has signed the form to say they do not want us to supply a hat.

 

 

Incredibly it's not easy to find unless you know what you're looking for.

Heres a link:

 

http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/images/pd...y_guidelines_05

 

There's one for primary and secondary schools too.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Deb

[Guest]

Thanks for the link Deb ive printed it off.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Guest