With the Data Protection Act (1998), the nursery has to control and protect the handling of the personal information of children and parents. Recklessness and naivety can cause personal information being let out into the public eye. Staff writing down children’s or their parent’s personal details or opinions can end up open to public view. This can be minimised by making sure all data is
Practitioners have a legal duty of confidence with regards to person information that they hold about children young people and their families. Any information you receive about young people and their families. In my work setting information should only be shared with professionals, all information child protection records should be kept securely. These are kept behind the manager’s desk on a tall shelf so that children can’t access them. Personal information should only be disclosed to third parties such as social services after obtaining the consent to who the information relates to in some child protection matters but it may not be possible to obtain consent. The data protection act 1998 allow allegation without consent in some circumstances for example to detect and prevent crime, to apprehend prosecute and offender.
The strengths of the Data Protection Act is that people who require to get hold of the personal information for another person will not be able to get hold of the information due to the fact that any personal information about a child or young person will be stored safety and this is done in order for people to not be able to retrieve the records of a child or young person. Also, any information which is recorded is usually accurate, uncomplicated and also clear. However, the weaknesses of the Data Protection is that if any type of information about children and young people is not stored in the right way and safely, then this means that these information’s can be used by anyone in a health and social care environment. Due to this, personal information about children and young people can be revealed. Another weakness of the Data Protection Act is that the information about children and young people may not always be correct, legal and also difficult and due to this, any information is likely to be quite hard to recognise. Also, a lot of information which is unnecessary might be added to the record and if there is a lack of information which is added, then any information about the child or young person will be
It is everybody’s responsibility to safeguard children – This means every single staff member within a setting; irrelevant of what role they may have there. This also includes non-staff members, such as volunteers, student’s third-party companies (visitors, service providers etc). Each setting should therefore adopt their own safeguarding policy, of which has to be kept up to date and followed at all times.
The children act 1989 has influenced some settings by bringing together several sets of guidance and provided the foundation for many of the standards practitioners sustain and maintain when working with children. The act requires that settings work together in the best interests of the child and form partnerships with parents or carers. It requires settings to have appropriate adult to child ratios and policies and procedures on child protection. This act has had an influence in all areas of practice from planning a curriculum and record keeping. The every child matters framework has
Adults who work with children and young people will come to know most of the personal information like date of birth, address and contact details and also sensitive information like behavioural issues, some medical information, family background, whether parents are divorcing and so on. It is the responsibility of the adult to keep this information confidential. They must protect the identity of the child they work with and that of their families and carers. They must do everything in their power to protect the privacy of every child and adult.
Keeping in mind data protection, be aware of what is going on in a child’s life and any changes that may affect their behaviour
1. Setting the standards for the learning, development and care, ensuring that every child makes progress and that no child gets left behind. Parents, providers should deliver individualised learning, development and care that enhances the development of the children in their care and gives those children the best possible start in life. Every child should be supported individually to make progress at their own pace and children who need extra support to fulfil their potential should receive special consideration. All providers have an equally important role to play in children’s early years experiences and they have to ensure that the provision they deliver is both appropriate to children’ needs and complementary to the education and care provided in child’s other settings.
Information Commissioner’s Office (2012) Introduction to The Data Protection Act 1998. [Online] Available from: http://www.ico.org.uk/~/media/documents/library/Corporate/Research_and_reports/ico_presentation_EVOC_20120528.ashx [Accessed: 11th October 2013]
Effective information sharing by professionals is central to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This sharing of information makes an important contribution to the shift to addressing children’s needs at an early stage rather than when serious problems have developed. In order to safeguard and promote children’s welfare, arrangements should ensure that:
1.1 Nowadays and according to the UN convention of the right of a child: A child is considered to be a person aged from birth to 18 years, but this can vary by the countries legal system e.g. in the UK you can legally drink alcohol at 18 whilst in the USA it is 21.
It is important to reassure children, young people and adults that any information kept about them is confidential and will only be used when necessary i.e. if a children is deemed to be at risk and that it is their right to privacy to keep it confidential, it should be made clear the reasons the information is collected and for what is will be used for. By reassuring parents and children it can make the situation a positive one in that they will understand the reasons are to ensure their safety at all times.
I think these are meant to ensure that children in a childcare center, whether it is a home daycare or a public daycare, are in a safe environment, given tasks appropriate for their age, be respected for their culture and diversity, and feel loved by their caretakers. This is evident in the NAEYC Code of Ethics core values. Without these standards, there would be no moral code to follow. This could lead to disrespect to the children, colleague or the person’s higher authority. If a child feels like their way of daily life or themselves are not appreciated, then they might not be willing to learn from their teacher.
This paper rocks, good job. In my finite mind I did not think about how these external forces can affect the childcare industry. I agree with the subsequent order that these microenvironmental forces are placed. Consequently, it is of my opinion, that organizations are controlled or governed first by political-legal forces. This could also be viewed as ‘barriers of entry’, Parnell (2017), as was a part of our lesson last week, do you agree? In other words, if schools do not abide by governmental rules and regulations it will be illegal for them to continue. Wasn’t this one of the point you were trying to make? Economic forces could be a large challenge in today’s society, considering families with more than one child.
In 2008, the last year for which data is available form the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "preschool teachers, teacher assistants, and child care workers accounted for almost 78 percent of wage and salary jobs in 2008" (BLS, 2012). Clearly, the childcare industry is booming at all age levels, and education is increasingly seen as important by parents even if public schools are failing to meet their expectations. In fact, there is quantitative evidence that educational and childcare services are generally underappreciated and undervalued, which might at first seem detrimental to the proposed endeavor but in reality will assist entry into the industry and make it easier to obtain a substantial market share (BLS, 2012).