Confidentiality policy

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We are registered under the Data Protection Act and follow it's guidelines.

To ensure that all those using and working in the pre-school can do so with confidence, we will respect all confidential information gained as follows :-

 

• Protect the child at all times, to give all staff involved, clear, and ambiguous guidelines as to their legal and professional roles, and to ensure good practice throughout the preschool, which is understood by children, parents/carers as well as staff and volunteers.​

Objectives

• To provide consistent messages in the preschool about handling information about children once it is received
• To Foster and ethos of trust within the preschool.
• To ensure that staff, volunteers, students, parents, and children  are aware of the schools, confidentiality, policy and procedures
• To reassure children that their best interests will be maintained. To encourage children to talk to their parents and carers about their concerns to ensure that peoples parents/carers know that school staff cannot offer unconditional confidentiality
• to ensure that there is equal quality of provision and access for all, including rigorous monitoring of cultural, gender, and special educational needs
• To ensure that if there are child protection issues, correct procedures are followed at all times to ensure that confidentiality is a whole preschool issue, and that in the setting, ground rules are set for the protection of all
• to understand that health professionals are bound by different kind of conduct.
• To ensure that parents, or those with the right to access any records held by the preschool on their child can do say, but not to any other child, that they do not have parental responsibility for
•                                                          Incidences, when confidentiality will need to be broken (not limited to)
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• Where there is a risk of serious harm or threat to life.
• Where urgent medical treatment is needed
• Where a serious crime has been committed.
• Where the use or supply of illegal drugs is involved
• Where it is felt that an issue has a racial motivation
  • Guidelines​
• All information about individual children is private, and should be only shared with staff that need to know
• staff will not discuss personal information given by parents with other members of staff, except if it effects the planning for the child's needs
• Parents have ready access to the files and records of their own children, but do not have access to information about any other child. Parents should not have access to any other Childs books marks or progress grades at any time, especially at parents evenings. However, parents should be aware information about their child will be shared with a receiving school or setting once permission has been granted in writing from the parent
• Parents and children need to be aware that the preschool cannot guarantee total confidentiality and the preschool has a duty to report. Child protection issues
• The preschool has appointed senior staff members of the preschool as child protection officers/designated safeguarding leads. These are Alison Balmer and Sarah Green. Child protection procedures are reviewed regularly available
• Any concerns/evidence relating to a child's personal safety are kept in a secure, confidential file, and I shared with as few people as possible on a professional need-to-know basis.
• Pre school encourages children to talk to parents and safe adults about issues causing them concern and may in some cases support a child to talk to their parents or trusted. Adult preschool would share with parents, any child protection disclosure before going on to inform the correct authorities.
• The preschool prides it self on good communication with parents/carers and staff are always available to talk to both children, parents and carers about issues that are causing concern.
• Clear ground rules will be set out before any discussions are held with children dealing with sensitive issues
• The preschool is proactive so children feel supported, but information is not unnecessarily revealed in a public arena. Even when sensitive information appears to be widely known, it should not be assumed by those immediately involved that it is appropriate to discuss it or share this information further.
• Staff should be aware of children with medical needs, and where to find further information if needed
• All parents/carers will be asked to sign additional permission for any photographs to be used in advertising or promotional media. The preschool does allow parents to photograph/film school, public events, e.g. performances, sports events. However, any such material must be for personal use only and not used or shared on social media without the prior consent of all in the said media.
• Information gathered by staff members about children that is shared in health reports, send reports social services meetings, funding forms is stored securely
• Issues relating to the employment of staff, with a paid or unpaid, remain confidential to the people directly involved with making personal decisions

This policy is reviewed as required by the settings management 

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