1. Aims
Blackhall Nursery is a company limited by guarantee, managed by a voluntary Board of Directors and Management Committee, and is run by staff with support from the Management Committee. The Nursery is also a registered charity. Alongside the staff who play a vital role, the Nursery comprises 3 groups of people: (1) the Management Committee who have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Nursery, (2) the Board who have overall responsibility for everything the Nursery does, and (3) the Members who have ultimate control of the composition of the Board and hence the Nursery. All parents/carers of children attending the Nursery are automatically entitled to put themselves forward for election to any or all of the three groups. The Nursery is committed to a genuine and meaningful partnership with the parents/carers of children in their care. The Nursery operates in a spirit of openness in partnership with parents. However, the Nursery recognises that there exist certain circumstances when confidentiality is important (i) for the safety and wellbeing of the children and their families, and (ii) in the interests of employees' privacy. Blackhall Nursery and its staff follow both the Scottish Social Services Council Code of Practice for Employers of Social Service Workers and the Code of Practice for Social Service Workers. In particular it recognises its obligation to implement and monitor a confidentiality policy. In accordance with the Social Services Council Code of Practice for Social Service Workers, the policy also recognises the obligation of all parties who are involved in the running of the Nursery to establish and maintain the trust and confidence of all those who attend the Nursery, and their families.
2. Confidential records
Documents which are confidential will be stored in a lockable cabinet and access to them will be restricted to specified persons. Documents which are not treated as confidential, and the information on those, will nonetheless be treated in a sensitive manner. Parents or carers may have access to any of the confidential documents in so far as they are relevant to, and specifically identify, their child by requesting access in writing to the Chairperson of the Management Committee. The Chairperson may extract and copy the information requested if this is necessary to protect the identity of another child. The Chairperson may also grant permission to a named individual to allow access to specific confidential documents when access to these documents is necessary for the proper running and administration of the Nursery, for example, the Nursery Manager, the Human Resources officer, any appointed accountant or lawyer. Confidential records will be disposed of in an appropriate manner which can include shredding.
Documents which are confidential include-
(A) Disclosure Scotland Records- access to these records is restricted to the Lead Signatory only.
(B) "Personal Records"-
these records include
(a) the nominated parent/carer forms, access to which is restricted to (1) the Nursery staff, (2)* the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer of the Management Committee and (3) * the Board of Directors;
(b) the accident/incident record book, access to which is restricted to Nursery staff and Office Bearers;
(c) additional support individual learning plans, access to which is restricted to Nursery staff, Office Bearers and those other professionals working specifically with a child insofar as access to these documents is necessary for their work; and
(d) medication/allergy records and associated permission letters access to which is restricted to Nursery staff and Office Bearers. Extracts from these documents will be kept in the first aid cupboard for use in the event of an emergency and for that reason the extract will not be treated as confidential
.* hereafter referred to as “ Office Bearers”(
C)" Confidential Administration Records"- The Nursery keeps general records of the Nursery's administration. Most of these are not treated as confidential but the following documents will be treated as Confidential Administration Documents: wage records and associated details, time sheets, absence records, employee contracts and references. Access to these documents is restricted to the Nursery Manager, the Nursery Administrator and the Office Bearers.
(D)"Whistleblowing Policy Book"- This book is maintained and kept by the Chairperson of the Management Committee. Access to the book is restricted to the Chairperson and any individual granted permission by the Chairperson when access to the book is required by that person for the proper running and administration of the Nursery.
3. Non confidential records
Documents which are not confidential will none the less be treated in a sensitive manner.
(a) Staff maintain "General Records" necessary for the day to day running of the Nursery and which are not regarded as confidential. These include the daily register and snack register.
(b) Staff maintain "Educational Profile Records". A profile is kept of each child containing their name, date of birth, educational progress notes, consent forms, emergency contact details, health forms. These are referred to daily and need to be easily accessible, and for that reason these records are not treated as confidential
(c) Staff complete "Transition Records" for each child which are completed at the end of the pre-school year. These are not treated as confidential and are prepared for the purpose of passing on to the head teacher of the child's primary school and the child's parent/carer as named in the Nominated Parent/Carer form
4. Practice regarding children
Office bearers, staff and adult helpers will not discuss publicly matters relating to children or their families with the exception of the Transition Records which will be discussed with the child's new school.
Staff will not discuss children, other than for curriculum development and management purposes, with any person or organisation outside the Nursery organisation, unless with the knowledge and consent of the parent/carer. It is recognised that staff require to share experiences for staff training purposes but staff should in these circumstances, where possible, ensure the anonymity of case studies.
Parents or carers who wish any of their child's personal details to be kept confidential shall inform the Chairperson of the Management Committee of the details which they wish kept confidential and the Chairperson will discuss with them how this can be achieved practically without prejudicing the safety or wellbeing of the child.
5. Practice regarding staff
The Nursery recognises the requirement to treat staff information on a confidential basis where appropriate and possible.Individual records are kept for each staff member in confidential files.
Staff can ask the Chairperson of the Management Committee for access to their own personal record. Subject to the Chairperson's grant of permission referred to in paragraph 2 above, only the Office Bearers and the Nursery Administrator will have access to the information on the individual staff member's file.
None of the above will discuss publicly:
· an individual's work performance
· terms or conditions of employment for individual members of staff
· disciplinary or grievance matters brought to their attentionStaff will not discuss publicly:
· the work performance of their colleagues
· disciplinary or grievance matters in which they are involved
This does not affect the staff's rights under the Whistleblowing policy.
Any breach of the procedures and routines specified in this policy document should be reported to the Chairperson of the Management Committee of the Nursery. The Chairperson and one other individual appointed by the Chairperson (who will be either an Office bearer, the Nursery Manager or the Human Resources Officer) will investigate the matter. This may result in disciplinary action being taken if a staff member is involved.
This policy will be displayed on the Nursery's notice board. All Nursery staff, the Board of Directors and members of the Management Committee will have their attention drawn to the terms of this policy.
Revised Nov 2004/Oct 07 FG 24.10.07