Cyp Outcome

Outcome 4 Confidentiality involves trust. If trust is not gained, then it is highly likely that information will be shared. Confidentiality is about controlling the spread of information by anyone working with children or young people. Unless in exceptional circumstances e. g. a child is at risk from harm, should personal information be discussed. Personal information must only be disclosed with the permission of the person concerned or parents/carers and to others who have a professional need to know.

This complies with law on Data Protection Act 1998 as well as laid out in Child Protection and Safeguarding. The Data Protection Act covers both paper based and electronic records and is designed to prevent confidential and personal information from being passed on without a person’s consent. Everyone has a fundamental right to privacy. As a childcare professional I have a duty to protect the children in my care and their families by making sure that the information I know about them is kept private and confidential and only passed on if absolutely necessary.

Within my setting policies and procedures are in place which I adhere to. Written in our confidentiality policy is the Preschool’s confidentiality statement which states: “You are required to preserve the confidentiality of the affairs of the children, their parents, the staff and all other matters connected with the Preschool. This obligation should continue even after the contract of employment has ended. You should understand that any breech of this clause will constitute a serious disciplinary action for which you may be dismissed.

Should you breech this clause after your employment has ended with the Preschool we will be at liberty to take action against you”. Parents are also informed about confidentiality when they visit the Preschool and the information is reinforced within the parent pack and the operational plan which is always available for parents to view at any time. Throughout my working day it is likely that I will come across a variety of information regarding the children at my setting or their families.

It may be oral information, paper based information or electronic based information. I am often given oral information from parents/carers or their children. It is important for me to process the information I have been given and decide how I am going to maintain the confidentiality of such information. Whilst greeting parents and children at the door I was approached by one of the Mums who informed me that E may be a little upset as Mum has just separated with E’s Dad.

I suggested that when I have finished at the door we could discuss it somewhere more privately. Mum went on to explain that it is not an amicable separation and that she does not want Dad collecting E from preschool. I listened to all the information that Mum had given me. I explained to her that whilst the information she had given me was confidential, I would need to share it with my Supervisor as it is a change in circumstances and she needs to be aware of the situation concerning the welfare of E.

I then waited for an appropriate moment when I could speak to my supervisor in private and informed her of the information I had been given. I am dealing with confidential paper based documentation daily such as, Learning journeys, IEPS, birth certificates, grant forms and even children’s drawings. By following policies and procedures I ensure that all information I am given remains confidential and that such documents are stored in a locked cabinet in a locked cupboard.

This is done in order that the documents are not lost, damaged, stolen or seen by anyone who does not have the authority to see them. During the day learning journeys are available for parents to look at but are kept in a drawer by the Supervisors desk so that are not lying around for anyone to see. The amount of information that is stored on lap tops and computers is increasing all the time. Most of the preschool information is paper based and any information held on the lap top is done by my Supervisor.

Although I do not have work based information on my Laptop I am aware of E Safety, viruses, and security. Whilst I am aware of the policies and procedures regarding confidentiality, I am also aware that there may be rare occasions when confidentiality may need to be breached. Examples of these are * Where there are concerns about a child’s welfare such as abuse. * Where a child or young person is suspected of committing abuse. * Where a crime has been committed. An example of an incident where I became concerned about a child in my cares welfare is explained below:

Whilst the children were queuing to use the slide I heard child X tell another child that his Dad had hurt his head as he pointed to a bruise on his head. Due to the fact that there had been previous concerns regarding child X’s welfare and in line with the preschools safeguarding policy, I felt it appropriate that I should pass this information on to the designated Safeguarding Officer. I wrote what I heard from child X word for word on a post it notes. The ratio of staff to children would not have been sufficient had I left the garden so I called for another member of staff to take over at the slide.

I asked to speak to the Safeguarding Officer in private bearing in mind that I was discussing a confidential matter and that I was following procedure in line with the preschools Safeguarding Policy. I explained to the SO what I had overheard and told her that I had written it down word for word. The SO was very supportive and reassured me that I had taken the correct action. She explained to me that we were to write an entry in the Record of Concern for child X which we did and both signed and dated the entry. Ref: Some information was taken from “Children & Young People’s Workforce” BY Penny Tassoni.