Documentation is the last of the five welfare requirements of the Framework for the EYFS (see box).
Links to:
- Every Child Matters Outcome: Helping to keep children safe, Helping children to enjoy and achieve, Making a positive contribution and Economic wellbeing/organisation;
- Former National Standards: 14 - documentation.
Overarching general requirement
Providers must maintain records, policies and procedures required for the safe and efficient management of the settings, and to meet the needs of the children.
DATA
Specific legal requirements
Policies and procedures that need to be in place: (Providers need to make cross-references with the other welfare requirements)
Operational issues
Providers must record the following information on every child:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- The name and address of every parent and carer who is known to the provider
- The name/s of the parent/s or carer/s whom the child normally lives with
- Emergency contact details of the parents and carers
For children who receive the free entitlement, record:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Gender
- Ethnicity - only on a voluntary basis - information must be identified from parents
- Special education needs status
- The number of funded hours taken up during the census week
- Total number of hours (funded and unfunded) taken up at the setting during the census week
Maintained and independent schools (information is addition to pupil registration regulations 2006)
Statutory guidance
Policies and procedures that need to be in place:
Documentation and information policy (Need to make cross-references with the other welfare requirements)
Operational issues
- Ethnicity data, if collected, should be recorded under the categories as stated on p38-39 of the Statutory Framework for the EYFS providers' records
Specific legal requirements
Policies and procedures that need to be in place: (Need to cross reference with the other welfare requirements)
Operational issues
- Group provision: Providers must make sure that they have the name, home address and telephone number of the provider and any other person living or employed on the premises
- Providers must make sure that they have the name, home address and telephone number of anyone else who will regularly be in unsupervised contact with the children attending the early years provision
- Providers must ensure a daily record is kept of the names of the children looked after on the premises, their hours of attendance (must state arrival and departure times) and the names of every child's key worker
- Providers must make sure that the registration certificate is displayed; if parents ask to see the certificate this must be shown to them
- Providers must make sure that records relating to risk assessments are in place: date when carried out, name of person who carried out the risk assessment, date when the risk assessment was reviewed, any actions taken as a result of the risk assessment or incident
- Providers must make sure that all records (specific legal requirements) need to be made available at all times
- Providers must make sure that if notice is given of an inspection, parents are notified
- Providers must make sure that parents receive a copy of the inspection report
Statutory guidance
Policies and procedures that need to be in place:
Documentation and information policy Operational issues
- Providers should demonstrate an awareness of the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information Act 2000. Providers should register on the Data Protection Register
- Providers should keep the records relating to the children for three years
- Providers should ensure that information is kept in a secure and confidential place and only viewed by staff and other professionals who are authorised to do so
- Providers should ensure that staff are aware of confidentiality and the reasons why confidentiality needs to be in place
This is the final article in this series. There has been a revision to the EYFS, especially the welfare requirements. To download the updates, log on to: www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/eyfs. To keep updated in the issues that affect the running of your setting, it is imperative to sign up to receive regular e-mail alerts from the various government agencies, such as Ofsted and the DCSF.
- Next month a new three-part series starts on training under the EYFS.
WELFARE REQUIREMENTS: DOCUMENTATION
'Documentation' is the fifth group of welfare requirements contained in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (pages 38-39).
Each requirement is split into three sections:
1. The overarching general legal requirements - a general statement of requirements
2. Specific legal requirements - which providers must comply with
3. Statutory guidance - which providers should have regard to
Parts of the requirements apply only to group provision, but these are clearly indicated.
CASE STUDY
According to Joanne Morgan, director of Charlie Caterpillar's Day Nursery in Bloxwich, Walsall, keeping up-to-date and current documentation on staff and children who attend the nursery is paramount and should be protected under the Data Protection Act.
She says, 'The paperwork that we use for the children at Charlie Caterpillars includes "All about me," which lists the child's name (including preferred name), who has contact with the child, who has parental responsibility, date of birth, position in family and ethnicity.
'We also ask parents to sign to give permission for outings, face painting and medical treatment. We keep emergency contact details, parent details, any dietary requirements, medical conditions and special needs. The parents also complete a booking sheet, which confirms which days they require, including free nursery education places and the price charged per month.
'The parents/carers sign our terms and conditions, (having first had it explained to them by a member of management) and a copy is given to them. We have different sets of paperwork for the children attending, including after-school collection and breakfast club sign-ins for children being transported to and from school.
'This information is shared with the staff in the child's room, and the parents complete this paperwork during their child's first induction day and it is stored in a lockable filing cabinet.
'We update this paperwork whenever parents change any details. Plus, we issue new paperwork at our parents' evening to give the parents/carers the opportunity to review their original paperwork.'
The staff at Charlie Caterpillars also have their own personal file where information is stored about them, again kept in a lockable filing cabinet.
Ms Morgan says, 'The staff have contracts, emergency contact details, qualification certificate (if appropriate), training programme, and medical information including their doctor's name and address and any known medical conditions. The staff are given the opportunity to review and discuss their file.'
Further information:
- www.cwdcouncil.org.uk
- www.nationalstrategies.org.uk
- www.opsi.gov.uk
- www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications (download EYFS)
- www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
- www.ofsted.gov.uk
- www.dcsf.gov.uk
- www.dh.gov.uk.
