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Post by Pauline on Apr 19, 2007 10:56:57 GMT
If you use daily diaries to share information with parents do you send them home each night with them or keep them with you?
I found that some parents are very good at bringing them back each day and are very interested in them, others just couldn't care less.
Quite often they would forget to bring it back and even if they usually had the same bag to bring, with the dairy in it, if it was Dad's turn to drop them off he would just shove some nappies in a carrier bag rather than use the proper one so the diary was left behind!!
Not having had little ones for a while I've not been using daily diaries and would be interested to know what everyone else does now.
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Post by angeldelight on Apr 19, 2007 11:04:56 GMT
I used to have the same problem parents not bringing them back etc
I now have a folder with their "all about me" in it , observations for birth to three or foundation I send this home every few weeks
I send a daily sheet home each evening with children under the age of 1 - I only do one for older children if parents request it, I do ask them and no one has ever wanted me to do it
My daily sheet has space for 2 days It just gives the routine for bottles, sleeps and food and nappy changes I can send you a copy if you want to see what I mean
Angel xx
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Post by deeb66 on Apr 19, 2007 12:05:42 GMT
I write a diary for every child and I try to expand on the standard information so that the parent knows what their child has been doing throughout the day. For example - Rather than just state that we go to toddler group I try to tell the parent what sort of activity they/we played with or if they did any arts and crafts that don't come home i.e.playdough or if we sit and read a story with the other children etc.
In the afternoon (when kids asleep) I can spend between half to three quarters of an hour writing out these diaries and I really don't mind doing them as long as I know that they are valued. What really annoys me is when I have spent ages writing them out and I add something that the parent needs to know in there and at the end of the week they are asking me about something I have already written - it is obvious that they don't always read them which is annoying and makes me sometimes wonder why I do it!
Going back to the original question Pauline, (sorry I have been waffling and jumping on my soapbox!!) I do send them home and to be honest a majority of the time they do come back the next day - whether that's achieved by planning or that the diary was never taken out of the bag I cannot answer!!.
Dee
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Post by Pauline on Apr 19, 2007 15:06:15 GMT
Thanks for that both of you. Dee it's a shame if the parents don't appreciate the time you spend on them. Angel, I have devised a very similar thing to your daily sheet that I was going to use for the under 5's. I've got three to a page of A4 and it lists meals (or baby milk), how much they ate, when and how long they slept and a space for comments. I tried to get as many as I could on a sheet to save printing and paper costs! On the one hand we encourage children to save the world's resources by recycling and on the other Ofsted have us wasting paper by the ream!
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Post by angeldelight on Apr 19, 2007 15:07:28 GMT
Sorry I did mean to say I do the same as Dee for the older children I just do not send them home every day I asked the parents what they wanted and they said they would prefer every few weeks or monthly because sometimes they do not get time to read them every night
I do not think though at the end of the day it matters what you do because ......... it is always down to what the parents do / if they read them / return them
There is nothing more annoying than finding them all screwed up at the bottom of the child's bag grrrrrr and the parent saying " oh I did not know it was there " But you know you told them the night before
Angel xx
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Post by bessie on Apr 19, 2007 18:32:09 GMT
Hi there
I do daily diaries every day and send them home in the bag. They come back the next day with anything I need to know written in. One family write every morning, the other just when something needs to be said. But both say they love reading about the day.
I sometimes write a page or two through the day when I'm organised or a mad dash of scribbling the main points 15 mins before mum is due!
I write quite anecdotally I think including what the chn have done, eaten, nappy changes, where we've been, who hit who etc!
When finished the parents keep them as a record cos I've got the important things duplicated in my file (accidents, meds etc)
Bx
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Post by banana on Apr 21, 2007 7:12:59 GMT
I just bought a pack of A5 excercise books. I write the date on each page and fill in where we have been, what we have done, what they ate, moods, activities, any behaviour issues, meals etc... This gets sent home every night. Whether the parents read them religiously, I dont know?? I know one does.
They parents like it and its easy just to write a quick page on their day.
I agree about the amount of paper being ridiculous. Thats why I opted for re-cycled excercise books instead, I started off printing out a page each day to fill in but its not just paper its ink aswell. So im sticking with my biro and book.
x
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Post by smartypants on Apr 22, 2007 15:57:01 GMT
I just bought a pack of A5 excercise books. I write the date on each page and fill in where we have been, what we have done, what they ate, moods, activities, any behaviour issues, meals etc... This gets sent home every night. Whether the parents read them religiously, I dont know?? I know one does. They parents like it and its easy just to write a quick page on their day. x Thats what i do as well ;D
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Post by polly2 on Apr 26, 2007 13:57:23 GMT
Hi all Do any of you keep a personal diary of daily activities you do with the children. Been studying DHC and they recommend this to protect yourself from allegations of abuse - just wondered because I was thinking of ordering the ncma one but they are so expensive. Do any of you make your own - if so do you have any ideas as to how to lay it all out and what to put down?? I send home a sheet for parents each day with basic things like times the children had food, drink, nappies etc All my children are under one. I am thinking it may be better to keep sheets in one book but it would be a pain if parents keep forgetting thanks xxx
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Post by banana on Apr 26, 2007 15:58:38 GMT
Hi polly
Can you tell me why doing this would be protecting us from allegations of abuse??
Its got me a bit confused? I dont currently do it. I send home a daily diary for the children but am having some trouble seeing how keeping a personal diary of activities is protection from allegations of abusing a child??
Thanks in advance
xx
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Post by 2kidsunder5 on Apr 26, 2007 16:06:58 GMT
I was going to ask the same question?
Love Diane x
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Post by deeb66 on Apr 26, 2007 17:23:35 GMT
Hi Polly Yeah I agree with Lana - I really don't see how having one of these would protect us from allegations of abuse. Yes it does mean that we have a seperate record of the childs day which we could use as evidence of activities etc etc but I am afraid I don't make the connection I would really be interested in the answer though Thanks Dee
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Post by polly2 on Apr 26, 2007 18:30:16 GMT
Hi Didn't really understand it myself!! Thats why I thought I would ask if anyone else did this. From what I can gather I think its really to show that your practise is public - I mean that you are out and about with the children, doing different things with them, people see you in park, school etc its all down on paper so you can refer back if needed. also to say if anyone has popped in ( although I think some child minders have a sep visitors book ) Like I said - I'm a bit clueless about it myself - it seems like more paperwork to me what do you think? I think that recording accidents and incidents is enough
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Post by bessie on Apr 26, 2007 18:36:39 GMT
Hi all
Polly - I was told that I should record if I see a bruise etc on a child so that it's in the daily diary and it has been mentioned both verbally and in writing to parents.
If I notice a bruise - bigger than just the usual tumbles - on a child which hasn't been mentioned to me I always mention it to the parent at the end of the day as well as having put it in the book in an easy sort of way so I can get an explanation and it can be said and noted that it didn't happen when the child was with me.
Even though I've had the same two familes for 5 years I still follow this procedure.
Hope this helps
Bx
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Post by deeb66 on Apr 26, 2007 18:36:59 GMT
I think you would just be duplicating what you already had and to be honest if anything significant happened it would be logged in the specific area anyway, so I really don't see the point.
Anybody else got any views on this one?
Dee
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Post by polly2 on Apr 26, 2007 18:56:17 GMT
Right - so you record bruises etc on the childrens daily diaries? Then there is a record that parents can see that it has been noticed. Thats better idea Thanks So nobody uses the ncma daily journal???
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Post by bessie on Apr 26, 2007 19:06:06 GMT
Yes Polly
I only do this with bruises etc that children have arrived with and that they didn't do with me. It's so that parent can't come back and say how did they do this when you know they did it at home. Good idea to photocopy page or make a note for yourself too.
You can only ever cover yourself up to a point but this is as good a way as any.
For those bumps that happen with me I use accident book and have parent sign as read but I do mention it in my daily diary too - like "x had a bump today - he's fine but see accident book" so I don't have to go into detail twice.
Bx
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Post by banana on Apr 26, 2007 19:35:57 GMT
Yeh im the same as Bessie.
I record everything about the child/childs day in their daily diary which they take home.
Any accident/incidents are recorded in my NCMA accident/incident book.
Surely this is enough isnt it?
With regard to existing bruises - what would happen if you didnt notice a bruise on a child. You dont see a childs whole body through the day... obiously you see thier legs with nappy changing but how do you know if there are any marks on the upper part of a childs body? Does anyone check for this on the children? I have often wondered if I should be checking children so that if there were any marks then I can record them?!
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Post by angeldelight on Apr 26, 2007 20:12:44 GMT
Sorry I think this is all getting out of hand
For me
I have an accident book if I need it If I wrote down every bruise or cut the kids had I would do nothing else all day Common sense is needed I think !!!
Activities protecting us from allegations of abuse ....... what rubbish !
I will stick to my books and normal observations
Not sure who comes out with these ideas sometimes ....... MAD !!
Angel xx
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Post by banana on Apr 26, 2007 20:37:08 GMT
lol Angel
I am yet to record a bruise on a child, despite the fact that the kids that come to me have plenty of little bruises on their legs - i know isabelle looks like she plays hockey sometimes.
I agree that it is getting out of hand. But do wonder with the things that you hear sometimes if we really should be taking our record keeping to the extreme just to cover ourselves!! Sometimes I think it would be easier and less paperwork to go back to working in annuities!!
x
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Post by bessie on Apr 26, 2007 21:27:32 GMT
Hi there
Just to make it clear I have only done this when children have had big marks, not the little bruises chn all have all the time - esp new walkers and toddlers.
As an example when I was wiping a two year olds btm I noticed a huge purple bruise on her buttock and without thinking I asked her how she'd done it. She explained that she sat down hard in the bath on a toy. It sounded plausible and mum told the same story. I believed it because I know what chn are like.
I don't write down every little bump every day otherwise I'd be doing nothing but paperwork.
I don't think we're expected to check children either. Obviously if we had concerns about a child there are procedures to follow.
Bx
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Post by tasha on May 15, 2007 16:07:55 GMT
Hi, I use an exercise book detailing roughly what we did in am and pm. What has been eaten/drunk during the day nappies sleeps etc. I note down marks and bruises in red pen. Parents read the book on collection and it stays with me. If a parent doesn't have the time to read then, they call melater I have a 1/2 hour slot for these calls (7.30pm-8pm) Anything else goes in NCMA accident book, but brief mention in diary - then see accident book. I agree paperwork is mad and expensive. Especially as some don't apprecite it, but I have to admit most do and I know I wpuld as a parent Tasha
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Post by donnam on May 15, 2007 20:27:15 GMT
Hi,I don't do a daily diary as i have always found the time to spend 5-10 Min's telling parents about there child's day it is more of a personal touch. I record everything in the NCMA accident/incident book Donna
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Post by deeb66 on May 16, 2007 7:17:24 GMT
I used to do the same Donna and I agree it is much better but in my last inspection (2003) my inspector accepted this but said that I had no proof or nothing to show her that was what I was doing and that it would be better to have written evidence - I must say I wasn't happy but took her advice and started writing diaries Dee
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Post by angeldelight on May 16, 2007 9:19:37 GMT
Donna and Dee I always used to do the same too no diaries
But then all the paperwork came in and proof was needed for everything so that is when I started to keep evidence / diaries of my every last move haha
Angel xx
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Post by sarahnev707 on Jun 10, 2007 10:06:25 GMT
I had a malicious totally untruthful allegation against me last week and the inspectors who came wanted to know where I'd been in Oct - Jan (last year!) as the allegation referred to dates around then. I could quite honestly say I'd not been where the allegation said I was but didn't have any written proof immediately to hand - though I have got daily diaries back from one parent now who files them religiously (thank goodness!!!). The inspector was not impressed and despite my protestations actioned me - 'not keeping proper records' and 'not telling parents what I am doing' - I am furious and have appealed but......... I have started a personal daily diary from last week and will never ever go anywhere with anyone ever again without recording it... too risky!! Sarahx
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Post by nannan on Jun 10, 2007 11:42:40 GMT
hi all going back to the question, I used to write in an exercise book daily, but have now changed that to printing out a daily diary, on it is a bit about the childrens family, the child's hand print what they have eaten and drunk, what they have been doing, when they arrived and when they leave, and space for comments, I fill it in when I have the time during the day, and show it to the parent in the evening, then file it, so when the children leave me to start school, the diary will go with them. I print out new sheets each month, so the parents can see the change in the childs hand print and the children can do a self portrait at the end of each month, any major events are recorded, any special things the children come out with is recorded, I use the ncma accident book, and record any bruises that I notice, but lucky that mum does mention if the child has had an accident at home for me to record if needed. I have seen the ncma diary and for what its worth, wouldnt say its value for money. mandy
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Post by deeb66 on Jun 10, 2007 12:59:47 GMT
Thanks for letting us know Sarah and yes I can now see the value of writing a diary for us to keep but I have to say this is getting absolutely ridiculous not only do we have to write mini stories every day for the children we also have to have one ourselves - I am lucky as a maximum I only look after 3 children and therefore have to will have to write 4 diaries in total but what about minders who have loads of different children across the day? I am getting really fed up with all this nonsense Dee
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