Risk assessing the child

[francinejayne]

Hello - this might be a question for Sarah, but if anyone else knows the answer....

I am about to complete risk assessments on the children in my care (with help from Sarah's wonderful book!) - once I have completed the RA, where do I store them? Are they classes as confidential information as I will put the child's name and age on them? I have a RA file that I was going to put them in, but this is not stored securely and my parents are free to look at this if they wish (not that any of them ever have!).

Thanks!

[sarah707]

Thank you for the kind words!

I keep children's individual risk assessments in their files which are on my desk next to me.

I read them regularly and update them when things happen or change.

While I accept they might be confidential they are also ongoing like obs, assessments and planning paperwork.

I feel it's more important that they are there to update regularly than locked away and of no use to me

[TheBTeam]

Well, that is a new one to me, never heard from anywhere before that we should risk assess a child!

Well rightly or wrongly I have absolutely no intention of trying to second guess the one and two year olds in my care! Whatever I write it couldnt begin to guess what they may or may not do, I have risk assessed what they come into contact with, and I am a mature responsible adult who feels that the ability to assess and think/deal with an issue as it unfolds will be lost if we are programmed to respond only to what has been foreseen in a risk assessment.

[sarah707]

Well, that is a new one to me, never heard from anywhere before that we should risk assess a child!

Well rightly or wrongly I have absolutely no intention of trying to second guess the one and two year olds in my care! Whatever I write it couldnt begin to guess what they may or may not do, I have risk assessed what they come into contact with, and I am a mature responsible adult who feels that the ability to assess and think/deal with an issue as it unfolds will be lost if we are programmed to respond only to what has been foreseen in a risk assessment.

It's something I have been reading more and more about...

It's all linked to risky play scenarios and Ofsted suggestions on reports I have been reading.

If we are to give children the confidence to deal with new situations then we have to let them try new things.

If they are trying new things then there are obviously going to be risks involved.

if we know the potential risks... for their age and stage of development and beyond, then we can better assess how they will react to new situations.

To do this, I have written some information about risk assessments linked to ages and stages of children...

This allows you to write very simple risk assessments, which are geared to the individual child and updated as the child grows.

So if you take J to the park and he has a habit of running in front of the swings, you note it on his RA, talk to his parents and your control is good supervision and putting J in charge of remembering where he is running through talking about the issue.

Then if J runs in front of the swing and gets bumped, you have the paperwork to show you were aware of the issues and had been working to support him already.

I hope this makes sense it's been a long day!

[TheBTeam]

It's something I have been reading more and more about...

It's all linked to risky play scenarios and Ofsted suggestions on reports I have been reading.

If we are to give children the confidence to deal with new situations then we have to let them try new things.

If they are trying new things then there are obviously going to be risks involved.

if we know the potential risks... for their age and stage of development and beyond, then we can better assess how they will react to new situations.

To do this, I have written some information about risk assessments linked to ages and stages of children...

This allows you to write very simple risk assessments, which are geared to the individual child and updated as the child grows.

So if you take J to the park and he has a habit of running in front of the swings, you note it on his RA, talk to his parents and your control is good supervision and putting J in charge of remembering where he is running through talking about the issue.

Then if J runs in front of the swing and gets bumped, you have the paperwork to show you were aware of the issues and had been working to support him already.

I hope this makes sense it's been a long day!

Sarah I can honestly say you have the patience of a saint and I am always on top of paperwork, and actually enjoy doing it, but I admire so much your relentless ability to keep on top of all this in writing!

I do all of this automatically in my head, I know my children, I know the risks etc, but flippin heck to be having to write the blooming stuff down!!!!!!!!!!! It really takes the ability to deal with the situation at the time to another level, I know that when I go to the park which children need watching more in which scenario etc, but to have all of this in writing before the event seems to beggar belief, god forbid one child decided to jump a complete age and stage and do something that we wouldn't have thought of in a million years, would be just my luck a non walker suddenly upped himself and ran and jumped into a swing, and with all the will in the world if I had got that written down, it would be so wide ranging to as be pointless anyway!

I know that if i take a two year old to the swings that there is a risk that even the best behaved child who normally stops when told, has never done anything like it remotely before could still take it into his head to do it on that day! I watch and assess every minute of the time I am in a park and would only be there with manageable numbers/children, I flatly refuse to write anymore down!

Where on earth do you get the time and the enthusiasm to keep on top of all of this?

[sarah707]

Where on earth do you get the time and the enthusiasm to keep on top of all of this?

I have no idea!

I just get these ideas and want to share them!

Some people think they are great and run with them and others don't, I suppose that's like most things in life isn't it?

I think partly it's the lovely letters and emails and messages I get from people saying thank you or I've just got outstanding and wanted to say thank you or I've just read this and it's really inspired me... they kind of keep me going

[francinejayne]

I keep children's individual risk assessments in their files which are on my desk next to me.

I read them regularly and update them when things happen or change.

While I accept they might be confidential they are also ongoing like obs, assessments and planning paperwork.

I feel it's more important that they are there to update regularly than locked away and of no use to me

Thanks Sarah!

[TheBTeam]

I have no idea!

I just get these ideas and want to share them!

Some people think they are great and run with them and others don't, I suppose that's like most things in life isn't it?

I think partly it's the lovely letters and emails and messages I get from people saying thank you or I've just got outstanding and wanted to say thank you or I've just read this and it's really inspired me... they kind of keep me going

I like to run with most things, I also feel a bit lacking about knowing things are out there and not having them myself, I have just run out of steam to get anymore blooming paperwork! They seem to want more and more and then more from us, you certainly inspire me, it is like being on a hamster wheel keeping on top of it! You are definitely a great help to a great many people.