6.6 RECORDS
DATED:
December 2004
SOURCED: Privacy
Legislation, Commonwealth, 1988
Child Care Act 2002,
Child Care Regulation 2003
_____________________________________________________________________
All records held by the
scheme will be dealt with confidentially securely and
ethically.
PROCEDURE
Confidentiality
Staff,
carer, and children’s records shall be kept up to date
and in a safe and secure area. The
records will remain confidential and will only be made
available to those who have a lawful right to them. Information will not be disclosed to another party without the consent
of the individual concerned unless it is a requirement by law. Confidentiality will be maintained when discussing matters with carers,
staff, and other agencies.
Compliance with relevant
legislative requirements
The scheme
will abide by all legislative requirements in relation to the storage and
management of records.
Amendment and Approval of
Changes to Records
The
scheme will take reasonable steps to ensure that the records we keep are
accurate, complete, up-to-date and written in objective non-judgmental
language. However, should a person discover that the information held about
them is inaccurate or misleading, they are required to inform the Manager or
Coordinator and provide accurate information regarding the change required, and
the records will be amended immediately.
Access
Families,
Carers and staff have the right to know what information is
held about them. Should either party seek access to their records, the
Manager will arrange a suitable time to provide this information. Copies of
such records will be made available upon request, at a
mutually agreed time.
Storage
All
records held about families, Carers and staff will be kept
in such a way as to:
·
Prevent access by unauthorized persons
·
Are secure
·
Are archived for the specified time
§
Carer – 3 years
§
Child – 3 years
§
Staff – 3 years
§
Financial – 7 years
§
Incident/accident – Until the child is 21 years
Records will be held in a locked storage area
until the time they can lawfully be destroyed. The scheme will use a security
company to dispose of all archived documents. They will remove the records in a
locked container and shred them in a secure manner
Content of Information Held
The scheme will limit the amount and type of
information that is held on people. Information held by the service will be for
the express purpose of administering the scheme in adherence with government
legislation and regulations, for example, delivery of safe, quality care,
administration of Child Care Benefit, Australian Taxation requirements, etc.
Privacy Statement
The management manual of the organization,
and family handbook for the scheme, contains a privacy statement informing
families of the purpose of information held in confidence by the service about them.
Misuse of Information
Agents of the scheme must not misuse
information held by and on behalf of the scheme. In the event that an agent of
the scheme misuses such information:
·
Disciplinary action will be taken
Children’s Records:
·
The child’s name,
date of birth, residential address and general; and
·
Details of allergies
or other relevant medical history or detail; and
·
The full name,
residential address, place of employment and contact telephone number of the
families/guardian; and
·
Date of enrollment;
and
·
Date of commencement;
and
·
Days and hours of
attendance; and
·
School, preschool,
kindergarten, sporting and other transport arrangements; and
·
Any special
requirements notified by a parent/guardian e.g. culture or religion, the needs
of a child with a disability or with other special needs; and
·
The primary language
spoken by the child or, if the child has not learned to speak, the child’s
families’; and
·
Court orders
affecting custody of, and access to, the child; and
·
Changes in the
family’s circumstances
·
The name and address
and telephone number of a person authorised by a
parent to collect the child; and
·
The name, address and
telephone number of at least one person who may be contacted in an emergency
(if the parent is not available); and
·
The name, address and
telephone number of the child’s doctor or hospital; and
·
If any medication is
administered to the child while in Family Day Care:
·
The name of the
medication
·
The date, time and
dosage administered
·
The name of the person
who administered the medication; and
· The families written
permission for, and any doctor’s
Instructions
regarding the medication
·
A parent’s permission
for emergency medical, hospital and ambulance service; and
·
Childhood and serious
illnesses
·
Accidents
·
Critical incidents
·
Complaints and their
outcome
·
A parent’s permission
for a child to be taken on an excursion or escorted to or from a specified
place; and
·
The nature and
circumstances of any injury to the child while in Family Day Care; and
·
Particulars of
treatment given to the child who is injured or becomes ill while in Family Day
Care; and
·
If a child dies while
in Family Day Care, the details surrounding the death.
Families must have access to the following information:
·
The Certificate of
Approval to operate the Family Day Care service, which must be displayed in a
prominent place
·
Written policies and
procedures
·
Procedures for
dealing with families’ concerns and complaints
·
Emergency evacuation
procedures
·
The telephone number,
address and other relevant information of the nearest appropriate office of the
government department with responsibility for child care,
·
Procedures for the
arrival and departure of children
The
following records are kept on each:
Care Provider
·
Name and previous names
·
Date and place of birth
·
Cultural background, if disclosed
·
Address
·
Work history
·
Qualifications
·
Health information
·
References
·
Carer agreement form
·
First aid certificate
·
Criminal history check
·
Medical certificate
·
Monitoring records and audits
·
Accidents
·
Critical incidents
Support Care Provider
·
Name and previous names
·
Date and place of birth
·
First aid certificate
·
Criminal history
Adult member of Care Provider's household
·
Name and previous names
·
Date and place of birth
·
Criminal history
Assessment process for
·
The original & current assessment for the Care
Provider
·
The Support Care Provider
·
Other members of the household
·
The home
·
Other facilities used for Family Day Care
·
Emergency and back-up arrangements
·
In-service training attended by Care Provider
·
Vehicle used for the transport of children
·
Safety Certificate
·
Current Certificate of Approval
·
Written requirement of the Licensee, issued to a
Care Provider
Bayside
Family Day Care ensures that all records are retained
for the following periods and are not disposed of in a manner, which breaches
confidentiality
Procedure
for Families and Carers to Access their Records
Disclosure
of records will be limited to information held specifically in relation to the
family/Carer requesting the record
Information
will be restricted regarding any other party referred to in the record
A
period of 24 hours notice must be provided
An
appointment time to access their records must be made
that is convenient for both parties
The
Manager or delegate will provide their records to the person requesting the
information
A
copy of their records will be provided to the person
requesting the information