Would any nursery like to share their mobile phone policy with me?

[KatyMac]

As I am a bit by it all

I use a mobile phone for work reasons but I will have to abide by the new policy

[pozzled]

Sorry not a nursery worker but interested to see what views people have.

I can understand that CMs should have a mobile with them, but don't think it is necessary for nurseries- as the office phone is usually only a very short distance away. I wouldn't really want nursery workers having access to their personal phones while looking after my child. Not just because of the camera aspect but because of the potential for distractions.

Maybe there should be a work mobile on site which staff have immediate access to but doesn't have a camera, web access etc- strictly for emergencies/ work-related calls?

[NonnoMum]

Agree that no mobiles is a brilliant policy. My nursery has a landline in each room in case they need an ambulance.

No mobiles isn't that a big a deal at work. Ask everyone who works in Tesco.

[SandStorm]

Our policy currently states

Mobile Phones:
Staff are not permitted to use their own telephones to take photographs or video footage of children at any time.

It is also policy to have a fully charged mobile phone on any group outing and if there is to be more than one group, each group leader has a phone on them. The numbers are left with a responsible person at the setting, eg. an admin person

[SandStorm]

And we operate out of a village hall which has no landline so mobiles are the only form of communication we have with the outside world. We have one 'company' phone but that can be limiting if it's in use (ie. one person to call an ambulance, another to call mum/dad in an emergency etc) so it makes sense for our staff to have mobiles at work with them. It's not ideal but we do what we can/must.

[KatyMac]

You see I trust my staff totally but I have to prove to OFSTED that we have taken steps to ensure the safety of the children

All my staff have care responsibilities & we only have one phone line

[onimolap]

The nursery my DCs went to (long before the Portsmouth case) had a policy that staff mobiles should be left in the staff room as during their working hours they were to be concentrating on the children, not taking calls. If there was exceptional personal need, then they had to get permission from the manageress to keep their phone with them. Seemed pretty sensible to me.

[onimolap]

Oh, and further to Stewie's point, the nursery didn't rely on staff mobiles for its emergency plans: there was both a landline and a dedicated office mobile (with emergency and parent contact numbers programmed in).

[KatyMac]

You see my personal mobile is the setting's mobile; maybe I need to change and have a phone of my own & leave this one at the setting when I go out.

It's complicated by there only being 3 staff on duty & it's all a bit small & personnel to be making sweeping statements/policies

[juneybean]

The past two nurseries I've been had a no mobile on the premises, if you brought it to work it had to be locked away for the entire day. If you wanted to use it on your break you had to leave the premises.

However someone must take a mobile on an outing with them.

[mrspear]

here is a way forward: if the the nursery has NO lanline or on trips so needs mobile why does the nursery only provide basic models e.g no cameras or internet access and ban personal phones?

[KatyMac]

Can you get them?

I'd buy a couple of cheap mobiles for use at work I think

[Foxy800]

In the nursery I work in we have a phone in each room, which also make out going calls, and we have a basic mobile which is held by the nursery manager or a senior member of staff when reception is closed, in an emergency the staff could use this as well as phones in the room.
We have a very strict rule that the staff do not have their phones in the rooms, they are kept locked away in the staff room.

[Foxy800]

Sorry phones in the rooms are landlines.

[greentig3r]

Ours must be left in staff room. I understand the point about 'if you don't trust people not to be on their phones, don't leave your children with them' but we have a lot of junior staff whose minds are always on their social lives and are always looking for the next chance to check their messages or fbook. It would be nice to be able to trust someone to have their phone on their person and not look at it till break time but it's never going to happen.

Although mobile phones have their place, checking your messages in front of people (even children) is just rude.

Also, parents are not allowed to use their phones on the premises, ostensibly for child protection reasons but really because a few regularly answer calls while staff are telling them about their child's day.

[KatyMac]

I don't have a staff room (wish I did)

So atm I have a policy of mobile phones being used in an emergency/urgent/important situations

My staff don't sit there holding/texting with them

I am asking them to give my home number (their work number) to the relevant people (schools/relatives etc)

I need to consider:

Getting myself a new personal phone (hmm do I need an iphone?) & using my phone for the setting

Getting a second line put in, either a new number or a second line on the same number with a new internal phone system

WRT to policies I ask my staff not to breech confidentiality on a trust basis, I think I can ask them not to use their phones in the setting on the same basis.

But I still need to decide whether it is appropriate to take photos of the children, to send to parents to re-assure them (esp during settling in)

Does that sound reasonable?

[KatyMac]

Maybe I'm over thinking it

[purepurple]

It really is a knee jerk reaction to blame the abuse case on a mobile phone. If she had no access to a mobile she could have used a normal digital camera or other recording device.
Our setting's policy is that mobiles should be switched off during working hours and we are not allowed to use mobiles.
However, if we need to use a mobile, say for an important call, text etc, then the phone can be switced on but kept up on a shelf in the room and not in a pocket.
We have a nursery mobile that is taken on trips etc, but it is really old and doesn't have a camera function.

[KatyMac]

That's what I think

It's about trust

But it's also about accountability & not putting my staff at risk of accusations; I must consider the best way to do that

[CMD83]

My sons nursery has mobiles for outing ect they are really cheap i.e no colour screen/camera.
The staff are not permitted to have their phones on the floor.

[Ripeberry]

I clean in a pre-school and all staff (during working hours) have to hand in their mobile to the 'boss' and they are kept in the kitchen.
Not allowed to carry them on your person.

[purepurple]

I have seen advertised in a health and safety type magazine a locker for mobiles that doubles as a charging station too.
This seems like a good idea.

[lovelylemon]

hi there,

it is due to the awful case in plymouth, due to most phones having cameras on them staff mobiles must be kept in the staff room, if you use i=one for the nursery outings etc this is fine as long as you state this in your policy

this covers the staff and the nursery as well as safegur=arding the chldren