CM Club: Talk to me about risk assessments

[KaySamuels]

Have hit a brick wall on my nvq work, I do these in my head but can't put it onto paper. Does anyone do these? If so what for, when, how, what do you put, etc.

Just can't seem to get my head around it, it's been a long day.

I know it's not very exciting- in fact this is the dullest bit of my course work ever, but any help greatly appreciated!

E mail me on [email protected] and I will send you mine.

Ooh thanks have emailed you.

If anyone else has any words of wisdom to offer too, I promise I will drag myself away from CSI!!!!

Grr my email hasn't sent!! Could you try me tigersmum? [email protected]

i'm not a cm, but am a teacher and i manage a unit for autistic students...therefore an enormous amount of my work is doing risk assessments
can i help?

Hi there gigglewitch, I just don' know how to put it all into written I guess. I do risk assessments mentally, waying up risk versus opportunities for development, but never actually record these.
My question I have to write out an answer for is:

How to carry out risk assessments that takes all reasonable precautions without restricting opportunites for development; how organisational policy can support this.

wow. what a question

the gist is, imo - you use your local authority guidelines and ofsted/whoever give info, like the 0-3 government targets, to help you to plan activities and opportunities for the children in your care, whilst the risk assessment side shows that you have taken all "reasonable"(in the words of the law) steps to ensure that the activity will be carried out in a suitable environment and at a level appropriate to the child's stage of development, with the right sort of supervision.

i risk assess stuff like taking students with autism canoeing/rock climbing/trampolining, which is most people's idea of total insanity but we just have to prove that we have considered what might / could go wrong, and have taken basic steps to reduce the dangers, mostly common sense stuff like using suitable safety equipment, and often supervision of the students is the biggest 'solution' we come up with.

have i just confused you more?

That's super thanks, my brain just doesn't work at this time of night, would be in bed if it weren't for a hyper 3yr old!
You explained it really well, thank you. Your job sounds fab to me, bet it can be very rewarding.

hope you get some zzz's soon.
brainwash the three-yr old that it is the middle of the night, switch the lights off and scarper! we won't tell...

Sent you mine too - they are quite C/M orientated

Thanks KM, am gonna prepare a beaker of milk and place it in a dar bedroom!

Hopefully will then be off to bed!

dark not dar

Opps just checked on here. Will email you straight away.

Have emailed you a couple see what you think.
Christine.