CM Club - Also need paperwork help

[RosieGirl]

Hi - just like many of you I have spent the whole weekend doing paperwork - and am absolutely P**d off.

I am due an inspection within the next few months and decided to make sure all my bits were up to date.............. I thought I wasn't doing too badly, but I feel lost......

Some of you seem to have reems more organised files than I ever will have.

Anyway - we got wheely bins this Autumn and due to the set up in my garden, the children play in front (fully ofsted okay'd). The bins also will have to live in the front.

Is there something I need to do - lock?? - as I seem to remember somethig about it a while ago.

Also I was flicking through another childming website and read others which do a risk assesment for EVERY activity - is this necessary? I do hope not.

Oh poor you, I really know how you feel, I feel my life is absolutely consumed by all the paperwork and I too have my inspection this month!

I am not sure why you would need to do written risk assessments on activities.

All I do is make sure that all toys/activities are age and stage appropriate. I risk assess but in mind only.

With the bins in the front garden, well I would risk assess whether it could potentially be blown over onto a child and whether a child could access it. If it isn't accessible by children then no lock as far as I can see would be needed.

Is this any help? But see what everyone else says...

I risk assess non-standard activities

eg

beading with real beads

treasure basket

the items are not designed for children and hence are risky

so, for eg the treasure basket would contain:

ostrich feather/pebbles/ribbon/pine cones/plug and chain/pastry brush/lime or lemon

Do you see what I am getting at?

BoysAreLikeDogs, do you risk assess this on paper?

yes indeedy

I have a proforma with headings viz:

Area of potential hazard
Risks
How can risk be controlled?
How can children be involved in controlling the risks?
Any further action required

I use this format for all my RAs

so, beading with real beads:

Area of potential hazard: Beading with real beads

Risks: Choking, strangulation, foreign body insertion or ingestion

How can risk be controlled? Careful supervision; retrieving fallen items immediately

How can children be involved in controlling the risks? Talk to the children about not putting beads in their mouths; explain that they should not pull their own or another?s necklace

Any further action required :this is blank atm

Ah I see, thanks. I have never done this as a written risk but I like what you have done.

I have re-cycling bins where the children could potentially get hold of them. Never been a problem with Ofsted. I risk assess in my head a lot and occasionally make a couple of notes in my diary. I have a daily check list, but my main risk assessment is done a couple of times a month.

Hope this helps

I think that so long as you acknowledge the risk (ie I know there are bins there)you don't have to solve the risk as such. You just need to need to demonstrate the risk is there and that in that area the children will need more attention.

That how I do it anyway; otherwise it become silly. But I've not had my first inspection yet so who knows!

I do mine like BoysAreLikeDogs, so I would "risk" = bins "action"=teach children not to touch bins for reasons x,y,z and closely supervise children in that area.

Thanks everyone only just got back on today. Love your format Boys - Am going to steal it -