Confidentiality Policy
Introduction
This document is a statement of Hadfield Nursery School’s commitment to confidentiality.
At Hadfield Nursery School we believe that
- The safety, well- being, and protection of our children are the paramount consideration in all decisions staff, at this nursery, make about confidentiality. The appropriate sharing of information between school staff is an essential element in ensuring our children’s well-being and safety
- It is an essential part of the ethos of our nursery, that trust is established to enable children, staff, and parents/carers to seek help both within, and outside the school.
- Parents/carers and staff need to know the boundaries of confidentiality in order to feel safe, and comfortable discussing personal issues and concerns about their child.
- Issues concerning personal information, and other personal matters can arise at any time.
- Everyone in the nursery community needs to know that no-one can offer absolute confidentiality.
Definition of confidentiality
Confidentiality is defined as ‘something which is spoken or given in private; entrusted with another’s secret affairs’.
The confider is asking for the content of the conversation to be kept secret. Anyone offering absolute confidentiality to someone else would be offering to keep the content of his/her conversation completely secret and discuss it with no-one.
In practise, there are few circumstances where absolute confidentiality is offered in our nursery. We strive to strike a balance between ensuring the safety, well-being and protection of our children and staff, ensuring there is an ethos of trust where children and staff can ask for help when they need it, and ensuring that when it is essential to share personal information and/or safeguarding issues, respectful practises are followed.
This means that in most cases, what is offered, is limited confidentiality. Disclosures of the content of a conversation could be discussed with professional colleagues.
Staff should make it clear at the beginning of the conversation, that there are limits to confidentiality. These limits relate to ensuring children’s safety and well-being. Children will be told that confidences have to be shared.
One-to-one disclosures to members of school staff – it is vital that all staff know the limits of the confidentiality they can offer to children, and parents/ carers. The needs of the children are paramount, and the nursery staff will automatically share information about children with their parents/carers, unless it is considered to be not in the child’s best interests.
The legal position for all staff
Nursery staff should not promise confidentiality. The safety, well-being and protection of the child is the paramount consideration in all decisions, staff at this nursery make about confidentiality.
All staff, at this nursery, are expected to follow the Safeguarding Policy and procedures and will receive basic training in child protection.
Commitment
Hadfield Nursery School will
- treat other people’s information in the same way, that we would want our own personal information treating
- safeguard all personal information ie on paper and on computer
- will collect and use personal information with care
- will endeavour to keep accurate information
- inform parents why such information is collected
- provide parental access to their child’s information
- not divulge any personal details of children, or staff, without their prior permission, unless any information received, gives rise to concern about the safety or well being of a child
- not disclose information over the phone, unless we are sure of whom we are talking to, and that they have a right to ask
- only keep information as long as it is required
Access to information
- Parents have the right to access information held in the education record about themselves / their children
- The request should be in writing
Complaints
If an individual is unhappy with their response to access of information, they have a right to complain.
Please refer to the Complaints Procedure
Breaches of confidentiality
Any breaches of confidentiality will be treated as a serious matter, and will be dealt with as such.
Responsibility
Everyone who works at the nursery has a responsibility for the implementation of this policy.
It will be brought to the attention of all staff, and students new to the nursery, at induction.