Data Protection Act Principles in Childcare

✅ Paper Type: Free Essay	✅ Subject: Childcare
✅ Wordcount: 2227 words	✅ Published: 20th Oct 2017

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UNIT 5 ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

5.1 DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998

Anyone who keeps records whether on computer or on paper must apply with this act. It should be clear to service user for what purpose the data are being kept. Information about a child should also be accessible to parents and shared with them. It is not compulsory just do on their demand. Information should not be kept for longer than necessary, though accident and incident records will be need to be kept in case they are needed for references at some time in future. Records must be stored securely.

THE 4 DATA PROTECTION ACT PRINCIPALS AND HOW TO IMPLEMENT IT IN A CHILDCARE

PROCESSED FAIRLY AND LAWFULLY - It is very important that personal data should be processed fairly. In practice you must legitimate grounds for collection and using the personal data. You must not use the data in way that have unjustified adverse effects on the individual concerned. You must be transparent about how to use the data and privacy notices when they collecting their data. You make sure you do not do anything unlawful with the date.
OBTAINED FOR SPECIFIED LAWFUL PURPOSES - This data is clearly linked with first data protection. If you obtain personal data for an unlawful purpose then you will be in breach of both first and second data protection. For example to implement this data in you setting you must be clear from the outsets about why you are collecting personal data and what you intend to do with it. You must comply what act says about notifying given to the information commissnor.
ADEQUATE, RELEVANT AND NOT EXCESSIVE - The data protection does not define these words, clearly though they need to be considered. For examples a debt collection agency is engaged to find a particular debt. Its collects information several of people with similar name. During the inquiry some of these people are discounted. Company should delete most of the data, just keep minimum data. If you need to hold particular information about certain individual only you should collect it just for those individual. The information is likely to be excessive and irrelevant in relevant to other people.
ACCURATE AND UP TO DATE - The law recognise that it may not be practical to double check the accuracy of every item of personal data you receive. So the act make special provision about the accuracy that information that individual provides about themselves. When you go through this data protection you should take reasonably steps to ensure the accuracyof any personal you obtain, make sure that the any personal data is clear and carefully consider whether it is necessary to update the information.
NOT KEPT ANY LONGER THEN NECESSARY - personal data processed for any purposes or purpose shall not be kept for longerthen is necessary for that parpose. In your setting you will need to review the length of time you keep personal data and update archieve or securely delete information if it goes out of date.
PROCESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DATA SUBJECT’S RIGHTS
SECURELY KEPT.
NOT TRANSFERRED TO ANY OTHER COUNTRY WITHOUT ADEQUATE PROTECTION IN SITU.

A good evaluation of your chosen Data Protection Act principles.

5.2 ACCURATE LEGIBLE AND UP TO RECORD KEEPING INFORMATION WITH NON COMPLIANCES

When you start a business as a child care that it is very important to keep accurate and complete records. Your business record should include;

You should have keep record banking information
You must need a proof of income
You need to keep a proof of expenses that how much you spend on their food and stuff

You need to be organised, keep your records up to date and then hold on to them for seven tax years. Good records are important for your business because;

They can make filling in your tax returns easier and quicker
They can make it quicker for your tax agent or accountant to do your book and save your money.
They can give you the information you need to manage your business and help it grow, and make it easier to get a loan. Tax record is a legal requirement to running a business.

LEGIBILITY

Legibility mean all information should be correct, readable and clearly. So following steps could be helpful for legible record keeping;

All written information should be neat & clean and use in black ink because it is clearer to read and photocopies.
It is more important that handwriting should be legible. If it is not readable someone can misunderstanding.
If someone changes to documentation such as medication form, parents permission form, it must be signed and dated.
White correction fluid should not be use over the mistake, just crossed with a line.

UP TO DATE INFORMATION

Make sure personal data always should be accurate if not, for examples if someone has removed from Chester to kings brook, a record showing that he currently lives in Chester is obviously inaccurate. But a record showing that he once lived in Chester remains accurate, even though he no longer lives there. You must always be clear about what a record is intended to show. Personal data always have to be up to date. This depends on what the information is used for like medication changing, food requirements. If the information is used for a purpose that relies on it remaining current, it should be kept up to date.

There is often confusion about whether it is appropriate to keep records of things that happened which should not have happened. Individuals understandably don’t want their records to be tarnished by, for example, a penalty or other charge that was later cancelled or refunded. However, the organization may legitimately wish its records to accurately reflect what actually happened – in this example, that a charge was imposed, and later cancelled or refunded. Keeping a record of a mistake and its correction might also be in the individual’s interests.

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5.3 BASIC INFORMATION OF RECORD

Before child coming in nursery or school basic information must be filled in. Supervisor should be explained to parents that this information will be treated with confidentially and that will be stored safely. The record will be reviewed regularly and kept up to date with parents’s help. superviser collects all information from parents.

DIFFERENT WAYS OF RECORDING -

When recording data on a computer it is very important to make sure that adequate reliable methods of backing up the data are employedso that if the computer malfunction or becomes damaged the files can be easly retrieved on another system. There are so many ways to keep record like – DIGITAL DATA, PAPER RECORD AND MANUAL RECORD.

TYPES OF DIGITAL DATA - Digital data exists on many devices today not just computer and server. Portable media such as USB thumb drives, CDs and DVDs as well as copier, printer and scanner hard and drives.

DESKTOP COMPUTER HARD DRIVES –LAPTOP HARD DRIVES – ZIP DISKS – FLOPPY DISKS - Most people are aware of the need to destroy hard drives found in desktop and laptop computers and other magnetic storage devices.

COPIERS – PRINTER – SCANNERS – ALL IN ONE DEVICES - Advanced office equipment, including, printers, copiers, and scanner as well as mobile devices, such as cell phones can be the source of unexpected digital data breaches.

USB THUMB DRIVES – LAPTOP (SSHD) -Thumb drives and external hard drives use solid – state drives (SSD) to store and transfer data. These drives look like magnetic hard drives but require specialized processing to ensure complete digital data destruction.

These digital data should be stored safely secured in small locked safes. It should be protect by the secret password. Children should not allow to use same computer or desktop which have a confidential files.

PAPER RECORDING – the data protection apply equally to personal data held on ICT system and on paper files. The following guidelines should be followed with regards to be held on paper files.

This should be operating of a policy whereby paper files containing such data are locked away when not required.
Paper records and files should be handed to those personnel with business reason to access them.
Personal and sensitive information held on paper must be kept hidden from caller to officers.
Secure disposal of confidential waste should be in place and properly used.
When paper files are transfer within In a department, usually should be hand delivery.

in the paper record have a same information but defferent way to keep it safe then digital. All paper work, files, information about financial should be out of reach of children. It should be locked on high place in childcare setting but they must be sealed in water proof bag.

5.4 PRIMARY TYPES OF DATA STORAGES

Primary storages is a storages location that holds memory for short periods of times while the computer RAM and CACHE are both examples of a primary storages device. The capacity of RAM in terms of data storages is less but it offers a very fast access rate, this making it very pretty expensive. Processor cache is the part of RAM and is using for speeding up the execution. So primary storage allows faster access, it is highly violating in nature that means it clears up during the booting.

DATA STORAGES FOR DIGITAL - Computer data storages often called storages or memory is technology consisting of computer components and reading media used to retain digital data. It is core function and fundamental component of computer. Internal and external hard drives, DVD-R, CD-R, USB flash drives, web based storages AKA the clouds are primary storages for digital.

PAPER STORAGES - mostly files and folders and piles on your desk, stapled, paper clipped, computer, pen, pencils and some even have a typewriter need for paper storages. Using paper record increase the risk of grammar errors, improper data entry and other record inaccuracies. Paper also requires physical storages with could be costly expenses for business. By jpvsku

Evaluate for the best option

Paper records are best option for the home childcare setting. For paper records it is advisable to have a file rooms, and avoid having every employee maintaining their own filling cabinet. Proper files maintenance in the office is an effective record keeping strategy. It is very important that when you are planning your physical record keeping system to think in terms of RECORD SERIES. As you examine yourself make sure that information you produced is a logical relatively independent from other records. Why it is important because for longer terms and storages you will find deferent types of records need different strategies. A Common mistake made in records maintances is to information goes in but no way to information comes out so it will become soon unmanageable size.

There is something special about paper records that make them more REAL than the same record in digital formats but this is not correct because digital is a faster and a properly produced, stored and maintained digital is just as valid in the eyes of the law as any paper records. Proper records management requires you to know which copy is your ‘‘copy of record’’. Once a copy of record has been established, the other copy can be destroyed safely

A common problem that faces many organizations is inconsistency in record keeping practices. This usually results from personal turnover which each new employee creates the systems. If this happening several times, the record keeping system may become a combination of many techniques and schemes. New employees should be trained in the current producer of the department. The best way to ensure that the consistency is through and adequate documentation.

In this UNIT I did try explain about data protection act 1998, how to implement it into childcare setting, record keeping information, deferent ways of recording, primary types of data storages and evaluate of paper records.