Accident/Incident Reports

[Lyss]

The thread about the licencing complaint (as similar stories shared there) got me wondering about accidents/incidents with children in care. Do you keep track of discipline or accidents (even minor) somewhere? Do you have the parent's sign anything acknowledging the have been made aware or what happened?

I generally text DCP when DCK has an accident/injury but incidents (behavioral things) I usually just talk with them at pick up. With the accidents, I always use the "screen grabber" app (screen shot basically) on my phone to take a pic of the text and DCP's response which then goes into DCF file. When I worked in centers we always had to have DCP sign the incident/accident form and now I'm wondering if this is something I should be doing along with my texts.

[Blackcat31]

I keep a daily log of behaviors and such for BOTH parents and daycare kids. It is a 3 ring binder with sections for each family/child.

Every day at nap time, I write in the files. I write things such as comments and conversations I had with the parent at drop off and behaviors and such about the children during the day. I document EVERYTHING!! Even little things....comments from parents, remarks, questions, topics discussed, issues I am having with them and they with me ANYTHING that could or might be relavent now, tomorrow or someday.

This habit has come in handy a couple itmes in the past so I keep doing it.

I also fill out discipline/incident reports when necessary. I make 2 copies and give one to the parent and have them sign the other and I keep it in their file.

I fill out these reports for things requiring more than one time-out in a day for behavior or if they hurt someone else. Little things get recorded but not necessarily report worthy.

[Kimberli]

Love this idea Black Cat - though I'm not crazy about more paperwork! After my recent terminated parent went ballistic on me, I've decided that I cannot trust a conversation(s) to be recounted correctly and any documentation on my part could only help my cause!

[blandino]

Honestly, I hate doing more paperwork. But recently, I think having as much documented as humanly possible is the way to go.

However, I will say that I text also, along with a picture of the injury. I think that having a screen shot of that, is actually more impressive than an injury report. You are telling the parent immediately, instead of waiting until the end of the day. That being said, we are going to start doing "boo boo reports" for everyone so that we have an additional copy.

We have had some licensing issues lately, and the screen shots of our text messages saved us.

[Blackcat31]

Love this idea Black Cat - though I'm not crazy about more paperwork! After my recent terminated parent went ballistic on me, I've decided that I cannot trust a conversation(s) to be recounted correctly and any documentation on my part could only help my cause!

Honestly, I hate doing more paperwork. But recently, I think having as much documented as humanly possible is the way to go.

However, I will say that I text also, along with a picture of the injury. I think that having a screen shot of that, is actually more impressive than an injury report. You are telling the parent immediately, instead of waiting until the
end of the day. That being said, we are going to start doing "boo boo reports" for everyone so that we have an additional copy.

We have had some licensing issues lately, and the screen shots of our text messages saved us.

I actually like paper work buuuut, the documentation I keep daily isn't book-length or super long in any way.

It is just simply a few sentences or quick observations or just a quick memo.

It really only takes a few minutes.

I have 10 families in care (but several sibling sets) so having to write a quick couple of sentences is totally worth what it could mean later....kwim?

[dave4him]

What annoys me is when i dont bother to write down and mention a small scrape on the knee, the parents have a big deal about it. Then when i do mention something they shrug it off like okay whatever....