Photos on Facebook

[patevans]

I have written permission to put childrens photos on facebook, well the other day a childminder emailed me saying -

Are you ok to post photos of minded kiddies on fb?? What with confidentiality and all that :-/ Or are they relative to you? Hope you don't mind me asking

although I have permission I started to panic thinking I was doing something wrong and deleted them :( one of the dads said he wanted them back on because he likes to see his boys playing and enjoying there day because he only sees them once a week and likes his family to be able to see them growing up.

Does anyone else put mindee pics on facebook? What are everyones thoughts on this?

[ajs]

I do

i have asked the parents and they are very happy for me to put pictures on fb and i tag the parents too

i don't have specific written permission for facebook though just a general website one

obvioulsy if the parents want them up and they both agree it's ok then i would put them back on

[Hebs]

i had the same kind of email, really annoyed me too :angry:

parents have given me permission to post photos online (like ajs its a general internet permission form as it also covers my website) and yes i also tag the parents.

they love seeing them :clapping:

[francinejayne]

On my safeguarding course, the tutor told us that it is very bad practice to even have a facebok account, let alone be friends with parents! To put any pictures on the internet at all is very bad practice according to her! I sat there thinking I was very bad and not at all suitable to become a childminder the way she went on!!!
Personally, I won't be putting pictures on Facebook once I am minding, just because I can imagine that one day it may come back in a bad way?
Saying that I have one picture of all the children from the street (including my own 3) from when it was snowy the other month, and the little girl I will be minding once I am registered is on there!?

[patevans]

i had the same kind of email, really annoyed me too :angry:

parents have given me permission to post photos online (like ajs its a general internet permission form as it also covers my website) and yes i also tag the parents.

they love seeing them :clapping:

I felt really paranoid after recieveing it :(

Think I'll put them back on :thumbsup:

[nikim]

you have to be really carefull with fb and photos , if someone comments on your photo then everyone on their friends list can see it , i personally wouldnt do it and i dont think ofsted would be happy , you would be better off emailing them to dad then what he does with them after that is up to him

[Hebs]

On my safeguarding course, the tutor told us that it is very bad practice to even have a facebok account, let alone be friends with parents! To put any pictures on the internet at all is very bad practice according to her! I sat there thinking I was very bad and not at all suitable to become a childminder the way she went on!!!
Personally, I won't be putting pictures on Facebook once I am minding, just because I can imagine that one day it may come back in a bad way?
Saying that I have one picture of all the children from the street (including my own 3) from when it was snowy the other month, and the little girl I will be minding once I am registered is on there!?

i cant see how they can complain if they've given permission??
i remove the pics of mindees when they leave
x

[francinejayne]

i cant see how they can complain if they've given permission??
i remove the pics of mindees when they leave
x

The way our tutor went on and on and on about it she made me feel really bad, even though I don't have any mindees yet so obviously haven't put any photos on! I dunno, I think just to be on the safe side I'd prefer not to. I guess if you've got permission then maybe you're covered, but I also wonder about how professional it looks? I think that on your own website (assuming you have permission for this) it's slightly different?

[gigglinggoblin]

How does this work out with data protection, does it mean you have to register? Parent asked me to do this but the thought of having to pay £35 to register put me off and you never know who is watching!

[patevans]

How does this work out with data protection, does it mean you have to register? Parent asked me to do this but the thought of having to pay £35 to register put me off and you never know who is watching!

I am already registered :thumbsup:

[patevans]

you have to be really carefull with fb and photos , if someone comments on your photo then everyone on their friends list can see it , i personally wouldnt do it and i dont think ofsted would be happy , you would be better off emailing them to dad then what he does with them after that is up to him

He doesnt have a computer as such he goes on fb through his phone so thats he see's the pictures.

[singingcactus]

On my safeguarding course, the tutor told us that it is very bad practice to even have a facebok account, let alone be friends with parents! To put any pictures on the internet at all is very bad practice according to her! I sat there thinking I was very bad and not at all suitable to become a childminder the way she went on!!!
Personally, I won't be putting pictures on Facebook once I am minding, just because I can imagine that one day it may come back in a bad way?
Saying that I have one picture of all the children from the street (including my own 3) from when it was snowy the other month, and the little girl I will be minding once I am registered is on there!?

I have ended up with lots of mindee pics on my fb album, cos the parents keep tagging them on my account. And I am friends with my parents on my facebook because they are my friends so to exclude them would be bad practice. Your tutor is quite simply on another planet. I am on facebook with some of the teachers from my boys nursery cos I like them and enjoy chatting with them.
Anyway, in such a small community I would end up seeing my parents on facebook anyway because we share lots of friends in common -I don't get how your tutor can say it is bad practice to live in the electronic world. Holy cow we are not allowed a facebook account because we are childminders!!!!! Garbage.
If your parents want to share communication in that way then that is the way to go!!

[jumpinjen]

I went to the west midlands NCMA regional meeting at the end of January and the main discussion was about social networking sites and childminding.... the general view was that if the account was open to the public then it was not Ok to put pics of minded children on there, but if it was a closed group just for the mindees parents then it may be OK. the problem with the internet is that once the pics are up there, they can be taken and used for any purpose by anyone without your knowledge. There was an instance last year of a baby pic being used as the picture of an orphan up for adoption.... it was a scam, there was not baby and several couples had been conned out of money. The child's parents were quite naturally horrified that their child's pic was being used in this way. if it happened with one of your pics, you could be in big teouble, even if parents have signed permission.... they could argue that they did not fully understand the risks or that you didn't explain them properly when they signed. it is an absolute minefield!! The outcome of the discussion was that NCMA are going to write a 'code of practice' that they want their members to adhere to, not sure when they will do it.

I'm not having a go.... I don't use facebook or any sites like that so i don't really know how they work, I just thought it would add a bit of info into the discussion for you!

Jenni:)

[huggableshelly]

I pay for data protection

it covers information stored on your pc or laptop

it does not cover social networking and not sure on personal websites as i have not got one so skipped that information
link to NMCA guidelines

http://www.*************/childminders/your_business/policies_and_procedures/data_protection.aspx

snippet of the above link
NCMA has sought clarification on whether completing the Ofsted self-evaluation form (SEF) online (as recommended by Ofsted) on your personal computer, could require childminders in England to have to notify the ICO. This is because the form implies that it requires personal data relating to staff and children which is the type of information that requires notification.

In response Ofsted has said that although it cannot advise childminders whether they need to register asdata controllers for data protection purposes, Ofsted can confirm that it does not expect childminders, or any other providers, to include personal data relating to staff or children in the self-evaluation form.
If you keep information on your computer, you can check whether you need to notify and complete your notification online at www.ico.gov.uk or request the forms by calling the Notification Helpline on 01625 545740.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

[huggableshelly]

decided not to post what i had written lol

[francinejayne]

I have ended up with lots of mindee pics on my fb album, cos the parents keep tagging them on my account. And I am friends with my parents on my facebook because they are my friends so to exclude them would be bad practice. Your tutor is quite simply on another planet. I am on facebook with some of the teachers from my boys nursery cos I like them and enjoy chatting with them.
Anyway, in such a small community I would end up seeing my parents on facebook anyway because we share lots of friends in common -I don't get how your tutor can say it is bad practice to live in the electronic world. Holy cow we are not allowed a facebook account because we are childminders!!!!! Garbage.
If your parents want to share communication in that way then that is the way to go!!

I agree that the tutor was a bit extreme! However I'm still not convinced it is Ok to put pics of minded children on there? As for being friends with the parents, then I'd feel very rude to suddenly remove them from my friend list if I were already friends with them, however I won't be going actively seeking to be friends with any new parents that I may have in the future.

[francinejayne]

decided not to post what i had written lol

oooh go on tell us!!! :laughing:

[patevans]

My fb is split up into groups, so only certain people can see certain things! My photos all have privacy settings to individual people i.e my sister, my friends, etc so not everyone can see everything.

I just think its such a shame that Dad cant see these pics that he has give permission for me to upload :rolleyes:

[patevans]

I agree that the tutor was a bit extreme! However I'm still not convinced it is Ok to put pics of minded children on there? As for being friends with the parents, then I'd feel very rude to suddenly remove them from my friend list if I were already friends with them, however I won't be going actively seeking to be friends with any new parents that I may have in the future.

I spoke to them before deleting them.

[patevans]

decided not to post what i had written lol

please tell!!

[huggableshelly]

oooh go on tell us!!! :laughing:

LOL no .... it shounded like i was bashing FB users ... i use FB too for recreational use lol and as it didnt read right i cleared it

[~Chelle~]

you have to be really carefull with fb and photos , if someone comments on your photo then everyone on their friends list can see it , i personally wouldnt do it and i dont think ofsted would be happy , you would be better off emailing them to dad then what he does with them after that is up to him

Not if you restrict who can view them.

You can create a photo album and only give certain people the right to view it.

I put photos on of a little boy that I look after and tag his parents in the photos. They have loved some of the pictures and even copied them and put them in frames in their house.

I think it is good that they can see what their child gets up to and see's how happy they are during their time away from them.

[georgie456]

Not if you restrict who can view them.

You can create a photo album and only give certain people the right to view it.

I put photos on of a little boy that I look after and tag his parents in the photos. They have loved some of the pictures and even copied them and put them in frames in their house.

I think it is good that they can see what their child gets up to and see's how happy they are during their time away from them.

Just what I was about to say!!!!! I personally don't put them on fb but you can make albums that only the parents can see, so no-one else would be able to comment on them.
I have some photos on my website, but none which show the children's faces. If I have some that I think the parent's would want to see, I either email them privately or stick them on a disc.

[mrs lilly]

I keep my facebook account and my childminding separate so don't send or accept request from parents nor do intend to. I would not put pictures on facebook as I don't see it as professional. I put some images on my website but am very careful which ones and have photoshopped them for the web so reduced resolution and size.

[mrsbish01]

We were told by our local authority we had to register and pay the £35 fee to data protection agency, as we are holding personal information about others and so must comply with law, i was also told by the Ofsted inspector that part of the EYFS is about confidentiality and data protection and so they expect us to register to prove we are taking this part of the requirements serious, not just writing a policy.

When i called DPA they confirmed this, childminders need to register.

[Tatjana]

Some of my friends have experienced their photos (including ones of their children) being used by others.

I find it all too scarey that anyone can end up using your photos and don't even have photos of my own children on there nevermind anyone elses, just don't think it's worth the risk....sad, but even sadder, it's true.

xx

[doodles]

I keep my facebook account and my childminding separate so don't send or accept request from parents nor do intend to. I would not put pictures on facebook as I don't see it as professional. I put some images on my website but am very careful which ones and have photoshopped them for the web so reduced resolution and size.

I agree! I wouldnt have the parents as friends as i dont want them knowing all of my business.

[cas2805]

I have done the same as Emma. Only my friends can see the photos, not friends of friends and not groups. That way my parents can see them but their friends can't! A little sad, but that's the nasty world that we live in!

[madredann]

I personally have no experience of this and really have no disapproval of it but having read comments parents permission has been sought and that is fair enough I suppose at the end of the day it is the children that need protecting from the 'wrong' kind of people out there. Not sure how these networking sites work but if someone sees a picture and has a name to the face they have a way of approaching children. Very cynical I know and it is a very sad world we live in but as we put so much effort into protecting and caring for the children we look after is this an area that should be looked into officially? I am sure the people that do post pictures know who can access their pictures etc just a thought on the topic as a whole
Julie

[caz3007]

I have three out of five of my mums on my FB, but they are friends too, been minding their children for a long time. One of my mums is very young and has tons of pics of mindie, and I love looking to see what he gets up to at home. Having said that I only have one pic on FB and thats of me for my profile. I dont intend on posting any more either of my own family or my mindies.

I scrapbook for fun, and sometimes I do pages with other children in, and sometimes upload to a gallery on a scrapbooking site, but am always careful not to post up pics with other children in, whether they are mindies or DS's friends

But that is purely cos its my choice and I would be upset if someone put my childs pic over the net without my knowledge (not meaning mindies of course)

[youarewhatyoueat]

Knowing how photos can be manipulated there is no way I would be putting photos on facebook, if they are used on a website they can be protected so they can't be lifted. Either way I would not do it and I would not give permission for my childrens photos to be published.

[Tina O]

This is a tricky one, I don't know about UK but with BFEYS we are not allowed to put anything on fb or similar sites, I also have to be concerned with the security of MOD cos kids I have are in BFG. I have a policy saying photo's are not allowed on pc, which is difficult as we can have kids who's parents are on ops in Afganistan and seeing the kids is great for them, BUT you just never know who's watching ..

[wendywu]

Didnt someone on here have a complaint to Ofsted that she had been discussing her mindee by name on face book with that childs PARENT, and Ofsted said she should not have done this.

And the other part of the complaint was that she had put photos on FB even though she had permission.

Or am i remembering this wrong.:idea:

[Cammie Doodle]

mmm, not sure about putting mindees photos on FB, cant you give Parents copies of them instead? But I can see how silly it must be when Parent gives permission to do so. Maybe being an ex Foster carer has made me very suspicious:(

[Lady Haha]

I must admit I don't put pics of mindees on my Facebook even though I'm friends on there with four of my mums! It sometimes means that I can't put pics of my own son on, cos he is with a mindee in the pic!

A friend of mine took a pic of me and two of my mindees and posted it on my page and I deleted it as I wasn't sure it was allowed!! She understood why I deleted it!

[tammys-tots]

The way our tutor went on and on and on about it she made me feel really bad, even though I don't have any mindees yet so obviously haven't put any photos on! I dunno, I think just to be on the safe side I'd prefer not to. I guess if you've got permission then maybe you're covered, but I also wonder about how professional it looks? I think that on your own website (assuming you have permission for this) it's slightly different?

Hi, i wouldnt put pictures on fb. I dont add parents only one who i wanted to keep in touch with they went to live in spain. I dont want the parents to see me partying with my friends :) also i want to remain professional and altho you need to build up a relationship with them i dont want to become to friendly with them if that makes sense. Because you only create prob in the future over payments etc... well in my experience.
Tammy

[Pudding Girl]

Didnt someone on here have a complaint to Ofsted that she had been discussing her mindee by name on face book with that childs PARENT, and Ofsted said she should not have done this.

And the other part of the complaint was that she had put photos on FB even though she had permission.

Or am i remembering this wrong.:idea:

Yes that's right, even though there was permission for the first bit of what you said there, and that the second part, the photo was of a friends child, not a mindee and she had a complaint put in and an unnannounced inpspection/visit/whatever you'd call it.

The complaint was not upheld though :clapping:

[manjay]

It is well documented at the moment that putting photos of minded children on social networking sites is not good practice. Lots of new childcare books that are coming out now mention this subject specifically. I personally would never do it as I don't believe it supports the professional image I want to potray but then again I would never have parents added as friends either.

[onceinabluemoon]

Sorry to disillusion some of you but even if you set your settings on your photos to friends only or certain groups only, once another person tags themselves on a photo (or you tag a parent on the photo) the photo then adheres to THEIR settings on their account not yours. If a friend of your friend then tags the photo on your friend's wall the photo then adheres to THEIR settings as well and before you know it you have no idea who has access to that photo. :eek:

I know this is true because I posted a photo of a friend on there, she tagged herself and one of her friends was able to see it and to comment on it even though that friend was not on my friend list and therefore not eligible to see the photo in the first place!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: Facebook's privacy settings are a joke! I am now extremely careful what pics i put on FB!

Also, If a friend (or the child's parent) comments on a photo in your facebook, the photo can then be seen by anybody in their friend list or whatever their privacy settings are set at (for example 'everybody'), regardless of what yours are set at.

Obviously if parents have given you permission to specifically put photos of their children on facebook that's fine but I'd make darned sure they know that anybody in the world could have access to them (in writing) before you put them up there just in case...

[edited to add - as a naive new CM I made the mistake of adding a parent to my FB account when she asked me to, I thought it would be fine as I never wrote anything embarrassing on there. Unfortunately it has the effect of the parent presuming themself one of my best buddies and that I would put their child before all others... You learn from your mistakes is all I can say about that, lol!)

[Mouse]

Although I am friendly with my mindees' parents, I do not have them as friends on FB. Having a business-like relationship with them has always worked well for me. Over the years we have become friends, but business comes first.
It's worked for me & that's how I want to keep it. For the way I work, it would be unprofessional to have parents as FB friends & I wouldn't dream of putting pictures of mindees on there. I don't even comment about work on FB.

[The Juggler]

Although I am friendly with my mindees' parents, I do not have them as friends on FB. Having a business-like relationship with them has always worked well for me. Over the years we have become friends, but business comes first.
It's worked for me & that's how I want to keep it. For the way I work, it would be unprofessional to have parents as FB friends & I wouldn't dream of putting pictures of mindees on there. I don't even comment about work on FB.

me either as I have parents who are friends of my friends so would see. I never even say if I'm p'eed off with someone in case they worked it out!:laughing:

I do worry a bit about photos though because I can see my friends, friends and see all their photos even if not their posts. The photos on their pages might have come from a friend of their friends if it was tagged and I wouldn't like the thought of that happening with mindees photos. I put my childrens on there for friends only viewing but I guess with the tagging even those could be viewed by friends, of friends of friends...:panic:

[Mouse]

I put my childrens on there for friends only viewing but I guess with the tagging even those could be viewed by friends, of friends of friends...:panic:

When I put photos of my children on I always bear in mind that they could, in theory, be seen by anyone in the world. I know it's not likely to go beyond friends & maybe friends of friends, but I still don't put anything on that I wouldn't be happy for just anyone to see.

[Lady Haha]

I didn't realise the privacy settings were so rubbish! I have always thought I was really careful who could see pics of my son as I have it set to friends only!

[francinejayne]

When I put photos of my children on I always bear in mind that they could, in theory, be seen by anyone in the world. I know it's not likely to go beyond friends & maybe friends of friends, but I still don't put anything on that I wouldn't be happy for just anyone to see.

I agree completely, but unfortunately some people seem to not think too much about this. I am not friends with my potential new parents on FB, though we have friends in common if you know what I mean. I was haveing a nosey at her photos, and I came accross one of her LO completely naked (it was an innocent enough photo and I have similar ones of my own children), but I can't believe people would put this type of photo on there!!!

[Fabby]

personally i wouldn't put any photos on and i wouldn't even put anything about the childminding day on an updated status. I am a little worrier so i would prefer to just not say or post anything at all then nothing can back fire.

[wyetots]

i would never dream of putting any pictures on minded children on facebook or any other social networking site - this is not ethical and not safe. As a supprt childminder, this is something that we are advised to tell new childminders. I have data protection for my photos , invoices etc but this would not cover fb. I do have parents on my fb that have requested me as at the end of the day, they know i have a life outside of minding and that i am a party girl at heart!
Be careful with sharing info - it is surprising how parents can turn on you - take it from someone who knows!

[mabel]

I am on facebook but NO WAY would I consider putting any photo of any mindees on, photo's are for my diary/obs only. I really think we should not be
social networking with parents either, keep it professional !

[estrelas]

I am on facebook but NO WAY would I consider putting any photo of any mindees on, photo's are for my diary/obs only. I really think we should not be
social networking with parents either, keep it professional !

Same here, no chance :)

[MissTinkerbell]

I am on facebook but NO WAY would I consider putting any photo of any mindees on, photo's are for my diary/obs only. I really think we should not be
social networking with parents either, keep it professional !

I agree too - I have CM friends who are friends with their parents on FB and I just think it is unprofessional. One CM friend has just been given notice for her full-timer as a result of some of things discussed with another CM friend on FB which were then seen by the parent - even though no names were mentioned the mum worked it out.

I'm good friend's with all 3 of my parents but would not be friends on FB as I want to keep my private lfe separate from my professional life - not that my private life is very exciting anyway:laughing:

I certainly wouldn't put photos of the mindees on. I don't even put them on my website even though I have parental permission. I only have my own children on there and you can't see their faces plus my photos have been protected so they can not be copied or altered.

Part of our job is to safeguard the children we care for and it doesn't matter how well you set up your privacy settings on FB there's always someone out there who could manage to hack into them. Also if photos are tagged by friends then who knows how many people then get to see those photos?

[youarewhatyoueat]

I have followed this thread, and have to say there is no way I would be putting photo's online let alone on fb.
I recently attended a safeguarding update and they were shocked when I told them about this thread.
They were recommending that any photos on websites were protected so could not be copy and pasted and facebook was a huge no.She even went so far to say that the ncma should ban it and I agree.

[Mouse]

so far to say that the ncma should ban it and I agree.

I don't quite see how NCMA could ban something like that. They could recommend it's not done, but they couldn't enforce a ban.
And NCMA's own staff have taken photos at events I've been to & put them on publications, displays etc without permission. They'd need to tighten up their own procedures before they could start telling us what to do!

[francinejayne]

my photos have been protected so they can not be copied or altered.

Can I please ask how you do this?
Thanks!

[MissTinkerbell]

Can I please ask how you do this?
Thanks!

I really don't know - my computer whizz of a hubby did it for me - sorry.

[patevans]

Can I please ask how you do this?
Thanks!

you can edit the privacy for each album you put on, I do mine through the privacy settings then go to edit album privacy.

I have spoke to all the parents and explained that the photos wont be going back on!!