Policies to parents?

[hello kitty]

How do you let parents know about your policies?

I have quite a lot and in the past have printed them all out for each set of parents but it took forever. I thought about emailing them or putting them onto a disk or even just pointing out the policies folder in the hall but I think I need their signature to confirm they are aware of them. Would it be sufficient to get a signature stating they know where they are kept?

[chris goodyear]

Like you I used to print out a set for each family but now that my daughter works with me we have a lot of families!! I now just print one set and also a form to say they have read them and they sign it. I usually give the parents the set and ask that they return it within a week with the signed declaration and if they don't I ask every day for it. With others if I know I won't get it back because they have either lost it or keep forgetting then I quickly go through all the policies while we do the contract. It works so far.

[moggy]

They are printed in my portfolio folder so anyone can see them on request (or for new parents first visiting me).
I email them to parents before we sign contracts and email a form for them to print and sign to say they have agreed the policies. They return that to me at the time of signing contracts..
I also email them my permissions form, they print and return to me at the time of signing contracts.

[mumofone]

I've been wondering about this too, I just keep them in a folder and parents read and sign when signing contracts etc.

[BallyH]

I do what mumofone does and any new policies or undates I email them to pareents and ask for them to acknowledge reading them. At the moment I don't print off the acknowledgements but keep a record of old emails.

[bunyip]

I lend parents a printed* copy of my policies once they are at the point of wanting my services, just before the contract-signing visit. I tell them that they will sign to said they have read them; whether they bother to read them is entirely their own affair.

I review all policies twice a year, on a rolling basis. They do not always get edited when reviewed, but can get edited due to various changes (e.g. introduction of new allergen information laws last winter or Prevent duty this summer, etc.) If I do edit a policy, I notify parents through my newsletter, with a very brief outline of the changes. I invite parents to then view the new policy if they wish (and very few bother to do so) but I do not send out a copy to all and sundry.

I avoid letting people have electronic copies of my paperwork. There are too many IP thieves using any guise to get hold of this sort of thing to sell on Fleabay or lazy pre-reg CMs on the look-out to save themselves having to do any thinking/work. You may think this sounds harsh and disloyal to fellow-CMs. But there's a new CM in my area who not only copied all her paperwork from the CM she'd previously used to look after her own child, but also pretended to be a parent seeking childcare to fish around other CM settings too.

[mumofone]

I lend parents a printed* copy of my policies once they are at the point of wanting my services, just before the contract-signing visit. I tell them that they will sign to said they have read them; whether they bother to read them is entirely their own affair. I review all policies twice a year, on a rolling basis. They do not always get edited when reviewed, but can get edited due to various changes (e.g. introduction of new allergen information laws last winter or Prevent duty this summer, etc.) If I do edit a policy, I notify parents through my newsletter, with a very brief outline of the changes. I invite parents to then view the new policy if they wish (and very few bother to do so) but I do not send out a copy to all and sundry. I avoid letting people have electronic copies of my paperwork. There are too many IP thieves using any guise to get hold of this sort of thing to sell on Fleabay or lazy pre-reg CMs on the look-out to save themselves having to do any thinking/work. You may think this sounds harsh and disloyal to fellow-CMs. But there's a new CM in my area who not only copied all her paperwork from the CM she'd previously used to look after her own child, but also pretended to be a parent seeking childcare to fish around other CM settings too.

Really good idea.

Are you sure the CM wasn't genuine when she was looking for childcare though? I am now a CM but had a genuine need for childcare myself and both used one local CM and viewed a couple of others before realising I wouldn't return to corporate life but instead set up as a CM myself as the childcare on offer was a bit dire (in my opinion!).

[bunyip]

Really good idea.

Are you sure the CM wasn't genuine when she was looking for childcare though? I am now a CM but had a genuine need for childcare myself and both used one local CM and viewed a couple of others before realising I wouldn't return to corporate life but instead set up as a CM myself as the childcare on offer was a bit dire (in my opinion!).

Absolutely sure. She had already run up a load of start-up expenses and was well on her way to sending in her reg application by that point.

I can PM you the details..............

[mumofone]

Absolutely sure. She had already run up a load of start-up expenses and was well on her way to sending in her reg application by that point. I can PM you the details..............

Haha no I was just checking as I'm sure that's been said about me but I was genuine. That's really bad if she wasn't though!

[bunyip]

Haha no I was just checking as I'm sure that's been said about me but I was genuine. That's really bad if she wasn't though!

Be assured Mo1, you'd have to be going it some to be as conniving as this one. She was a 'bad client' who, after a disagreement with her CM, decided to become a CM herself. Once registered, she set about trying to damage her old CM's business and steal her clients. Not nice.