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Just had a massive debate on my fb group about this
Surprising how many childminders do not register or think there is no need
Of course there are also some of you that do not know about it
So a quick reminder
Here you go .........
FAQs - Registration under the Data Protection Act - ICO
Angel xxx
Think I'm the only one in my town who has registered with ICO - the others just seem to think they won't get a fine if they are caught, I feel it is alot of money £35 a year for a piece of paper but worth the piece of mind of knowing I am following the rules.
Ive registered although it does seem pretty pointless to me
I registered because I thought it was a requirement and I use an online development tracking website
Im not entirely sure how paying £35 and registering safeguards my data any more than the safeguards i implement myself
Id love for someone to explain it to me :D
I'm registered with them too, but I don't agree with it and feel its just another sneaky way to tax us! :mad:
I pay it, cheaper than a hefty fine
My DO said I was one of only a few in the area that were actually registered.
I think it is a lot to pay for them to hold my info on a system and send me a bit of paper, but it's a legal requirement and as others have said £35 is cheaper than the fine.
I've never heard of this!!!! Is this a requirement separate to Ofsted? Surprised as I have been a cm in 2 councils and never been advised of this. Thanks
Ive been minding for 7 years and only just heard about it to be honestQuote:
Originally Posted by kp0781
I think its relatively new , but cant be sure
and its relevant if you hold any data about the children , e.g pics on your phone , laptop, contracts on your pc, use an online development tracker such as ****** , orbit etc
I think if all your info is on paper only , then you dont need it
but feel free to correct me if Im wrong , and lets face it who doesnt have something saved somewhere
unless you are paper only and use a polaroid camera
When I'm certain I've dotted the I's and crossed the t's something else comes up!!!!
Thanks for the reminder Angel, I need to renew mine.
I am registered but my DO told us it was optional during my pre-reg, so others said they were not going to bother.
Just read up in a book and it statedQuote:
Originally Posted by phoenix2010
"The Data Protection Act (1998)....now includes not just information stored on computers but also on paper and screen, including photographs"
Even if you've only got mindees numbers stored on landline phone for emergencies it seems everybody has to have this. Another thing to pay out for!
I'd imagine this also includes printed photos too then? For example the people that say they get round the ICO by using disposable cameras and having them developed in shops, they still hold the images in their homes in the Learning JourneysQuote:
Originally Posted by adedwards68
That's right. I don't think anyone can say they don't need it.
ok so we all need it , but what does it actually mean
I mean , how is the data anymore protected because we shelled out some cash and got a certificate
I still dont get it !! :(
I've got no idea, just another way of getting money from businesses
Yes, I think it is fair to question why we pay it, but to do so whilst simultaneously fulfilling our legal and social responsibility to pay.
I pay my tax and NI, whilst at the same time questioning why so much of it is wasted on bombing parts of the world into rubble and maintaining weapons of mass destruction (oh, sorry - got my Newspeak wrong there. They're our WMD, so they have to be called a"viable military deterrence.")
As far as ICO notification/registration is concerned, asking "what do I get out of it?" is the wrong question. It's not there to provide you with some sort of service, unless you regard proving that a CM is operating legally as a service in itself. Owning a driving license doesn't provide you with a service, but it does show you've fulfilled a legal obligation. Paying your Ofsted fee is not really that much different (just harder to get away with not doing.) I'm sure there are plenty of illegal unregistered minders who could equally argue that paying Ofsted for a certificate (just another piece of paper? just another way to get money out of people?) wouldn't make them any better at looking after children, and that would be true - but would it make it the right thing to do?
As I understand it, the ICO was set up to regulate all data handling. It ensures that no business (not just us CMs) is allowed to abuse the data they hold on us - and that is a huge amount of data in this age. Government decided that part of the cost of running the ICO should be met by the businesses that benefit from holding and using that data, rather than the entire bill being met by the taxpayer in general. It does receive some additional support from public money (as well as from fines levied on offenders). So, yes, we do pay for administration, but we only pay a partial contribution to the administration of an organisation that protects and regulates the data we benefit from, and the data that is held on us by other businesses.
Every time this subject comes up, I'm shocked by the duff information coming out from DO's and what some CMs rather blithely overlook in the EYFS too. :(
just to clarify , I do have it , but Im still allowed to question it
and you cant compare it to paying for OFSTED
we pay OFSTED and they inspect us , do a report on us and hold our reports on their website so that parents can find and judge our worthiness
so its not the same at all in my opinion
I still fail to see how paying the money and getting a certificate safeguards childrens data , it doesnt
I'm not saying that ICO notification is the same as Ofsted registration at all. I'm just pointing out that the argument that "paying for a piece of paper doesn't make children any safer" is the same argument that most illegal minders use and that it is similarly flawed.
Should we have a national body to oversee the way in which personal data is used and make data handlers accountable? Or should we have a free-for-all in which anyone can do whatever they like with our private data?
If we decide that such an organisation should exist, then should it be paid for entirely by the taxpayer, or is it reasonable for businesses that benefit from handling their clients' data to make a small contribution to running that organisation?