How often do we check risk assessments

[Littleglees]

I have risk assessments in place however, I don't have a tick form to say that every day I have checked everything is in place and ok.

Should I be having a tick list for daily / weekly risk assessments to show the inspector or does face to face, " yes I check each morning before a mindee arrives " good enough as, I do check toys and areas each morning.

Sarah x

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[Rick]

I have risk assessments in place however, I don't have a tick form to say that every day I have checked everything is in place and ok.

Should I be having a tick list for daily / weekly risk assessments to show the inspector or does face to face, " yes I check each morning before a mindee arrives " good enough as, I do check toys and areas each morning.

Sarah x

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I don't check risk assessments every day but I do a tick list of all my rooms. If there's something I've done in that room I note it eg broken toys

[sarah707]

It is not a requirement to have a list of things to check every day.

A lot of childminders do have one - but it's up to you and the way you work

[Littleglees]

Thank you, I do check areas and toys but this is something I've always done with my own children before they play :-) x

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[Louise1981]

I do visual daily risk assessment and remove anything that is broken etc. risk assessments are reviewed yearly, or sooner if there has been a change. I always sign and date anything that has been amended.

[vals]

The whole risk assessent thing is silly. If we risk assess the room first thing in the morning, tick off we have done it, then 5 minutes later a family member leaves a hot drink too low down, a child burns themselves, it shows that the risk assessment 5 minutes before was pointless. The only real way to risk assess is to be doing it every second, which of course we do, but we could never write down anything to prove it. Apparantly it is ok to do them in your head and never write them down - but of course, in the interest of Ofsted and our grading we will continue to write something down even though we know it doesn't truly mean anything.

[MessybutHappy]

I had a daily check list to start with, but now it's so routine to me that I'm thinking of reducing it to a weekly tick off.

I risk assess to identify hazards and reduce the risks. The cup of hot tea in the previous post is a hazard, the risk assessment concludes that I should remind all who have hot drinks to place them high up and out of reach!

I agree that we risk assess all day, every day, but I also believe there is a place for written assessements whch keep us focussed and provide valuable evidence of the quality of the assessments we're making.

[vals]

I agree that we risk assess all day, every day, but I also believe there is a place for written assessements which keep us focussed and provide valuable evidence of the quality of the assessments we're making.

Its the providing valuable evidence bit that I don't like - as with a lot of our work now, its about proving we do things rather than actually doing them. How many people don't always write down they have done a risk assessment,then when Ofsted are coming they back date them - so on paper they have done them, but what does that prove. I have heard of more than one minder that hardly had any paperwork when they got the call, but managed to get a 'good' grading having spent a weekend making up paperwork.

Having said that, I enjoy the learning journals and observations etc as they are real and help with me planning, help the child, and are sometimes appreciated by the parents.


sorry, having an anti paperwork time - was joining my network, finished all the paperwork, just had the visit left, and the network has been disbanded.

[jillplum]

I agree that a lot of paperwork is meaningless especially if it is done just before an inspection to catch up, but things like accident, medication etc help protect us if things go wrong. I write risk assesments because a cm friend had to show ofsted her risk assesments when a child knocked her teeth out at a playgroup. She was panicked by the whole process but I cant imagine what it would have been like without comprehensice risk assesments in place.

[MiniKins]

We approach it like this:

We had series of 'ongoing' risks that seldom change and began when we started childminding e.g.

Area: Playroom
Description of risk: Radiator – risk of burning
How to minimise risk: Teach older children not to touch radiators. Supervise crawling babies at all times
Risk minimised (date/time/initials): Continuous risk
Ongoing solution: As per minimising risk
Review date: Continuous

We then had risks we can minimise by an action e.g.

Area: Kitchen
Description of risk: Access to cupboards and drawers
How to minimise risk: Fit childproof locks
Risk minimised (date/initials): 28/06/2011 AH
Ongoing solution: Ensure locks continue to be effective and are not broken
Review date: Initial risk rectified although ongoing review required each time lock is used

Once our assessment of continuous risks was in place and any specific risks were minimised, each time a new item/toy/activity/outing, etc. is introduced, we think about what the implications might be and, if necessary, add it to the bottom of our list along with a specific review date if required. However, I must admit we don't have a multitude of specific risks for every toy or situation and try to generalise as much as we can as we're not lovers of paperwork ~ I'm not being facetious but we don't leave the carving knife in the toy box so we don't risk assess that possibility!

We then regularly read through to decide if any action needs to be taken, making a note of the action and date at the end, and then continue to add new items as they occur. This gives us a chronological record which we hope shows an inspector that it is a true ongoing process.