Risk Assessments : Brain Seizure

**Zoomie** · 20-02-2009, 11:09 PM

Why didn't someone tell me that the very first risk I should have assessemnt when I started doing risk assessments is that my brain would seize ?

Anyhow, it seems like I have been doing RAs forever and it is just never coming to an end. I think I have completely gone off track on some things, and haven't even gone back to proof read it or anything yet and I think it is nearly 30 pages long (typed) already.

Anyhow, can someone please tell me their 'emergency procedure' for when they are out and about ... what do i need (ie mobile etc) ... what i do need to do ....

I just can't think anymore.

And also, how do you risk assess playgrounds ? Each type of equipment ? Does anyone have one that I can borrow cos I can just see a playground having 10 pages to itself ....

Sorry, and thank you for any responses.

**Twinkles** · 21-02-2009, 12:04 AM

Didn't want to just read and run but it's a bit late for my poor little brain.

Outings you will need ; mobile phone,first aid kit , emergency contact details ( in case phone runs out of charge /gets lost etc ) a signed copy of your emergency plan of care for each child. As well as the obvious - enough drinking water for mindees , nappies , wipes etc.

Will think of more tomorrow and get back to you.

**Andrea08** · 21-02-2009, 12:15 AM

sorry but im sick to the bk teeth of risk assessments,,, ive been a mother for 17 years ,, fostered and childminding for 6yrs and never done a risk assessment and never needed one till EYFS!!!!

I look listen and mental note anything that i feel is a danger, if i feel unsecure im usually right and i avoid,,, simple..

if any child had a fall or little accident its part of life learning ...we fall off swings or get sand in our hair !!! too much cotton wool if you ask me ..

once on ere i read about cm doing risk ass, for a child sleeping on the sofa,, oh but what if child rolled off???? well he/she would hit the carpet thats like
7" away!!! its gone ruddy mad and im sick of of it,

ofsted should think what as in a list of what they feel needs a full risk assessment and not silly day to day life like eating dinner should AAA use a fork or should AAA use a spoon fgs

**miffy** · 21-02-2009, 07:59 AM

For one moment I thought you wanted a risk assessment in case you had a brain seizure

Miffy xx

**nell57** · 21-02-2009, 08:07 AM

When doing a RA for parks and play grounds, you need to look out for broken glass and discarded needles as well as checking that equipment isn't broken or unsuitable.

Sad sign of the times I know

**Saranotts** · 21-02-2009, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by Andrea08

sorry but im sick to the bk teeth of risk assessments,,, ive been a mother for 17 years ,, fostered and childminding for 6yrs and never done a risk assessment and never needed one till EYFS!!!!

I look listen and mental note anything that i feel is a danger, if i feel unsecure im usually right and i avoid,,, simple..

if any child had a fall or little accident its part of life learning ...we fall off swings or get sand in our hair !!! too much cotton wool if you ask me ..

once on ere i read about cm doing risk ass, for a child sleeping on the sofa,, oh but what if child rolled off???? well he/she would hit the carpet thats like
7" away!!! its gone ruddy mad and im sick of of it,

ofsted should think what as in a list of what they feel needs a full risk assessment and not silly day to day life like eating dinner should AAA use a fork or should AAA use a spoon fgs

Here, here, it's just getting silly. I left my last job in a Solicitors and thought "great I'm getting away from all the backside covering paperwork" but how wrong was I!

Yes we need to risk access our surroundings mentally but I would have thought most parents do that on a day to day basis anyway! God forbid if I have forgotten my checklist and someone has left something out, I wont know what to do!

Ooops sorry of the soap box.

Sara

**Saranotts** · 21-02-2009, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by miffy

For one moment I thought you wanted a risk assessment in case you had a brain seizure

Miffy xx

me too, I thought, oh gosh another one we need to do!!

Sara

**nannysue** · 21-02-2009, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by Andrea08

sorry but im sick to the bk teeth of risk assessments,,, ive been a mother for 17 years ,, fostered and childminding for 6yrs and never done a risk assessment and never needed one till EYFS!!!!

I look listen and mental note anything that i feel is a danger, if i feel unsecure im usually right and i avoid,,, simple..

if any child had a fall or little accident its part of life learning ...we fall off swings or get sand in our hair !!! too much cotton wool if you ask me ..

once on ere i read about cm doing risk ass, for a child sleeping on the sofa,, oh but what if child rolled off???? well he/she would hit the carpet thats like
7" away!!! its gone ruddy mad and im sick of of it,

ofsted should think what as in a list of what they feel needs a full risk assessment and not silly day to day life like eating dinner should AAA use a fork or should AAA use a spoon fgs

Andrea i could,t agree with you more

I've been taking children to the same playpark for 30+ yrs now , and feel i have enough commom sense to keep them safe. Room on your soap box for 1 more ?

**peanuts** · 21-02-2009, 11:19 AM

that would be a good one - ra brain seizure

**Ripeberry** · 21-02-2009, 11:27 AM

Went to a playground yesterday with a friend from school and our kids had a great time. Her young boy climbed up a climbing frame that was 7ft off the ground and he was only 3yrs old. We were talking for a bit and she said "Where's he got to?" He was still there 7ft off the ground!
Enjoying himself looking at the view.
Then all the kids (4 in all) went on the roundabout (chair type) and they all had great fun whizzing around at high speed, some were even hanging off the ends.
But i would NEVER do this with mindees, but even then i was doing a mental RA and thinking this is MAD!, but the thing is the kids had fun and they worked out for themselves what was dangerous and what was fun!
Ofsted seem to have forgotten about children having to make their own mistakes (within reason of course).

**Saranotts** · 21-02-2009, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by Ripeberry

Went to a playground yesterday with a friend from school and our kids had a great time. Her young boy climbed up a climbing frame that was 7ft off the ground and he was only 3yrs old. We were talking for a bit and she said "Where's he got to?" He was still there 7ft off the ground!
Enjoying himself looking at the view.
Then all the kids (4 in all) went on the roundabout (chair type) and they all had great fun whizzing around at high speed, some were even hanging off the ends.
But i would NEVER do this with mindees, but even then i was doing a mental RA and thinking this is MAD!, but the thing is the kids had fun and they worked out for themselves what was dangerous and what was fun!
Ofsted seem to have forgotten about children having to make their own mistakes (within reason of course).

This is so true, within reason children need to learn from their own mistakes and that to make decisions for themselves (as you say, within reason). Our local playgroup leader wont have rubber paving (?) as she says they need to learn that if they fall over they will scrape their knees, because that is what happens in the real world.

Ooooh wonder how much longer this soap box will be able to cope with my weight?

Sara

**misst104** · 21-02-2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Andrea08

sorry but im sick to the bk teeth of risk assessments,,, ive been a mother for 17 years ,, fostered and childminding for 6yrs and never done a risk assessment and never needed one till EYFS!!!!

I look listen and mental note anything that i feel is a danger, if i feel unsecure im usually right and i avoid,,, simple..

if any child had a fall or little accident its part of life learning ...we fall off swings or get sand in our hair !!! too much cotton wool if you ask me ..

once on ere i read about cm doing risk ass, for a child sleeping on the sofa,, oh but what if child rolled off???? well he/she would hit the carpet thats like
7" away!!! its gone ruddy mad and im sick of of it,

ofsted should think what as in a list of what they feel needs a full risk assessment and not silly day to day life like eating dinner should AAA use a fork or should AAA use a spoon fgs

Well said Andrea!!! I couldn't agree more, especially as I've been doing R.A's for the last 2 hours and I am SICK of them. Ofsted coming soon for pre-reg though so has to be done.

.

**tammerisk** · 21-02-2009, 08:09 PM

you all sound like you do way to many risk assesments

i have four for outings

walking in local area
park/other outside enclosed area
bus travell
trip to hullabaloo/toddler group inside group area

and that is it

i have a daily check list (very general i.e are toys clean broken high chair clean e.c.t)

and i di a risk assement of my house when i move into it in dec 07

then when i discover something that needs fixing e.g my fence had a whole in it

i did a risk assesment

whole in fence
risk
children ecape next door
action
fix the fence

date of risk assesment
date completed

and then i put kids can't go outside so i take them to local park/out walking every day so long as weather is ok.

had ofsted inspection in jan and she was fine with that

and i had had a complint about me having to many children while i was out and they identified at the time -sept 08 was when the complaint was that i needed to do risk assement for all outings so they were looking for this action to be satisfied when they inspected

i got outstanding in 12 out 14 standards and the other 2 were good and it was just cause i didn't have enough detail in my obs for the next steps and progression

**Chanelle** · 21-02-2009, 08:16 PM

I've just done my risk assessments and am now glad I didnt go too in depth. Basic for each room but need to do a daily checklist.

It is so sad tho that we have so much paperwork to deal with when our minds could be concentrating on the childrens develoment

**helenlc** · 22-02-2009, 01:20 PM

I so agree. I am a mother to an 11 yr old and 8 yr old - we have managed through life safely.

I have 15 yrs childcare experience, including 6 months as an overseas children's rep where I was in charge of 20 3 - 9 yr olds on a campsite. We didnt risk assess apart from the common sense ones of counting everybody to make sure no-one had run off and making sure they were safe.

I have also been to A & E with my own children enough times to realise that I may risk assess but I cannot prevent everything!!!

**jibberjitz** · 22-02-2009, 09:11 PM

I spent ages getting all my RA's typed and printed and now I cant be a**ed filling them in

**Zoomie** · 22-02-2009, 10:02 PM

Thanks for the input (well the moans weren't really helpful, but what is a gal suppose to do

?), and I agree all this paperwork really is killing it, but I am hoping that once this RA thing is all done, then when I do my first review of it, it'll be a five minute job.

Way I see it, is I'll have enough to do with obs and planning etc, that I don't want to have bother with all this paperwork that I could have done when I was just looking after my own children.