1.) Choose and evaluate four of the 8 Data Protection Act principles, providing examples of how these would be implemented in a child care setting.

The importance of confidentiality and Data Protection for home based childcare When working in a childcare setting it is often inevitable to come across confidential information about children and families you are working with. Confidential information is personal information, which should not be shared with unauthorized person or organizations. It also means a child minder should never discuss a child with a friend or other parents. Most common information held by childcare practitioner are name, address, phone number, birth date, record of parent(s)’ and/or emergency contact details, the contact details of the child’s GP. All these information is to be kept confidential as individual have the right to keep information of this type private. The purpose of the Data protection Act 1998 is to regulate the use of personal information by business and organizations. In a childcare setting, childcare providers such as child minders will need to comply with the Act as they are often required to deal with and keep a large amount of information on each child. Therefore passing information to a third party without the parents consent is illegal. A court can prevent the disclosure of confidential information by injunction and where appreciate, award damages if unlawful disclosure has been made It is important to comply with the Data Protection principle when keeping children’s personal information that is covered by the act.

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• Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes.

A child care provider should be specific about the reasons for requiring the information to be gathered, and what they are going to use it for. If, after collecting the data, it is decided to use the information for another purpose, consideration should be given as to whether this is fair to the individual. If you wish to use data for an additional purpose, further consent should be obtained from the individual and securely held. Good.

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• Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.

The fourth principle is concerned with the accuracy of information that is held. In everyday business practice this is something which is not always easy to guarantee. However, the Act makes provision for this and asks employers to ensure that data is “reasonably” accurate. How could child carers ensure that their information remains accurate and up-to-date?

• Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.

This principle contains commonly asked guidance as to how long data should be kept for before it is destroyed. The Act is not specific about the length of time data should be held for, but gives guidance on good practice so that organizations are better informed to write their own policies.

• Appropriate technical and organizational measures shall be taken against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

The types of data security used will vary depending on the size of the organization and the number of individuals that information is held on. Information security is concerned with the prevention of data being disclosed to those who may use it for illegal purposes. For example, fraud, identity theft and those working for organizations that could be at risk of harm by information being divulged. The Act requires that appropriate security measures are installed which are sufficient for the information that is being stored. What security measures can the child care setting take to prevent unauthorised processing of data?

2.) Evaluate the need for accurate, legible and up-to-date record keeping, and identify the consequences of non-compliance.

It is important to keep records which are up to date to provide accurate, current, comprehensive and concise information concerning the condition and the care required for all individuals. All records which are produced weather written or electronic must be signed and dated; they must also be stored correctly in accordance with that data protection act 1998(The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people. It is the main piece of legislation that governs the protection of personal data