ARCHIVAL GUIDANCE TOOL © Inspired EC 2013

Why Is Archiving So Important? All Early Childhood Services, regardless of their nature (non-profit or for profit) or their type (Long Day Care, Preschool, Family Day Care or OOSH) is at its core a business. As such, accurate record keeping and management is crucial. During my experience as a Long Day Care Centre Director, there were numerous occasions were accurate archiving proved to be very important. Some examples include: Random Child Care Benefit Audit – we needed to provide sign in sheets, copies of invoices etc for families, some of whom had since left to attend school. Court Ordered Subpoenas – there have been several occasions where I have been order by the Family Court to provide information regarding child attendances, accident history, welfare concerns etc. Management decisions – being a non-profit service and operating with a voluntary management committee that changes most year, it became crucial to archive meeting minutes and documentation of decisions. Access to this information ensured that consistency was maintained in the service. Hopefully this tool will support you to manage your archiving and maintain organised records. Nicole © Inspired EC 2013

TIPS FOR ARCHIVING Set aside a day at the end of each year to destroy old records and properly archive new records Have one box for child records each year (e.g. Child Records 2013) staple their enrolment form as well as any developmental records, medical records etc. together. Although not all pieces of documentation are required for the same length of time, this makes them easier to find. Only archive child records once they have left the service – do not archive each year of the childs attendance separately as it makes it harder to find specific information about the child. Use archive boxes that support suspension files – file different items separately (e.g. in the financial records box – separate bank statements from receipts etc.) clearly label each suspension file If in doubt about whether any particular piece of documentation needs to be archived and the length of time required – contact the regulatory body or authority that the document relates to. It is always best to ask as opposed to disposing of the documentation only to find it is later required. For example – if you are unsure how long CCB records must be kept – contact the Department of Human Services. Be mindful of where you store your archive boxes – you may be asked to present this information at short notice so it is important to ensure that it is accessible Use good quality, reinforced archive boxes – there is nothing worse than having a box full of papers collapse on your feet! © Inspired EC 2013

WHAT TO ARCHIVE ITEMEXAMPLESHOW LONG FOR? Financial RecordsBank statements, cheque books, receipts 7 Years Child Development Records Copies of observations, reporting Until end of 3 years after the child's last attendance Child Health Records Medication forms, accident reports, risk of significant harm reports Until the child is at least 25 years of age Staff RecordsRecord of responsible person in charge, Staff record, record of educators working directly with children, record of access to EC Teachers Until end of 3 years after staff member last worked for the service Child Attendance Records Sign in sheets, enrolment forms Until end of 3 years after last attendance Record of services compliance history Assessment reports, compliance notices Until the end of 3 years after the approved provider ceased operations Record of students/voluntee rs Sign in sheets, declarationsUntil the end of 3 years after they attend the service © Inspired EC 2013

WHAT TO ARCHIVE ITEMEXAMPLESHOW LONG FOR? Insurance RecordsWorkers Compensation, Public Liability, claims, policy details 7 Years Management/Bus iness records Meeting minutes, annual reports, financial reports (The Office of Fair Trading and Business Affairs maintains their own copies of these records and imposes no requirement regarding services keeping these records, provided they have been submitted in accordance with legislation governing these management bodies.) At discretion of service Child Health Records Medication forms, accident reports, risk of significant harm reports Until the child is at least 25 years of age © Inspired EC 2013 Individual services or organisations may have additional record keeping requirements. For more information regarding business record keeping requirements – visit keeping/Record-keeping-for-small-business/ keeping/Record-keeping-for-small-business/ References/Support Documents: ACECQA Gowrie Victoria

ARCHIVE LABELS The following page contains a sample archive box label - you may wish to edit these on the computer and print out or simply print out multiple copies and write on them as needed. By providing as much detail as possible on the label it is easy to see at a glance what is contained in each box and when the information within the box can be destroyed. © Inspired EC 2013

ARCHIVE BOX NUMBER _______ CONTENTS ~ DATE FOR DESTROYING _______ © Inspired EC 2013

ARCHIVE BOX REGISTER BOX NUMBER CONTENTSLOCATION This document can be kept on your computer and updated or printed out and updated. It is a quick way of locating particular information as required. © Inspired EC 2013