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DIGITAL DEVICE USAGE POLICY

Purpose 

This policy is for all Wise Owls Childcare staff and has been created to ensure the safety, confidentiality, and professionalism of staff, children, and families when using social media, mobile devices, iPads, and our digital systems. This policy is to safeguard the children against any exposure and to protect the staff from any accusations against exposure. This policy should be read in conjunction with our ‘Data Protection, Confidentiality and Cookies Policy’. 

 

1. Social Media & Identity Protection

  • Company uniform must not be worn in your personal social media posts. 
  • Confidentiality must always be maintained; names or images of children, parents/carers or other staff members must not be shared on personal social media posts. 
  • Names of staff, children or parents/carers must not be stated on Wise Owls social media posts. 
  • Comments relating to work must not appear on personal social media pages. 
  • Staff should neither accept nor send friend requests to parents unless a prior personal relationship exists. 
  • Personal profiles must reflect professional standards; offensive or defamatory content about Wise Owls company, Wise Owls staff or any Wise Owls Client is prohibited. 
  • Assume all online content is permanent and public, even with privacy settings. 
  • Staff are obliged to report breaches of this policy via the Whistleblowing Policy. 

 

2. Mobile Phone & Smartwatch Rules

  • All employees must keep their mobile phones stored safely in the designated area and never taken into childcare rooms. Phones will be monitored by the manager to ensure they are kept in the designated area. 
  • When on site, personal phones may only be used in the designated area during breaks and must not be used anywhere else on site.  
  • Work mobile devices are permitted for use by nominated staff and will be labelled as Wise Owls property. 
  • Employees should give the setting’s contact details and head office contact details to any dependents, so they will be able to contact you if required. 
  • Smartwatches connected to phones are not permitted; Smartwatches or Fitbits without connectivity are allowed. 
  • Parents and visitors are not permitted to use personal mobile phones when on site. Visitors must place their phones in the designated area provided. 
  • Parents must not use phones during child collection; staff should politely enforce this. 
  • Under no circumstances are parents allowed to take photos or videos of a child or children in the nursery or club setting. Staff must politely enforce this and if a visitor takes a photo, staff should take action to ensure the photo is removed from the device. Staff must notify their manager immediately of the name of the visitor and the children captured in the photo or video. Visitors should be accompanied around the site at all times. 

 

3. iPad Usage & Security

iPads are for work purposes only and must not be used for personal reasons. 

 

3a. iPad Security Measures: 

  • Each iPad must have a six-digit passcode. 
  • Staff should lock iPads when not in use. 

 

3b. iPad Storage: 

  • iPads must be stored in the agreed secure location at the site. The manager on site is responsible for ensuring iPads are stored securely.  
  • At the nurseries, iPads must be kept in the wall brackets provided during the day and locked in the office at night. 
  • At all sites, iPads must not be left on tables or bench tops in reach of children or at risk of falling. 
  • Children must never handle the iPads. 

 

3c. iPad Usage Restrictions: 

  • iPads must not be used to access any personal social media or email accounts. 
  • Games or unauthorised apps are not permitted on the iPads. 
  • iPads should not be used by children for any reason unless approved by the Manager. 
  • iPads must not leave the site except for outings with permission from the Manager. 
  • iPads must not be taken home under any circumstances. 

 

3d. iPad Photo and File Management 

  • Staff must follow the relevant site process for saving and deleting photos taken with the iPads available on Sharepoint.  
  • To ensure adequate space for new photos and videos, all photos and videos should be deleted at least monthly from the iPad by the Manager, Room Manager or delegated staff member. Managers should check this quarterly to ensure this is happening. 

 

4. Photos and Videos

  • Staff must ensure they check photographic permissions prior to taking photographs or videos of any children or staff. 
  • Children who do not have photo permissions must still be fully included in all activities. Staff must plan inclusively and ensure these children are never excluded from experiences. It is acceptable to run activities simultaneously, with a group that is permitted photos and another group that is not to aid capturing content for newsletters or social media. Staff should arrange activities with respect to photo permissions while safeguarding every child’s wellbeing. 

To protect children, we will: 

  • ensure that children are appropriately dressed 
  • encourage children to tell us if they do not wish to be in photographs or videos that are taken 
  • Photographs and Videos taken on company devices must not be sent to personal emails under any circumstances.     

 

5. Outlook access and communication

  • Club Manager site emails must only be used for internal communication. 
  • The Club staff email account must not be used to send emails. 
  • The Nursery staff email account must not be used to send emails. 

 

6. WhatsApp for Communication

WhatsApp should only be used for work purposes with prior authorisation. While WhatsApp can be a convenient tool for quick updates and team connection, because it operates through personal mobile numbers and devices, and therefore may reach people outside of working hours and is not secure, it is important that we use it thoughtfully to protect staff wellbeing, maintain healthy boundaries between work and home life, and ensure communication is appropriate and equitable for all. Not everyone will want to use WhatsApp, therefore it is important to ensure that group communication is sent via a channel all staff will receive. 

  • If it can wait until work hours, choose a communication method that colleagues will see during the day, not during their personal time. 
  • Use WhatsApp only when it clearly benefits staff, not when it risks creating unnecessary pressure or taking them away from their personal time. 
  • Use of WhatApp should not be used to address performance issues or target individuals. 
  • Select the channel based on purpose, urgency, and impact – not convenience. 
  • Be mindful that your communication, however small it may seem, lands on someone’s personal phone and personal time. 

If you do have any concerns with any communication or use of WhatsApp for work communication, please raise it directly with your manager. 

 

7.Famly Access & Security for Day Nurseries 

  • Staff will not have access to Famly when away from the setting, except to see their own personal profile, rota and annual leave when off site.  
  • Staff must log into Famly for work purposes only. 
  • Staff must only record information on Famly when logged in as their own profile. 
  • Staff must log out of Famly when not in use. 
  • If Famly is logged in by another user, you must log out and log in with your own credentials before recording information.  
  • Staff must ensure their Famly password is complex. Passwords should be complex, strong passwords. Staff must keep them safe and secure, do not share them and not to write them down. To change your password follow these steps:
  • Click on your profile photo in the top-right corner and select Your Settings.  
  • Click on the Password and PIN section.  
  • Enter your current password, then type in your new password.  
  • Click Save to confirm the change.  

 

 8. Clubs Digital Registers Access & Security for Clubs

  • Once all children are signed into a club, Club Managers should securely store spare iPads and use one iPad per room for access to registers. 
  • Staff are not permitted to log on to the digital register when away from the setting, except when permission has been given by Head Office.  
  • Staff must not change the password set by Head Office. Passwords must not be shared or written down.
  • Staff must log into the Clubs Digital Registers for work purposes only. 
  • Staff must log out of the Clubs Digital Registers when not in use. 

 

9. Remote Access

  • Remote access (away from a nursery or a club) may be granted by Head Office on specific occasions and only for authorised tasks. All staff with remote access privileges will be recorded on the Digital Inventory. All remote usage must comply with data protection standards: 
  • Use secure Wi-Fi. 
  • Never share login credentials. 
  • Do not download or store child data on personal devices. 
  • Always log out and lock your computer when not in use. 
  • To access Famly away from the office contact Head Office.

 

10. Online payments

  • Staff with an authorised company bank card must never store company bank card details in any online system or share the details with an unauthorised person.
  • Card details must be entered at the point of the transaction. 

 

11. Compliance & Disciplinary

  • Breaches of this policy will result in disciplinary action in line with the Employee Handbook. 

 

This policy works alongside the following policies: 

  • Safeguarding Policy 
  • Data Protection, Confidentiality and Cookies Policy 
  • Whistleblowing policy. 

12. Confirm you have Read & Understood the Policy

To confirm that you have read and understood the policy above, please complete the form below.

Name
Where must staff keep their personal mobile phones while on site at a nursery or club?
What should staff do if a parent or visitor takes a photo inside a nursery or club?
Which of the following is not allowed on work iPads?
Which of the following is a required data protection measure for digital systems like Famly or Clubs Digital Registers?
Which of the following statements correctly describes the rules for remote access to digital systems (e.g., Famly, Clubs Digital Registers)?
Acceptance of Policy