Positive Relationships: Let's talk about ... social networking

Q: Do you have a policy for staff use of social networking sites?

'We're on the council network and sites such as Facebook and YouTube are banned, so staff cannot access them at work. We do have a nursery Facebook page that we set up before the ban and we were always very careful about how we used it. We never posted up photos of the children. We only use children's photos on the nursery website if we have gained permission from the parents first.'

'It is in my confidentiality policy and also in staff members' contracts that they are not allowed to name the nursery that they work for online.'

'We have a policy that states that staff are not allowed to talk about nursery business on online sites, including talking about the nursery children. This is for safeguarding issues.'

'We do not want to be in the position where staff damage the nursery reputation by making thoughtless or critical comments online. For that reason we have a policy that states that they are not allowed to name the nursery or other staff members. We would prefer it if our staff were not on these sites at all, but most young people are these days.'

'My husband works in HR and is always having difficulties with social networking, so we have a strict nursery policy.'

Q: Are practitioners allowed to be friends with parents online?

'We do allow staff to befriend parents. A lot of our staff live in the local area and were friends with the parents before they started working here, so it is very hard to stop it. Also, a lot of parents ask to befriend staff members online.'

'The nursery has a Facebook page and parents are encouraged to befriend the nursery rather than individual staff members. We have asked staff not to befriend parents so that their relationship stays on a professional level, although we have not actually banned them from doing so.

'The Facebook page tells parents what the children have been doing that day and also flags up special events or trips. We do not use children's photos.'

'We have not stated in our policy that staff should not befriend parents. To be honest, it is not something we have thought about. I don't know whether staff are friends of parents online.'

Q: What potential difficulties can arise from staff using social networking sites?

'I think that Facebook is a dangerous game altogether. I think that people go on it through boredom and post up random things that could get them into trouble.'

'It is a problem in nurseries that staff can go on sites like Facebook and can write comments that can reflect badly on the business.'

'I think sometimes it is difficult to remember that comments made on sites such as Bebo and Facebook can be seen by a lot of people. They are not private even though they may have been written in the privacy of your bedroom.'

'It is important that staff are professional and keep their work and home life separate. This can be difficult when they are living in the same area as the children they care for. They often see them in the shops and it isn't uncommon to bump into parents on a night out. We have always asked staff to remember that they are professionals and see Facebook and other social networking sites as an extension of this same issue. We expect our employees to use them responsibly - not gossip about work, talk about individual children or post anything that could put them in a bad light.'

'I think, especially, our younger nursery nurses have to be reminded that they represent the nursery, even when they are outside of work and that includes when they are messing around on blogs or Facebook.'

'I have seen with my teenage children that they get silly and post stupid things that they did not mean. They egg each other on. Innocent comments can also be misread and become harmful.'

Q: Have you had problems with staff posting unprofessional comments online?

'We have not had any problems with the staff at our nursery, but I did hear of someone who got the sack for criticising their boss online.'

'We had an apprentice who made some comments about the nursery on Facebook which other staff members saw. It was nothing negative, but we felt that it was inappropriate and we spoke to her about her behaviour.'

'Sometimes the photos that our practitioners put online from nights out could be seen as inappropriate. But it is a problem because - even if they do not personally upload the photos - a friend can put them on Facebook and then tag them. That is why it is best if staff are not friends with parents. It is not just their behaviour that can be questioned, it's their friend's, too.'

'It wasn't at a nursery, but I did hear of an incident where some office workers were having a laugh at work and chair surfing. They put photos on Facebook that their manager saw. There was personal paperwork on the desk, details may have been read if you zoomed in far enough. The workers were all disciplined and received verbal warnings. I hope our staff are more mature and professional than to do something like that.'

AN EXPERT'S VIEW

By Kathy Brodie, Early Years Professional and trainer 

The impact of electronic media simply can't be ignored these days. More and more nurseries are setting up websites, using e-mail to contact parents and even setting up Facebook pages for the nursery. And, of course, many staff members are active Facebook and Twitter users, and some even have their own blogs or social networking sites.

The increased use of electronic media can bring great benefits. It can increase interaction between parents and staff. It can provide a forum for discussion, learning and team-building. And it can create a sense of community for the nursery. A dedicated nursery Facebook site, which both staff and parents can join, can celebrate the children's achievements, advertise upcoming events or share the successes of staff members when they pass exams.

But it's not without its risks. Inappropriate comments or images may be posted which could reflect badly on the nursery and other staff, either intentionally or unintentionally. This could undermine the professionalism of staff, as well as breach confidentiality or have safeguarding implications. Online interactions between staff and parents may accidentally replace the more effective faceto-face interactions, and small niggles could potentially get out of hand (without the benefit of seeing people face-to-face, online interactions can get unexpectedly heated). It is important that nursery owners, managers and staff should be aware of these pitfalls and that steps should be taken to prevent them from occurring.

One way of dealing with this is to have a nursery policy about all social networking activity. This could clearly state whether staff could be 'friends' with parents or if the nursery could be named, for example. If the nursery manager has joined as a 'friend', then he or she can monitor the staff comments on the public area. Private messages can still be sent, but these will not be read by parents, governors and other staff.

I would also advise that the nursery manager has an open discussion with staff and gets common agreement about what is acceptable and what is not. The truth is that social networking is blurring the boundaries between personal and professional life. You only have one profile on Facebook and it's very easy to forget who has visibility of what you are posting - as employees have found to their cost in the past! So, although clear policies can be helpful, there are many grey areas which are best addressed by having open discussions with the team and agreeing to apply common sense - for example, advising staff on how to communicate privately with friends on Facebook groups with restricted access.

Social networking is still a new phenomenon and we are still learning about its impact and how things can go right and wrong. But creating a simple and clear policy and discussing this with staff can go a long way to making sure the nursery and its team doesn't meet any pitfalls.

FURTHER READING

• - 'Be discreet online' by Karen Walker (Nursery World, 21 January 2010)
• - 'A fine line' by Jennie Lindon (Nursery World, 10 June 2010).