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I've been going through the same thing, I googled and found quite a lot of info, the only one I was stuck on was accident forms, the Law is 3 years but some people recommend 21 years, there was mention that the limitations act says for children, it's put on hold until they are 18 and then the 3 years starts but after a lot of reading of legal documents including the limitations act, I couldn't find anything to back that up (might just be me though). So I've come to the conclusion that i'm shredding after 3 years unless there is a serious accident.

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  • 1 month later...

Hope this is not too late as I haven't been on for a while. I have cropped the section from a meeting with my LA adviser for when I was sorting everything out. This is what she told me:

§  Destroy out of date policies and support/guidance documents as new versions are on site.

§  Reports with other professionals – keep reports relating to individual children/families re: SEN/CP/H&S/Finance and those within the last 3-4years/inspection cycle.

§  Staff/Committee Personnel records – recommended to keep for 6yrs.

§  Registers – keep those within 3yrs, dispose of any older.

§  Training course information/guidance/resources – staff to take with them if still relevant or destroy.

§  All child protection, H&S and SEN records – keep as per the PSLA guidance.

https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/sites/default/files/retention_periods_for_records_may_2018.pdf  This is the most up to date from the PSLA and I didn't realise that some have to be kept for 75 years. I just put the relevant SEN and CP files into envelopes and worked out when the child would be 25 and added 3 months to be on the safe side and wrote Destroy ../../.. on it. Everything else I bundled into years and put labels on it with the destroy dates - passed it all onto my chair who said she would stick it all in her loft and have a great big bonfire in about 2033 :)  

Anything else I can help with let me know and I'll keep an eye out for replies x

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11 hours ago, starsdance said:

Hope this is not too late as I haven't been on for a while. I have cropped the section from a meeting with my LA adviser for when I was sorting everything out. This is what she told me:

§  Destroy out of date policies and support/guidance documents as new versions are on site.

§  Reports with other professionals – keep reports relating to individual children/families re: SEN/CP/H&S/Finance and those within the last 3-4years/inspection cycle.

§  Staff/Committee Personnel records – recommended to keep for 6yrs.

§  Registers – keep those within 3yrs, dispose of any older.

§  Training course information/guidance/resources – staff to take with them if still relevant or destroy.

§  All child protection, H&S and SEN records – keep as per the PSLA guidance.

https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/sites/default/files/retention_periods_for_records_may_2018.pdf  This is the most up to date from the PSLA and I didn't realise that some have to be kept for 75 years. I just put the relevant SEN and CP files into envelopes and worked out when the child would be 25 and added 3 months to be on the safe side and wrote Destroy ../../.. on it. Everything else I bundled into years and put labels on it with the destroy dates - passed it all onto my chair who said she would stick it all in her loft and have a great big bonfire in about 2033 :)  

Anything else I can help with let me know and I'll keep an eye out for replies x

Thanks starsdance, i'm using the PSLA one.  Think i'll be sorting til i'm 75 the paperwork is all over the place and mixed up and the mice have enjoyed some of it! The joys of inheriting leadership for the last three months a setting is open :(

 

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3 hours ago, finleysmaid said:

I'll be dead in 75 years.....sue me!!

Brilliant - I shouldn't think that I have another 30 to go never mind 75 :D I have already warned my sons that all of the paperwork stored in my office/dumping ground will need to be moved into my nursing home locker! xD

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I know I was a bit glib BUT surely information regarding looked after children is held by the government (social care) Why would we need to keep it? If it's to do with safeguarding it should be passed to the next setting anyway!....I don't mind the short/medium term care of this information but no way should we be responsible for 75 years! this info has to be wrong surely?????

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Once a company has disbanded there will be no one to recover the information from after a sensible amount of time (probably 7 years) and certainly no-one to sue so under the limitations act I would think it would be null and void...but i'm no lawyer! i've enailed the EYA (don't hold your breath for an answer though)

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On 27/04/2019 at 10:40, smudge65 said:

Thanks starsdance, i'm using the PSLA one.  Think i'll be sorting til i'm 75 the paperwork is all over the place and mixed up and the mice have enjoyed some of it! The joys of inheriting leadership for the last three months a setting is open :(

 

Hi, me again sorry.  I know we have to keep accounts for six years, but do we have to keep the receipts/invoices/monthly expenditure/income sheets too or just the accounts that were filed for the year?   Feeling very sorry for myself I just want to work with the children and their families this is soul destroying :(

 

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I do have all the supporting information that went with the annual business accounts (receipts / invoices etc) but I don't know why. I'm planning a 'sort out' for the summer and I can see me getting rid of it all - the accounts declare what income we had from parents and where we spent it ... everything is online (bank statements, funding details etc) I can't see why old 'petty cash' receipts and supermarket delivery receipts are of any use. I will ask our accountants and see - but my gut feeling is that 'keeping accounts' means the declared submissions, not the paper trail.

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4 hours ago, smudge65 said:

Hi, me again sorry.  I know we have to keep accounts for six years, but do we have to keep the receipts/invoices/monthly expenditure/income sheets too or just the accounts that were filed for the year?   Feeling very sorry for myself I just want to work with the children and their families this is soul destroying :(

 

I thought it was seven years for HMRC - but hey I could be wrong......

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5 minutes ago, sunnyday said:

I thought it was seven years for HMRC - but hey I could be wrong......

Yes, looking at the HMRC website the '6 years+1' rule seems to apply - but my question is does that mean the accounts that were submitted or the bits and pieces (technical name for receipts etc!) that went to make up the 'evidence' for the accuracy of the accounts?

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1 hour ago, Rebecca said:

Yes, looking at the HMRC website the '6 years+1' rule seems to apply - but my question is does that mean the accounts that were submitted or the bits and pieces (technical name for receipts etc!) that went to make up the 'evidence' for the accuracy of the accounts?

I keep those for seven years - I think if HMRC decided to launch an 'investigation' they would need to see all relevant 'bits and pieces'?

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i think Sunnyday is right (naturally!)   If HMRC decided to audit you, you would need all the gubbins (technical term :D) to show them.  A friend of mine who owns a hairdressers with two branches was audited a couple of years ago.  She said they wanted absolutely everything and it went on for weeks!

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I get so fed up of mountains of paperwork. GDPR has made us all more paranoid as well. Also, different recommendations by different agencies and different times for different documents.  So I have decided to scan everything at the end of each year (records of all children who have left - which will include all CP and SEND stuff; financial records - which will include all funding stuff; records of all staff who have left; a full set of policies and all H&S checks and insurance documents and all accident forms for the year) I will retain two copies on back up tapes, one off-site and one on site and then every single scrap of paper will go to be shredded by a specialist shredding company. Then we will just keep the tapes for as long as we need but there won't be any difference in the length of time that different documents are kept - it will just be everything the same. 

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11 hours ago, GFCCCC said:

I get so fed up of mountains of paperwork. GDPR has made us all more paranoid as well. Also, different recommendations by different agencies and different times for different documents.  So I have decided to scan everything at the end of each year (records of all children who have left - which will include all CP and SEND stuff; financial records - which will include all funding stuff; records of all staff who have left; a full set of policies and all H&S checks and insurance documents and all accident forms for the year) I will retain two copies on back up tapes, one off-site and one on site and then every single scrap of paper will go to be shredded by a specialist shredding company. Then we will just keep the tapes for as long as we need but there won't be any difference in the length of time that different documents are kept - it will just be everything the same. 

GFCCCC just a slight word of warning! if you keep items on paper you may be exempt from paying the ICO when the business disbands but if you keep items by electronic  means then you may need to continue to register with them until the paperwork is able to be destroyed (so in some cases 75 years!!!)…….i've only just found this out:o

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37 minutes ago, finleysmaid said:

GFCCCC just a slight word of warning! if you keep items on paper you may be exempt from paying the ICO when the business disbands but if you keep items by electronic  means then you may need to continue to register with them until the paperwork is able to be destroyed (so in some cases 75 years!!!)…….i've only just found this out:o

Oh, thanks for this we were planning on keeping some info electronically, will have a rethink :/, can I ask how you found out just so I can pass info on to committee.

 

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23 minutes ago, smudge65 said:

Oh, thanks for this we were planning on keeping some info electronically, will have a rethink :/, can I ask how you found out just so I can pass info on to committee.

 

It was part of my reply from the Early years alliance.

"We would advise you to seek written confirmation from your Local Authority concerning looked after children that safeguarding concerns must be passed to the next setting and you should not be keeping records regarding individual children once they have left your setting.  (I have already checked this but seems to be local advice....follow your own LEA's info!!)

 

In terms of storing personal data, if you are not using a computer device for this purpose and you only process personal data manually, so it is held on paper and not stored electronically, then you may be exempt from paying the fee. You can find further information on the ICO website.

 

Any records in relation to safeguarding concerns should also be kept in accordance with the requirements of the Local Safeguarding Children Board or local safeguarding partners.

 

We are reviewing our Retention Periods for Records guide to see where we can make our guidance clearer."

 

I intend to keep a copy of advice/information with my paperwork so that I can prove I've done what I've been told!!!

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