Confidential or Common Knowledge?
A parent tells a teacher about a recent eviction. The teacher shares this with another teacher at a different site. Is this acceptable?
What is no – the information is confidential and not relevant to staff outside the immediate team.
An email printout with staff names and phone numbers
To shred - Contains staff personal information.
If it’s not __________, it didn’t happen.
What is documented?
What’s the most common paperwork violation caught during internal audits?
What is missing signatures and incorrect or blank dates.
A teacher writes “Mom was mad.” What’s the problem with this note?
What is it’s vague and subjective. Instead, document observable behavior or direct quotes.
A manager casually mentions a child’s behavior issue in the hallway where parents are nearby. What’s the issue here?
What is it's a confidentiality breach — sensitive discussions must happen in private settings.
A sticky note that says “PASSWORD: 1234.” Shred or not to shred?
What is shred — and maybe rethink your life choices.
You see a form where the time of service is listed as 3:00 PM, but the staff member clocked out at 2:45 PM. What’s the issue?
What is potential time falsification — must be addressed with staff and corrected.
A staff member uses white-out on a document. What should be your response?
What is reject the document? — using white-out is not allowed.
The phrase “child acted out” appears on a form. What would make this clearer?
What is describe what the child actually did (e.g., “Child threw a toy across the room”).
You notice the sign-in sheet for parent-teacher conferences includes all children’s full names and appointment times. Is this okay?
What is no – appointment schedules should be kept private; full names shouldn’t be visible to other families.
A document labeled “Super Top Secret” but it’s actually just a doodle of a cat. Shred or not to shred?
What is up to you — but the cat might be offended.
A form says the service was delivered on 10/12, but the date next to the staff signature says 10/11. What’s wrong?
What is the dates don’t match — signature should come after or on the day of the service.
A staff member backdates a form to make it appear on time. What kind of violation is this?
What is falsification of documentation — a serious compliance issue.
You see “N/A” written in a box asking for a service date. What should the supervisor do?
What is follow up for clarification — “N/A” could mean “not provided,” “not applicable,” or “not answered.”
What's the difference between a need-to-know basis and want-to-know in documentation access?
What is “need-to-know” is based on role and responsibility; “want-to-know” is curiosity or personal interest, which violates confidentiality rules.
What’s the risk of shredding documents too early?
What is violating federal or grant retention rules, potential audit findings.
How should supervisors handle forms completed in pencil?
What is forms should always be completed in pen (usually blue or black). Supervisors should return any forms completed in pencil and request they be redone in pen.
A form has several strikeouts, initials, and notes in the margins. Is it acceptable?
What is it depends — if corrections are properly made, it’s valid; messy or unexplained changes may require redoing the form.
A service log states “home visit didn’t happen” and nothing else. What’s missing?
What is reason why it didn’t occur, if it was rescheduled, and what communication took place.
When can a child’s file be accessed without parent permission?
What is only by staff who are directly involved in the child’s care or education and are trained in confidentiality.
A coffee-stained attendance sheet where the names are no longer readable.
To shred - Confidentiality still counts, even if it smells like mocha.
What’s worse than no documentation?
What is fake documentation?
A site is repeatedly out of compliance. What is the supervisor's first step?
What is assess root cause, retrain, assign accountability, and follow up.
A parent comment is written as: “She said she’s mad that no one cares.” What’s a better way to document this?
What is use quotes and clarify context: Parent stated, “I feel like no one cares about my child’s needs.”