DELIVERING & RECEIVING FEEDBACK
Case Study 2
A child in your room was bitten by another child today and although it is always a difficult experience for all involved, you feel you and your team handled it well. You went immediately to the bitten child and your colleague grabbed an ice pack. You directed the trainee in the room to sit nearby the child who bit and monitor her until you could get there. The child who bit was hiding under the table and the trainee was sitting nearby in a non-threatening position. Once the child who was bitten was settled, you spent some time talking to the child who bit and explained that 'we don't bite, that hurts'.
Your colleague who grabbed the ice pack, filled out the accident form and informed the parent that for the second time this week, her child had been bitten. The parent asked who the child was and your colleague told her that she was not allowed to disclose this information. The parent asked to speak to the Director who explained the same thing offering reasoning regarding privacy. The parent became angry and yelled at the Director explained that she had heard from a staff member who works in another room that you are not doing anything to punish the child who keeps biting.
Your Director called you in to her office and explained what the parent had alleged and asked you if it was true. Then proceeded to list some things that you could be doing differently. These things were;
'you need to make sure you are watching her at all times or someone is watching her, assign a person to watch her'
'you have to make it clear to her that she is not to bite here at our preschool, straight after she does it - don't wait too long'
'you are to be the person to call this parent each time this happens, you can't keep getting Sally (colleague) to do it just because she has a relationship with her'.
You have to now return to your role faced with this situation and it is making you feel anxious.