Creating Forms

Forms are an essential tool for documenting incidents, observations, assessments, and other important information about children in your care. The mobile app provides an integrated form system that allows staff to create, complete, and manage forms directly from the register.

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Accessing Forms from the Register

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Prerequisites

• Your nursery administrator must set the form’s Staff access to Create and send to parents or Create – manager approves before sending. See Staff access.

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Opening the Forms Interface

1. Navigate to the Register tab in the mobile app
2. Locate the child you need to create a form for
3. Look for the document icon (forms button) next to their attendance controls
4. Tap the forms button to open the form selection screen

If no children are on the register that day, the register shows No Attendees with a Create Form button. Tap it and choose the child, and the form selection screen opens.

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Creating a Form for a Child

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Form Selection Screen

When you tap the forms button, the Form Selection screen opens showing: Today’s Forms Section:

• Lists any forms already started for this child on the selected date
• Shows form name and current status (Draft, Completed, etc.)
• Tap to continue editing or reviewing existing forms

Create New Form Section:

• Lists all available form types configured for register use
• Shows form names and descriptions
• Tap to create a new form assignment

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Editing and Saving Forms

When you click on a form the form editing dialog appears. Here you can fill in any form details. When you have finished with a form, you have two buttons at the bottom of the form. The second button changes depending on whether the form needs a manager’s approval.

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Save

Use the Save button to:

• Store current progress without completing the form
• Continue editing later
• Preserve data if you need to leave the form

When to use Save:

• Need more information before completing
• Want to discuss with colleagues
• Time constraints prevent immediate completion
• Waiting for additional information

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Save & Send

Use Save & Send to:

• Save the current form state
• Automatically notify parents/guardians that there is a form available for them to complete

Process:

1. Tap “Save & Send” button
2. Confirm action in popup dialog
3. Form saves and notification is sent
4. Parents receive notification of new form activity

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Save & Submit (forms that need approval)

Some forms, such as accident records, have to be checked by a manager before parents see them. On these forms, Save & Send is replaced by Save & Submit.

1. Fill in the form. You can leave the manager’s signature blank. Some questions, such as Recorded by, may have to be answered before you can submit.
2. Tap Save & Submit, then Submit to confirm.
3. The form’s status changes to Awaiting Approval, and your managers are emailed.

Once a manager approves it, the form is sent to the parents automatically.

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Signing with your saved signature

Tap Use my signature under a staff signature box to add your saved signature and name, instead of drawing it. The first signature you save on a form, in the app or on the web, is kept for next time. See Signing with your saved signature for how to change or delete it.

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Suggestions for your writing

On forms with writing rules, the app checks your answers when you tap Save & Send, Save & Submit or Approve & Send. If an answer could be tidied up, you’ll see a short reason under the question and a suggested rewrite with a Fix button under the answer. Tap Fix, Fix all or Undo fix, or Proceed anyway to send it as you wrote it. Once everything is fixed, tap Continue to carry on. It works just like the web; see When Pigeonhole suggests tidying your writing.

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Forms sent back to you

If a manager sends a form back for changes, you’ll see a notification when you sign in or switch to yourself, and a forms need changes card on the home screen. This works even if you have no email address and only sign in with a PIN.

1. Tap the card to open the Needs changes list. Each form shows the manager’s note.
   
2. Tap the form. The note is at the top, under Changes requested.
   
3. Make the changes and tap Save & Submit, then Submit. The form goes back to your managers and leaves the list.

See When a manager sends a form back for how the same thing looks on the web.

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Approve & Send (managers and form approvers)

If you’re a manager or have the Form Approver role, you see Approve & Send on forms that need approval. You’ll also see a forms awaiting approval card on the home screen when any are waiting. Tap it to see the list.

1. Open the form and check it. Add your signature if the form asks for one; Use my signature adds your saved one.
2. Tap Approve & Send, then confirm. If the form has writing rules, you may see suggestions first.
3. Enter your PIN if the app asks for it. This records you as the approver on a shared device.

The form is sent to the parents. If there’s nothing for them to fill in, it’s completed and they’re emailed a copy. See Approving Forms. If something needs changing instead, tap Send Back for Changes, write a note saying what needs changing, and tap Send back. As with approving, the app may ask for your PIN first. The form goes back to the person who raised it.

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Required fields

Before a form can be sent or approved:

• All required staff fields must be completed
• Signatures must be captured where required

Save & Submit is the exception. You can submit a form with some required staff fields still empty, such as a signature that only a manager can add. The manager fills them in before approving. Questions your managers have marked as needed to submit for approval still have to be answered first.