Ladybird Pre-School Nursery has procedures and documentation in place to ensure that parents/carers, or those responsible adults collecting children, are fully informed of our session periods and opening and closing times.
In the event that a child is not collected by an authorised adult at the end of a session, the Nursery puts into practice agreed procedures. These ensure the child is cared for safely by a minimum of two members of staff who one of which will hold a minimum level 3 childcare qualification or equivalent and who are known to the child.
Procedures
- Parents/carers of children starting at the Nursery are asked to provide the following specific information which is recorded on the child’s registration form:
- Parents/carers home contact numbers.
- Parents/carers work contact numbers.
- Mobile telephone numbers.
- Contact details of adults and their relationship to the child who are authorised by the parents/carers to collect their child from the Nursery, e.g. a grandparent or childminder. The parent/carer also records an agreed password against each adult’s name.
- Who has parental responsibility for the child.
- Information about any person who does not have legal access to the child.
- On occasions when parents/carers are aware that they will not be at home or in their usual place of work, they must inform us of how they can be contacted.
- Parents/carers are expected to update key contact details when changes to contact details occur.
- On those occasions when parents/carers or the authorised persons are unable to collect the child then they will provide us with details of the name, address, telephone number and agreed password of the person who will be collecting their child.
- In the unlikely event that a parent/carer is stuck in traffic or has been unexpectedly delayed, they are asked to contact us immediately. If no message is received, the procedure below for failing to collect a child will be followed after ten minutes:
Procedure to follow for late collection of a child
- The child’s file and register is checked for any information about changes to the normal collection routines.
- If no information is available, parents/carers are telephoned on their contact numbers.
- If this is unsuccessful, the adults who are authorised by the parents/carers to collect their child from the Nursery – and whose telephone numbers are recorded on their child’s Registration form – are contacted.
- All reasonable attempts are made to contact the parents or nominated carers.
- The child does not leave the premises with anyone other than those named on the Registration Form or in their file.
- If no-one collects the child after one hour and there is no-one who can be contacted to collect the child, we apply the following procedures for uncollected children.
Procedure to follow for an uncollected child
- The North Norfolk Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS)
0344 800 8021 8am – 8pm
0344 800 8020 8pm – 8am out of hours
- The child stays at Nursery in the care of two staff members until the child is safely collected either by the parents/carers or by a social care worker.
- Social Care will aim to find the parent/carer or relative. If they unable to do so, the child will become looked after by Norfolk Local Authority.
- Under no circumstances will staff members go to look for the parents/carers, nor take the child home with them.
- A full written report of the incident is recorded in the child’s file.
- Depending on the circumstances, Ladybird Pre-School Nursery reserves the right to charge parents/carers for the additional hours worked by our staff.
- We may make a telephone call to Norfolk’s Early Years Help Line for advice or to inform them.
Norfolk Early Years Advice line 01603 222300
- Ofsted may be informed.
Ofsted enquires line 0300 123 1231
