Arrivals, Departures, Late Collection & Missing Children
Aim
Our Club will give a warm and friendly welcome to each child on arrival and ensure that they depart safely at the end of each session.
It is the Managers responsibility to ensure that an accurate record is kept of all children in the Club, and that any arrival or departure to and from the premises is recorded in the register. The register will be kept in an accessible location at all times. This process will be supplemented by regular head counts during the day.
Records of daily registers should be kept by the Club for at least 3 years.
Arrivals
After School Club; Key stage 1 children will be collected from their classrooms in accordance with the register. Key stage 2 children will make their own way to the annex and record their own attendance on the register. The manager or a designated member of staff will check all children recorded on the register have arrived safely.
Departures
If the child is to be collected by someone other than the parent/carer, this must be indicated to a member of staff and recorded at the start of the session. The adult nominated to collect a child must be one of those named on the Admissions Form (see Appendix Four). Only adults – aged 16 years and over – and with suitable identification.
Under no circumstances can a child leave the club alone unless the child is over the age of 8 and there has been a written consent from the parent. Any children under the age of 8 will be allowed to leave the club alone.
No adult other than those named on the Admissions Form will be allowed to leave the Club with a child. In the event that someone else should arrive without prior knowledge, the Club will telephone the parent/carer immediately.
If the parent/carer or alternative nominated adult is going to be late to collect their child, staff must be informed. If the designated adult is late in picking up their child without prior warning, the provisions of the Uncollected Children policy will be activated.
Upon departure, the register will be signed and timed by parents to show that the child has left.
Absences
If a child is absent without explanation, staff will contact the parents/carers to try to ascertain the reasons behind this.
Uncollected Children
Our Club has the highest regard for the safety of the children in our care – from the moment they arrive to the moment that they leave.
At the end of every session, the Club will ensure that all children are collected by a parent, carer or designated adult, in accordance with the Arrivals and Departures policy. If for some reason a child is not collected at the end of a session, the following procedures will be activated.
Child Left Behind Procedure
If a child/ren is still on the premises fifteen minutes after the session booked, contact will be made with the parents/carers using the contact phone numbers on the application/booking form. The child will be supervised by a member of management and another member of staff. Messages will always be left on any answer-phone requesting a prompt reply.
If the adult collecting the child/ren assures management that they will be on site within half an hour the child/ren will stay with the two members of staff. The parent/carer will be advised that costs are liable.
If the parent/carer advises that they are unable to reach site within half an hour they will be asked to make arrangements for their child/ren to be collected. Once these arrangements have been made the adult will confirm with management the name of the adult collecting the children.
If management are unable to make contact with any of the emergency contact numbers on the application/booking form, two members of staff will wait with the child/ren for half an hour. Contact will then be made with the Police and social services. A notice will be posted on the gate informing the parents what action has been taken. Management will continue to try and contact the emergency contacts.
If it is not possible for the child to remain at the Club’s premises, a note will be left on the door of the Club informing the child’s parent or carer where the child has been taken (e.g. to the home of a staff member or into the care of a safeguarding agency) and leaving a contact number. A. further message will be left on the parent or carers telephone explaining events
Missing Children
Our Club has the highest regard for the safety of the children in our care. Staff will always be extremely aware of the potential for children to go missing during sessions.
Even when all precautions are properly observed, emergencies can still arise. Therefore members of staff will undertake periodic head counts, especially at the transition points between sessions (in addition to the registration procedures set out in the Arrival and Departures policy). If for any reason a member of staff cannot account for a child’s whereabouts during a session at the Club, the following procedure will be activated:
After School Club
Key Stage 1; The children are collected from their teacher. If the class teacher informs us the child has already left the premises with another adult parents/carers will be notified by phone.
Key Stage 2; If a child fails to arrive, an initial search will be made of the school premises and contact made with teaching staff. If the child is not found, contact will be made by phone with the parents/carer. If the parent is unaware of the child’s whereabouts the following procedure will be activated:
- The member of staff in question will inform both the Manager and the rest of the staff team that the child is missing and a thorough search of the entire premises will commence. The staff team will be careful not to create an atmosphere of panic and to ensure that the other children remain safe and adequately supervised.
- The Manager will nominate two members of staff, to search the area surrounding the premises up and down Stockers Farm Road. All staff will be extra vigilant to any potentially suspicious behavior or persons in and around the Club.
- If after 15 minutes of thorough searching the child is still missing, the Manager will inform the police and then the child’s parent/carer.
- While waiting for the police and the parent/carer to arrive, searches for the child will continue. During this period, other members of staff will maintain as normal a routine as is possible for the rest of the children at the Club.
- The Manager will be responsible for meeting the police and the missing child’s parent/carer. The Manager will coordinate any actions instructed by the police, and do all they can do to comfort and reassure the parents/carers.
- Once the incident is resolved, the Manager and the staff team will review relevant policies and procedures and implement any necessary changes (paying particular note to the relevant provisions of the Club’s Site Security and Risk Assessment policies).
- All incidents of children going missing from the Club will be recorded in the Incident Record Book, and in cases where either the police or social services have been informed, Ofsted will also be informed, as soon as is practicable.
Arrivals, Departures, Late Collection & Missing Children Policy underlines our commitment to the EYFS Theme of A Unique Child, Positive Relationships – Respecting Others, and the Welfare Requirements of the Statutory Framework.
We are also committed to safeguarding children and to promote children’s welfare.