Signing Out

[sandie]

can anyone help me on this one please? At what time do the children cease to be our responsibility - when the parent comes in and takes them or when they actually leave the premises? Also is this up to the setting or a legal requirement? We last week had a child who ran straight out and across the road - thankfully an empty road - he had already been passed to mum but it gave us all a fright and we are considering ways of tackling this Thank you

[Guest]

Hi

Our sessions finish at 11.45am and 3.00pm - this is when the child ceases to be our responsibility (unless of course a parent hasn't arrived for the child)Parents are made aware of the times of their responsibility for their own child prior to the child starting. Once the session has finished and the parent has taken their child - I would assume you are no longer responsible?

[Guest]

I would say Sandie that once they have been passed over to parents they are their responsibility. We do tell children to wait for parents who are perhaps chatting and tell them not to climb on the wall outside. But, if you have handed them over then you can't be expected to be watching them all the time.

All, I can suggest is that you have a circle time with the children and point out the dangers of running off and not waiting for mum or dad. You could talk about road safety in general and perhaps have some role play.

Linda

[aan]

hi

we have had a similar thing happen to us,

we now bring the parents altogether into the main room and have a member of staff on our main door making sure each child is not leaving with out the person collecting them. i feel sure that once they are out of that door it is the parents responsibility.

That could then be written in your signing out policy?

[Annie-pops]

Hi - we have a similar policy to aan. A member of staff stays on the door at all times that the door is open. No child is allowed past the door unless they are closely under the supervision of an adult (generally holding hands/ depends on child concerned!!), once they have passed through the door, ultimate responsibility for their safety lies with the parent/ person collecting

[hali]

yep we do the same

[sandie]

Thank you for your replies. we do have someone on the door but this child jumped off his buggy board while in the queue in the corridor, ran between legs and buggies, past the door person so quickly...it was scary.

[Cally]

We have a member of staff on the door making sure every child leaves with the adult collecting them. As far as being out of our care, we ask parents to sign their child out when they leave the building, and once we have their signature, the child is no longer our responsibility. We have had to explain this to parents as some have got in to the habit of signing their child out when they (the parents) come IN the door to collect a child (saves time....apparently!) But, having a staff member at the door is the best way of checking who comes and goes at the end of a session.

 

Cally