Lost and Missing Child Procedure
The safety and well-being of your child is paramount and we always ensure that we have plans, procedures and risk assessments in place to keep the children safe. We will keep the children close to us and make careful plans to manage new or unfamiliar situations and circumstances.
However children can become ‘lost’ or separated in busy places and therefore, despite the fact that this rarely happens, as responsible childminders we have a carefully thought through procedure that will be followed in the unlikely event of this happening.
- We will immediately raise the alarm to those around us that we have lost a child and enlist the help of everyone to look for them
- If it is a secure area such as a shopping centre, we will quickly alert the security staff, so they can seal off exits and monitor the situation on any CCTV
- We will provide everyone involved in the search with a description of the child.
- We will reassure the other children with us, as they may be distressed
- We will then alert the police after 2 minutes and provide a full description
- We will then alert the parents of the situation
- We will document all incidents in our Accident and Incident Folder.
- We will inform Ofsted within 14 days of any child being lost.
We take precautions to avoid situations like this happening by implementing the following measures:
- Ensuring the children hold our hand or the pushchair whilst we are out
- Use wrist harnesses or walking harnesses where appropriate
- Avoid going to places that are overcrowded and busy
- On outings the children wear wristbands with our mobile number on them
- Talk to the children about what to do if they think they are separated from their adult, to stand still and shout for help.
- To agree obvious and clear places to stand / wait/ meet should they get separated
- To teach the children about good strangers, and talk about the dangers of wandering off and of talking to bad strangers.
If a child is not collected…
- If a child is not collected within 30 minutes and we have not been contacted, we will try to contact the parents.
- We will then try the emergency contact numbers. We will continue to look after the child.
- After 1 hour from the original agreed collection time, if we have not heard from the parents or emergency contact, we will contact children’s services and follow their advice.
- In the case of a National Emergency then this procedure will not be put into practice – please see separate policy.
- We will document all incidents of none or late collection in our Safeguarding and Incident folder.
If a child does not arrive at our setting from school…
Sometimes older children perhaps in year 6 at school may walk to and from school independently in line with school policy. We would have an agreed arrival time for children who do this. If this child does not arrive at our setting up to 15 after the agreed time:
Sometimes older children perhaps in year 6 at school may walk to and from school independently in line with school policy. We would have an agreed arrival time for children who do this. If this child does not arrive at our setting up to 15 after the agreed time:
- We will ensure that we have appropriate contact details for the school.
- We will contact school to check that the child was at school that day.
- We will contact the parents to see if they have been collected without our knowledge.
- We will alert the parent that they have not arrived at our setting.
- We will contact the police with a clear description.
- We will work in partnership with the parents, school and police in co-ordinating a safe return.
- We will record this in our Safeguarding and Incident folder.
- We will inform Ofsted within 14 days.
If a child is not at school/nursery when we arrive to pick them up…
- We will contact school to check that the child was at school that day.
- We will contact the parents to see if they have been collected without our knowledge.
- We will check to see who picked them up, only people with permission should do so.
- We will alert the parent to ensure that they inform us of any change to the routine, or we will inform them that they are not at school and have been picked up.
- We will contact the police after 2 minutes with a clear description.
- We will work in partnership with the parents, school and police in co-ordinating a safe return.
- We will document the incident in our Safeguarding and Incident folder.
- We will inform Ofsted within 14 days.
Date: December 2017
Signed: AOkane Date: 30.12.17
Signed: MOKane Date: 30.12.17
Signed: AOkane Date: 30.12.17
Signed: MOKane Date: 30.12.17