HSCS: 3.1, 3.6, 3.7, 3.9, 3.11, 3.16, 3.25, 4.8, 4.27, 5.17
At Willow Den we give a warm welcome to every child and family on their arrival and goodbye on departure, as well as ensuring the safety of children and parent/carers.
Drop Off Procedure for Children being dropped off at Nursery
| 1 | All pick ups and drop offs should be through the main gate where families should wait until a member of the ELC team can let them in and greet them. |
| 2 | A member of the early years team will welcome children and oversee the drop off process. Parents/carers can accompany children to their peg to hang their belongings and get ready for the day, before a staff member will let them out of the main gate. Staff will always, where practicable, offer support to families, for example, if a child is upset and would prefer to be handed over to a particular staff member. |
| 3 | The staff member receiving the child immediately records his/her arrival in the daily attendance register. We do this via the online nursery management system. |
| 4 | Staff must record the time of the child’s arrival; this is logged by the member of staff welcoming the child. The staff member communicates with the parents/carers about any information they wish to share and records important information in the child’s personal care plan. Information is shared between team members verbally. |
| 5 | If the child presents with a sign of injury e.g. a bump on the head, this will be logged on the online nursery management system and sent to the parent for signing in the same way as an accident on the premises. |
Medication
If the parent requests the child to be given medicine during the day the staff member must ensure that the medication procedure is followed.
Pick Up Procedure for Children being collected from Nursery
If the child is to be collected by someone who is not the parent at the end of the session, there is an agreed procedure that must be followed to identify the designated person.
| 1. | All pick ups should be at the main gate where parents/designated adult should ring the bell to let staff know they are there for a staff member to let them in. |
| 2. | A password, provided by the parents on the Registration Form, is required for the designated adult. Parents are informed about these arrangements and reminded about them regularly. Other than the parent/s or legal guardian of the child, we do not allow anyone under the age of 18 to collect a child from nursery. If anyone reasonably believed to be under the age of 18 arrives to collect the child, the parent/carer will be contacted. |
| 3. | The nursery will not release a child to anyone other than the known parent unless an agreement has been made in advance of the time of arrival. ELC staff will ask for the collection password which should have been supplied by the parent/carer in the Registration Form. |
| 4. | In the case of any emergency such as a parent being delayed and arranging for a designated adult to collect a child, the parent should inform the designated person of the agreed procedure and contact the nursery about the arrangements as soon as possible. If in any doubt the nursery will check the person’s identity by ringing the child’s parent or their emergency contact number. |
| 5. | A short update will be given by the ELC team at pickup. If a parent/carer wishes to discuss the child’s progress in more detail, the ELC team will make sure to plan a suitable time to have that discussion. |
| 6. | The parent should be told about any accidents or incidents and the appropriate records must be signed by the parent before departure. |
| 7. | Where applicable, all medicines should be recovered from the medicine box/fridge after the parent has arrived and handed to them personally. The medication policy is to be followed regarding parental signature. |
| 8. | On departure, the staff member releasing the child must sign the child out on the online register immediately. |
| 9. | In the unlikely event that someone gains unauthorized access to the premises and it feels safe to do so, a member of staff will ask the person what the purpose of their visit is. If needed our lockdown procedure will be initiated by staff and the police will be called. (Refer to lockdown procedures in Emergency Evacuation Procedures). In any cases where someone has gained unauthorized access to the premises, we will revisit our arrivals and departures procedures and risk assessment. |
Adults arriving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Willow Den is committed to safeguarding the welfare of every child in our care. A child will not be hand over to any adult who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In such circumstances, another named adult listed on the child’s registration form will be contacted to collect the child.
If no suitable adult can be reached, or if staff have concerns about the child’s safety or wellbeing, the procedures outlined in the Child Protection Policy will be followed.
