P18.POLICY ON AUTHORISATION TO COLLECT CHILDREN

1. RATIONALE AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

The Policy on Authorisation to Collect Children must specify the rules of the service in relation to collecting children attending the service.

The purpose of this policy is:

·         To ensure the welfare and safety of the children in the service.

·         To encourage all parents/guardians or their assigned carers to come for their children on time.

·         To ensure children are returned safely into the care of their parents/guardians or their nominated carers.

·         In cases where a parent/guardian/carer does not arrive on time for their child at the end of their session/closing time, to ensure that the child is cared for safely by at least one competent staff member who is known to the child.

·         To support staff members in handling challenging or exceptional circumstances related to the children leaving the setting daily.

·         To ensure that children are received into the service safely and securely, and that parents/guardians/carers make direct contact with the appropriate staff members on arrival each day with their child.

Legislation and regulatory requirements

·         Regulation 10 of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 requires that a policy relating to ‘Authorisation to Collect Children’ is written and implemented

·         Regulation 24 of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 requires that children are checked into and out of the service on a daily basis and that a written record of this is kept.

Children need:

·         To feel safe and secure when they arrive at the setting and when they leave the setting.

·         The adult who takes them to the service to make direct contact with their key person and share any information that might help them to feel comfortable and engage well in their day at the service.

·         To know who will come for them at the end of each session/day and that they will not be allowed to leave with anyone they don’t know or anyone who is not old enough to take responsibility for them.

·         Their parents/guardians and the staff in the service to communicate positively with each other and make decisions and arrangements for their transitions from one setting to another that are in their best interests.

Parents/Guardians’ needs

·         To know the procedure for safely and securely leaving their child in the care of an appropriate staff team member (where reasonably possible, the child’s key person) each day

·         To be confident that no person, other than a parent or guardian, who has not been nominated by them (in person or in writing) will be allowed to take their child from the service

·         The service staff team to be very clear, and also to provide very clear information to them, regarding who is entitled to make decisions about who can take their child from the setting.

·         Clear information on what the procedures are for any changes to arrangements and/or authorisations agreed on enrolment.

All Staff members need:

·         To be very clear on the service’s policy and to have very clear written guidance on how children should be received into the setting.

·         Absolute clarity on who children can leave the setting with, to ensure that children’s safety and welfare is prioritised at all times. This requires specific information about who a child’s parent(s)/guardian(s) are and any person who has been nominated by a child’s parent/guardian as a person who is allowed to take the child out of the care of the service.

·         Clear procedures on how people authorised/nominated by parents/guardians are to be identified where they are unfamiliar.

Management needs

·         To ensure that the requirement to have a policy on ‘Authorisation to Collect Children’ is met.

·         To ensure that children’s safety and welfare are always a priority.

·         This policy to ensure that everyone in the staff team is absolutely clear on what the service requires and what the procedures are for children’s safe and secure reception into the setting as well as their safe return to their parents’/guardians’ care at the end of each day.

·         To ensure that this policy is made clear to parents/guardians.

·         To ensure that decisions can only be made by the child’s parents or legal guardians.

·         To ensure that all staff members know how to identify which persons can or cannot take a child from the service

·         To ensure that persons other than parents/guardians have been nominated by the child’s parents/guardians

·         To ensure that children are protected where there is any dispute and/or any concern for their welfare.

National Quality Frameworks

·         Tusla Quality and Regulatory Framework

·         Síolta: The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education

·         Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework

Definitions/Glossary

LEGAL GUARDIAN IN IRELAND

A person who has a duty to maintain and properly care for a child and has a right to make decisions about the child's religious and secular education, health requirements and general welfare. Legal guardianship and custody can be held jointly between parents or solely by one. Legal guardianship can also be held by persons other than parents in certain circumstances. In addition, all rights to custody of a child can be changed by a Court Order (see Guardianship of Infants Act, 1964)

CUSTODY

Custody is the right of a parent to exercise physical care and control in respect of the upbringing of his or her child on a day-to-day basis. The married parents of a child are automatically joint guardians and custodians of their child. Unmarried parents may be or may not be joint guardians depending on conditions defined by the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 brought about some changes to the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 regarding the rights of unmarried fathers (Citizens Information, 2020)

For further information about guardianship, please see Appendix A.

3. POLICY STATEMENT

The Children First Act 2015, Article 10, requires that a provider of a relevant service shall ensure, as far as practicable, that each child availing of the service from the provider is safe from harm while availing of that service. In this regard Play Together Crèche will always act in the child’s best interest. In the case of a nominated carer who is not a guardian, the parent/guardian should be contacted immediately.

This policy on Authorisation to Collect Children is updated as often as necessary. Play Together Crèche is committed to ensuring the safety and care of the children upon arriving and leaving the service. This includes where parents/guardians or their nominated carers fail to come for their child on time, or arrive for a child in what appears to be an unfit state.

All Parents/employees must follow the collections and arrivals policy and procedure. All appropriate measures will be taken to protect children in keeping with our Child Safeguarding Statement and Policy and we will do our best to support parents.

Play Together crèche ensures that children transition safely into the service, parents/ guardians or their nominated carers must ensure that they make direct contact with an appropriate member of staff on arrival, and share any information that is relevant to the child’s care, wellbeing and development for the day/session.

Adequate supervision is provided to ensure that no one can remove a child from the service without at least one staff member’s knowledge and a record being kept. These rules are clearly set out for parents/guardians at enrollment.

On enrollment, information must be obtained by the service about:

·         Child’s own details such as date of birth, home address,

·         Who the child’s guardians are and their contact details

·         Names, addresses and telephone numbers of anyone, other than a guardian and nominated emergency contact person (up to 4), who is authorised by the legal parent/guardian to take the child from the service.

·         Family doctor name, address and telephone number must be included in an emergency case.

Persons who have not been named in the enrollment form by the parent/guardian must:

·         Have a dated note from the parent/guardian allowing the child to leave with them

·         Present photo identification such as Driver Licence or Passport.

The parent/guardian must also have confirmed this arrangement with the service by phone or in person beforehand.

·         On returning daily to take their child out of the service, parents/guardians or their nominated carers are encouraged to meet with their child’s Key Person to be given information on how the child has got on during the session/day and any on significant events, experiences or incidents involving or relevant to the child. If parents cannot attend in person and wish to be given the information directly, this can be arranged with their child’s Key Person.

A custodial parent has the right to request that the service does not allow another parent to visit or call for the child, provided that the custodial parent makes the request in writing and shows the provider a dated letter from a solicitor confirming the existence of a certified copy of the relevant Court Order.

Only a Court can limit the guardianship rights of parents even where they have separated or divorced.

4. PROCEDURES & PRACTICES

Collection Rules and Procedure

·         Parents/guardians must collect their child by the agreed collection time.

·         Parents will be asked to give the names of at least two other people who are authorised to collect the child.

·         If the parent is late arriving to collect the child the Manager will endeavour to contact the parent.

·         In the event of being unable to contact the parent the Manager will contact the other named persons to collect the child.

·         Children will not be released into the care of a person under the age of 18 years or to a person who appears to be incapable of caring for the child. Should this situation arise the staff will contact an authorised collector. If no one is available to collect the child then the staff will need to contact the TUSLA social work child protection team.

·         At Play Together Crèche we ask that parents do not collect their child from the service while under the influence of alcohol. This can lead to embarrassment and worry within the team. If parents feel that this situation may arise they should arrange for an authorised collector to collect their child (see next Procedure)

Authorized collector or emergency collection of the child:

·         Children can be collected only by the adult/s named on the enrollment form (in emergency situation phone call from parents or text necessary with name, phone number and relationship to the child)

   We let the child leave the creche with authorized collector or new emergency person only after checking all the data of the person (name, phone number, relationship to the child) and the most important we see that the child feels comfortable with that person.

·        Please ensure that you park safely and do not cause an obstruction, even for a very short time.

·         In the event of a parent collecting another fellow child a prior arrangement must be made.

 

  In order to comply with childcare legislation which determines the staff/child ratios and in the best interest of the children (children can become distressed when no-one comes for them when all the others have been collected) it is important that children are collected on time from the service.

Attendance

It is essential to the efficient running of the service that you inform the Manager or any other member of Play Together Crèche staff if your child is unable to attend the service within an hour of your child’s normal start time and follow up with a telephone call to inform the service when the child will be returning. A register of the times and days that children attend is kept.

Arrivals

·         Register your child on arrival with a member of staff.

·         Support your child to remove coats and shoes.

·         Please ensure that all external doors are securely closed for the safety of all the children when you leave.

·         If a child will not be attending, we request that parents advise us.

Late Collection of Children

At Play Together Crèche, we quite understand that sometimes a parent is unavoidably delayed when coming to collect their child. We will ensure that the child receives a high standard of care, so to cause as little distress as possible. Parents in this situation must contact the Manager to say that they will be late and arrange with staff what to do. Children are only released from Play Together Crèche to individuals named by the parent. If a child is left after 6 o’clock the staff will try to contact parents/guardians. If all attempts are unsuccessful and the child is still here after 6.30 pm the staff will contact the Gardai.

Late Collection fee

·         Parents will be reminded of the policy when picking the child up late for the first time

·         On the first occurrence, a reminder letter is to be issued to the parent about late collection procedures, and no fees charged.

·         Parents will be asked to sign the late collection form.

·         Subsequent late accidents will incur a fine. A late fee (€5 per each 10 minutes) will be charged per child if they are not collected within their booked hours. The late fees are as follows:

    5 minutes: free of charge

    6 - 10 minutes: € 5

    11- 20 minutes: € 10

    21-30 minutes: € 20

    …and so on at 10 minutes interval

·         Please remember that, if the child has not yet been collected and the parent could not be contacted after 6:30 pm, the staff will contact the Garda, fine notwithstanding.

·         Payment must be made with monthly fee.

Early Collection of Children

We ask that parents let us know if you will be picking up your child early so that we can have the child ready for you and to minimize disrupting the rest of the group.

Separated, Unmarried and Divorced Parents

Married parents are automatically joint guardians of their children. Neither separation nor divorce change this.

·         We cannot refuse either parent to collect their child unless a court order is in place.

·         We ask that parents give us information on any person that does not have legal access to the child.

·         Where custody of a child is granted to one parent, we will ask the parent to clarify the circumstances with us. This information will remain confidential and will only be made known to the relevant staff. If there are any legal documents (e.g. custody order, barring order) we will ask the parent with right to custody to provide us with a copy to keep on file.

Record keeping

All records relating to arrangements for collecting children will be kept for two years following the date that the child leaves the service for good.

5. Communication Plan

All parents/guardians are informed of the Policy on enrolment. Management check with parents/guardians that they have read and understood the policy and provide any assistance needed.

A summary of this policy is included in the Parents’/guardians’ Handbook. This policy will also be included in staff induction and annual staff training.

A copy of all policies will be available during all hours of operation to all staff and to parents/guardians in the Policy Folder located on Play Together Creche’s website at www.playtogethergalway.com

Policies are shared with all parents/guardians via email.

Parents/guardians may receive a copy of the full policy at any time upon request.

Parents/guardians and staff will receive notification of any updates through Play together Creche’s official communication panel.

6. Related Policies, Procedures and Forms

·         Admissions Policy

·         Partnership with Parents and Carers Policy

·         Confidentiality Policy

·         Record Keeping Policy

·         Settling in Policy

·         Interactions and Communication Policy

·         Enrolment Forms

·         Accident and Incident Recording Forms

·         Appendix A: Information on some aspects of Guardianship and Custody

·         Appendix B: Form for Nominating a person for collection of a child

7.References/Supporting Documents/Related Legislation

·         Tusla Quality and Regulatory Framework

·         Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016

·         Guardianship of Infants Act 1964

·         Children and Family Relationships Act 2015

·         Children First Act 2015

·         Síolta: The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education

·         Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017

·         The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

·         Citizens Information (2020) Legal Guardianship and Cohabiting Couples

8. Who Must Observe This Policy

This policy must be observed by all managers and staff members.

Parents/guardians need to comply with relevant legislation cited above.

Parents/guardians also have an important role in ensuring the safety of children in their care through complying with this policy and collaborating with Play Together Crèche towards its implementation.

9. Actions to be Followed if the Policy is not Implemented

If the policy is not implemented, investigation will be taken by Manager/Owner (Iwona Sawicka).

If you, as a Staff member or a parent, consider that this policy is not being implemented, you can follow the Complaints Policy and Procedure to make a complaint.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, please look at our updated policy in section Re-Opening COVID-19.

10. Contact Information

If you need more information about this policy, contact:

Name	Iwona Sawicka
Phone number or email	0833187143 091/458167 or 091/458999

11. Policy Created    

Date this policy was created

March 2016

12. Signatures

	Name and position	Signature
Approved by	Iwona Sawicka

13. Review Date

Reviewed	March 2017	Iwona Sawicka
Reviewed	March 2018	Iwona Sawicka
Reviewed	March 2019	Iwona Sawicka
Reviewed and updated	March 2020	Iwona Sawicka

Staff signatures

Date this policy was reviewed	March 2017	March 2018	March 2019	March 2020
Staff signature to confirm they had read this policy after revision/update

NEXT Review Date

Date this policy will be reviewed

March 2021