Dropping off
If you intend to arrive at a different time from the contracted one, please let me know in advance. If you unexpectedly arrive early, I may not be ready to care for your child. If you are late, I may not be able to wait for you.
It is no problem if you want to drop off later/collect earlier than your contracted hours. However, you will still have to pay for your contracted hours. I will always be at home when a child is due to be dropped off or collected but outside these times, you may have to come to where we are. It is not fair for the other children to miss out on our regular groups or cut short an outing because your child will be dropped off late/collected early.
If you need to change your contracted hours, please discuss this with me.
Collection
It is important that you arrive at the contracted time to collect your child. Even very young children learn our routine and know when their parents are due. They can become distressed if you are late. I know sometimes delays are unavoidable, especially if you are relying on public transport. If you are delayed, for whatever reason please contact me and let me know when you expect to arrive. I will normally be able to accommodate the additional care; however, if I am unable, I will contact other adults from the authorised list and arrange for them to collect your child. I will reassure your child that you are on the way and if necessary organise additional activities.
If a child is not collected within 30 minutes and I have not heard from the parents, I will try contacting them, I will then try the emergency contact numbers. During this time, I will continue to look after the child. After one hour from the original agreed collection time, if I have not heard from the parents or emergency contact, I will contact the Local Authority duty social worker and follow their advice. In the case of a terrorist attack or National Emergency then this procedure will not be put into practice – please see separate policy.
If a parent is regularly more than fifteen minutes late collecting their child, they will be charged for an extra hour. No charge will be made for occasional late collection. Late fees will be charged at my discretion.
Who can collect the children?
The question of who can collect children from my home has been recorded in the contract. Those who are not named will not be able to pick up the child. If there is an emergency situation and a known person cannot pick up the child, then I would operate a password system and would appreciate (where possible) a photograph of the adult picking the child up.
If parents are divorced or separated, under the Children Act 1989 parents do not lose their rights of contact with their children unless a Court Order has been issued, therefore it is crucial that I am informed of this. I do not have the right to prevent a divorced parent from collecting their child if a Court Order is not in place.
If I suspect or know that a parent is likely to be violent or unfit to take the child, I am within my rights to keep the child until the other parent arrives. This is justified under Section 3(5) of the Children Act, which states that a person who has care of a child may ‘do what is reasonable in all circumstances of the case for the purpose of safeguarding the child’s welfare’.
Policy Created – 14.1.18
Reviewed Date – 1.1.2022