Woodlands - Delivery and Collection of Children Policy
To ensure the safe delivery and collection of each child as per the arrangements on each child's enrolment form.
Woodlands acknowledges that families who are separated cannot deny another legal parent access their child at Woodlands unless there is a court order in place.
National Quality Standard (NQS)
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Quality Area 2: Children’s Health and Safety |
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2.1.1 |
Wellbeing and comfort |
Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s needs for sleep, rest and relaxation |
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2.2 |
Safety |
Each child is protected |
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2.2.1 |
Supervision |
At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard |
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2.2.2 |
Incident and emergency management |
Plans to effectively manage incidents and emergencies are developed in consultation with relevant authorities, practiced and implemented |
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2.2.3 |
Child Protection |
Management, educators and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities to identify and respond to every child at risk of abuse or neglect |
Education and Care Services National Regulations
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Children (Education and Care Services) National Law NSW |
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99 |
Delivery and collection of children |
Related Policies
Purpose
Woodland aims to ensure the protection and safety of all children, staff members and families accessing the service. Our educators will only release a child/ren to an authorised person verified on the individual child's enrolment form and/or when a legal parent/guardian has completed our "Woodlands Collection Authority Form" https://airtable.com/shrRb6RJMCzaCXqlK giving authorised permission for a person to collect their child/ren. Families are required to sign their child/ren in each morning and out each afternoon using the QR code on the Xplor Home App.
Scope
This policy applies to children, families, staff, management and visitors of Woodlands.
Implementation
Guidelines for delivery and collection of children are put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of each individual child.
Arrival
- In order for children to feel secure and safe, it is important that children and families are greeted upon arrival by a member of staff and have the chance to say goodbye to the person delivering them. Saying goodbye helps to build trust. Leaving without saying goodbye could cause the child to think they have been left behind.
- All children need to be signed in by the person responsible for verifying the accuracy of the record. This will include the time and parents name. It is important that families also advise staff who will be collecting the child/children.
- Families will be reminded before leaving the service to sign their child/children into Woodlands.
- Should families forget to sign their child/children in, National Regulations requires the nominated supervisor to sign the child in and out.
- Children are to be sighted by an educator before the parent or person responsible for the child leaves. This ensures that the educator is aware that your child/ren has arrived and is in the building.
- A child’s medication or any other information should be passed on to one of your child’s educators by the person delivering the child.
- A locker or shelf space will be made available to children and their families.
- In the case of a separated family, either biological parent is able to add a contact in writing unless a court order is provided to the nominated supervisor stating that one parent has sole custody and responsibility.
- In the case of an emergency, where the parent or a previously authorised contact is unable to collect the child, the parent or person responsible for the child (as listed on enrolment form as having a parenting role) may telephone the service and arrange an alternative person to pick up the child. Our collection authority form will be sent via text message to the parent or person responsible to complete prior to picking up a child/ren from Woodlands.
Departure
- Parents/guardians are to advise their child/ren's educator if someone different is picking up their child, both verbally and via email. This person is to be named on the enrolment form or added in writing to management as an authorised contact for the child. Our collection authority form https://woodlandelc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/900001707186 will be sent via text message to the parent or person responsible to complete prior to picking up a child/ren from Woodlands.
- Photo identification (drivers license or similar that contains the persons full name, address and a photo) will need to be sighted by management or an educator to be cross-checked with the information provided on the collection authority form. If management or educators cannot verify the person’s identity they may be unable to release the child/ren into that person’s care.
- All children must be signed out by their parent or person who collects the child from our Service using the QR code on the Xplor Home App. If the parent or other person forgets to sign the child out they will be signed out by the nominated supervisor.
- No child will be withheld from an authorised contact or biological parent named on the enrolment form unless a current court order is on file.
- All children will need to be signed out using the QR code on the Xplor Home App.
- Parents are requested to arrive to collect their child/children by 6:30pm.
- In the case of a particular person being denied access to a child/ren, the service requires written notice from a court of law. Our educators will attempt to prevent that person from entering the service and taking the child, however, the safety of the educator is also important and they will not be expected to physically prevent any person from leaving the service. In this case, the parent with custody will be contacted along with the local police. The court order overrules any requests made by parents to adapt or make changes. For the protection of the children and educators, parents are asked not to give our front door code to anyone other than those absolutely necessary.
- Nominated supervisors will ensure that the authorised nominee pick-up list for each child is kept up to date. It is our policy that we do not allow anyone under the age of 16 to collect children.
- If the person collecting the child appears to be intoxicated, or under the influence of drugs, and educators feel that the person is unfit to take responsibility for the child, educators will:
- Discuss their concerns with the person, if possible without the child being present.
- Suggest they contact another parent or authorised nominee to collect the child.
- Educators will inform the police of the circumstances, the person’s name and vehicle registration number if the person insists on taking the child.
- Please Note: Educators cannot prevent an incapacitated parent from collecting a child but must consider their obligations under the relevant child protection laws.
- At the end of each day, educators will check all beds and the premises including outdoors and indoors to ensure that no child remains on the premises after the service closes.
- Children may leave the premises in the event of an emergency, including medical emergencies.
Late collection of children
- If there are children still present at the Service upon closing, it is best practice to ensure a minimum of two educators are present.
- Instruction to parents; “Please remember that our educators have families to go home to and their own children to collect by a designated time. If you are late to collect your child two educators have to stay behind and therefore both have to be paid overtime. To cover this, a late fee of $15 per 10-minute block will be charged (e.g. if you are 5 minutes late you will be charged for a 15-minute block. If you are 20 minutes late you will be charged for two 15 minute blocks, etc.”).
- If you know that you are going to be late, please notify the service and make arrangements for someone else to collect your child.
- If you have not arrived by 6:30pm you will be contacted. If we are unable to contact you and your child has not been collected, we will call alternative contacts as listed on your enrolment form to organise the collection of your child/ren by one of them”.
- Due to licensing and insurance purposes, if by 6:30pm neither you nor any of your authorised contacts are available or contactable, we may need to take your child to the police station for you to collect.
- A sign will be displayed at the service notifying you of your child’s whereabouts. If this occurs we will be obligated to contact the Department Of Child Protection and inform them of the situation.
Visitors
To ensure we can meet Work Health and Safety requirements and ensure the safety of our children, individuals visiting our service must sign in when they arrive at the service, and sign out when they leave. It is also a requirement of the National Regulations that visitors are not left alone with children at any time.
Restricted Access
There may be times when we restrict access to the service and, or parts of the service for different reasons, including but not limited to emergency conditions, pandemic restrictions. These restrictions may also vary between being unable to enter the educational spaces to being unable to enter the centre itself. These restrictions will be communicated with families via the Comms Centre notifications in the Xplor Home Web and App.
Source
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Review
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Policy Reviewed |
Modifications |
| January 2017 |
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| October 2017 |
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| January 2018 |
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| January 2020 |
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| June 2021 |
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| June 2024 |
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