Policy and Procedure No.27
Lost or Uncollected Child
- Uncollected Child
a. Every child is to be picked up on time. For the morning session this is 11.45am, after lunch this is 12.30pm, and for the afternoon session this is 3.30pm.
b. If the parent/carer does not arrive to pick up their child, we will assume an emergency has occurred and will follow Millfield Pre-school (MPS) procedure unless we have been contacted and advised of any delay.
c. If a child is collected late, a practitioner will explain that this contravenes our registration and may leave MPS with no insurance cover. The practitioner will also remind them of the correct time for pick up and to telephone MPS in future of any delays.
d. Children who are not collected within 30 minutes of the expected time will become the responsibility of the Children’s Services Department. Before this happens, the Lead Practitioner/Manager will:
i. Call the parent/carer if they are not available then:
ii. Call the additional emergency contact numbers, if they are not available then:
iii. Call the Children’s Services Duty Team and request collection of the child.
e. At all times two practitioners will be present and together with the child concerned and will remain at MPS until Social Services collect the child.
- Lost Child
a. If a child is lost while in the care of MPS, the Lead Practitioner/Manager will:
i. Instigate a search of the premises without causing undue panic amongst other children.
ii. Contact the parents/carers and inform them. If the child is still not found, call the police to conduct a search.
iii. If the child is not on the premises, widen the search to include the surrounding area and inform Millfield Primary School.
iv. Maintain the correct staff-to-children ratio, call additional staff and committee members if required.
v. Inform all relevant parties, (including committee) of findings, implications and outcomes.
b. Finally, record incident in detail and retain on file.
Signed: Clara Hall- Chairperson
Signed: Tegan Kidman- Lead Practitioner/Manager.
Reviewed: 4th February 2026
Review: 4th February 2027