Missing Child & Collection Policy

Children must be safely accounted for from the moment they arrive until they are collected. This policy sets out our registration, collection and missing child procedures.

Registers

• A register is taken at the start of every session and kept for the whole session.
• Late arrivals and early departures are recorded.
• Registers are taken to the assembly point during an evacuation.
• Registers are retained as a record of attendance and are available to the local authority on request.

Parental consent and contact details

At registration, parents provide emergency contact numbers, medical information, and the names of adults authorised to collect their child. Parents must tell us in writing whenever these details change.

Arrival and collection

• Children are handed over to a parent or an adult named on the registration form.
• If someone unknown to us arrives, we will not release the child until we have confirmed the arrangement with the parent by phone.
• Children are only permitted to walk home alone with the parent’s written permission, and this is recorded.
• Children are not released to anyone under 16 unless agreed in writing with the parent.

If a child is missing

1. Alert the session lead immediately.
2. Take a register of all remaining children and keep them supervised in one place.
3. Search the building and grounds systematically, checking toilets, classrooms and exits.
4. If the child is not found within 10 minutes, call the police on 999 and then the child’s parents.
5. Continue searching while awaiting the police, and follow their instructions on arrival.
6. Record the full incident in writing, including timings and actions taken, and review procedures afterwards.
7. Notify Walsall children’s social care on 0300 555 2866 where there are safeguarding implications.

Uncollected children

1. The child stays supervised.
2. We call the parent, then each emergency contact in turn.
3. If no contact is made within one hour of the session ending, we contact Walsall children’s social care on 0300 555 2866 for advice, and the police if we are advised to do so.
4. The incident is recorded and discussed with the parent, and repeated late collection is followed up.