Uncollected Child Policy
The Man In The Moon endeavours to ensure that all children are collected by a parent/carer at the end of each session.
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If a child is not collected, and the parent or carer has not notified us that they will be delayed, we will follow the procedure set out below:
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Up to 15 minutes late:
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When the parent/carer arrives, they will be reminded that they must call us to notify us if they are delayed.
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The parent/carer will be informed that penalty fees will have to be charged (unless the delay was genuinely unavoidable).
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Over 15 minutes late:
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If a parent/carer is more than 15 minutes late in collecting their child, we will try to contact them using the contact details on file.
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If there is no response from the parent/carer, messages will be left requesting that they contact us immediately. We will then try to contact the emergency contacts listed on the child's registration form.
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While waiting to be collected, the child will be supervised by a crew member.
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When the parent/carer arrives, they will be reminded that they must call to notify us if they are delayed, and those penalty fees will have to be charged (except in exceptional circumstances).
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Over 30 minutes late:
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If we have been unable to contact the child's parents/carers after 30 minutes, we will contact the local MASH team for advice.
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The child will remain in our care, on our premises if possible, until collected by the parent/carer, or until placed in the care of the MASH team.
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If it is not possible for the child to remain at the premises, a note will be left on the door informing the child's parent/carer where the child has been taken (e.g. to the home of a crew member or into the care of a safeguarding agency) and leaving a contact number. A further message will be left on the parent/carer's telephone explaining events.​
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Managing persistent lateness
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We will record incidents of late collection and will discuss them with the child's parents/carers. Parents/carers will be reminded that if they persistently collect their child late, they may lose their place.
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​Reviewed: 10 May 2022
Review Period: 24 months​