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Absent and Missing Children Policy

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1. Overview

1.1. Purpose

The safety and wellbeing of all children while at the Service is our priority. Clear procedures are in place to support staff and children where a child is unaccounted for or does not arrive at the Service when they are expected to.

1.2. Scope

All Junior Adventures Group (JAG) People are required to comply with the provisions set out in this policy, their contract of employment and all other relevant policies, procedures and legislation.

1.3. Paramountcy Principle

At JAG, the safety, rights and best interests of children are our paramount consideration in all aspects of our operations. In the delivery of education and care services, every decision, action and interaction must prioritize the wellbeing, protection, and dignity of children above all other considerations. JAG has a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and misconduct.

All JAG people are required to act in a manner that safeguards children, upholds their rights, and promotes environments that are safe, inclusive, and respectful. Where competing priorities arise, the best interests of the child will always guide decision-making.

1.4. Legislative Requirements

Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, Junior Adventures Group is required to have policies and procedures in place to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the children in care.

2. Policy Statement

JAG is committed to providing a safe and positive environment where children and young people can participate in a broad range of experiences and learning opportunities. We must deliver a service that ensures that parents and guardians feel that their children are safe and that emergency procedures are in place and followed to support the wellbeing and safety of children attending the Service.

3. Principles

3.1. Duty of Care

Team Members have a duty of care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children attending the Service. In the event of an incident, injury, trauma or illness to a child, all Team Members have a duty of care to respond appropriately.

All children involved in an incident, injury, trauma or illness will be monitored and cared for until an authorised person takes charge of them, where applicable.

3.2. Absent Children

Parents must notify the Service when their child/ren will not be attending the Service to assist the group in delivering the best service and meeting their obligations.

Team Members will communicate information to all other Team Members verbally and through the Service admin diary.

Where a child does not arrive at the Service, and Team Members have not been notified that the child will be absent, a 'no show' fee is charged to the family's account.

3.3. Non-arrivals

The Service will follow up on non-arrivals to the Service following the process outlined in 02P003 Absent and Missing Children Procedure. This will include enquiring at the school to identify whether the child was at school on the day and contacting families and authorised emergency contacts.

If a child cannot be located, local police will be notified of the missing child within 30 minutes of school finishing.

3.4. Missing Children

Where it is determined that a child is missing from the Service, team members will follow the steps outlined in 02P003 Absent and Missing Children Procedure. By the end of the session, an incident report will be completed per 02P005 Incident Management Procedure.

3.5. Confidentiality

All incidents will be managed confidentially.

Parents and guardians of children involved will not be given information or identifying details about other children. This includes information provided in an incident report.

3.6. Leaving the Service Boundaries

If a child leaves the Service boundaries without supervision or authorisation, team members will implement the steps outlined in 02P003 Absent and Missing Children Procedure as soon as they are aware of the child leaving the service boundaries. Team members will work cooperatively with each other to enact a response to any incidents that occur, including a child leaving a service boundary, and follow 02P003 Absent and Missing Children Procedure where the child has not been located.

3.7. Serious Incidents

Team members must escalate the instance of a serious incident to their Line manager and emergency service as required following 02P005 Incident Management Procedure.

3.8. Incident Reporting and Escalation

An incident report must be accurately completed for all instances of an incident, injury, trauma or illness before the end of the session and within 24 hours. We review and reflect on all incidents as they are opportunities to learn and improve.

All incident reports will be kept and stored as per regulatory requirements.

All Team Members are responsible for communicating and escalating the occurrence of a serious incident, injury, trauma or illness to their Line Manager as soon as practicable and in accordance with the Incident Escalation Matrix included in 02P005 Incident Management Procedure.

3.9. Notification to Parents/Guardians

Where a child leaves the boundary or is missing, the family will be notified by a team member while other staff enact the missing child procedure. The parents and guardians of any child affected by an incident, injury, trauma or illness must be notified within 24 hours.

Parents and guardians are required to provide emergency contact details if they cannot be contacted.

3.10. Reportable Incidents and Notifications

Reportable incidents are those that the Approved Provider is required to notify an external agency or organisation.

Where required, incidents and serious incidents will be notified to the appropriate authority within the prescribed timeframes.

Team Members and Service Leaders must not remove the child's booking, as this is the record of the child's attendance. If the parent/guardian raises concerns about being charged fees for the day of the incident, Service Leaders must contact the CX team who will assist the family.

3.11. Safeguarding Children and Young People

Any incidents, allegations or disclosures of abuse or neglect must be documented in an incident report and escalated to management as soon as practicable.

All JAG People are considered mandatory reporters. For any safeguarding concerns, notifications to the regulatory authority and state-based child protection reporting authorities must be made following the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy and Procedure.

3.12. Counselling and Support

Counselling services will be made available to all JAG People and children where required following a serious incident involving a child.

3.13. Supervision

Throughout managing incidents, Team Members must ensure supervision and safety of children is maintained. It is important that Team Members communicate their intended movements to ensure that children are adequately supervised throughout transitions. Refer to 2.3 Staff Children of Supervision Policy and 02P015 Supervision of Children Procedure.

3.14. Child Safety

We safeguard children through our procedures and practices. Policies and practices reflect the relevant legislation, including the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. JAG provides policies and procedures to equip JAG people with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children safe. Service practices are continuously reviewed and improved to ensure current legislation is in effect throughout the business.

4. Key Terms

5. References

Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations

Other Relevant Legislation

  • Regulation 99 – Children leaving the education and care service premises

  • Regulation 102 – Authorisation for excursions

  • Regulation 115 – Premises designed to facilitate supervision

  • Regulation 168 – Education and care service must have policies and procedures

  • Regulation 170 – Policies and procedures to be followed

Related Policies

  • Safeguarding Children and Young People

  • Service Delivery Governance and Management

  • Delivery and Collection of Children Policy

  • Incident Management Policy

Related Procedures

  • 02P003 Absent and Missing Children Procedure

  • 02P002 Delivery and Collection of Children Procedure

  • 02P011 Extra-Curricular Activities Procedures

  • 02P005 Incident Management Procedure

Other

Version: 4.0
Change History: JAG Policy Change Register
Date Approved: 29.05.2026
Date Implemented: 12.06.2026
Document Owner: Quality Service Development
Document Approvers: CEO / Approved Provider
Next Review: 12 Months