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Delivery and Collection of Children

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1. Overview

1.1. Purpose

Junior Adventures Group (JAG) People have a duty of care to children to ensure that the delivery and collection of children from the program will promote a safe and smooth transition between the education setting and home. Our policies and procedures are in place to protect children from harm and hazards, including preventing the entry of unauthorised people.

1.2. Scope

All JAG People are required to comply with the practices set out in this policy, their contract of employment and all other relevant policy and legislation.

1.3. Legislative Requirements

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

2. Policy Statement

We are committed to the safe delivery of children to and from our service. All staff will follow JAG processes and practices to ensure that the transition into and out of our service is completed safely and that the duty of care to children in attendance at our service is met.

3. Principles

3.1. 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.

3.2. Duty of Care

Team Members have a duty of care to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of children attending the Service. The health, safety and wellbeing of children at our service are our first priority. Our policies, procedures and continuous communication with family and Authorised Nominees ensure that children are safeguarded during delivery and collection at our service.

All staff are responsible for following policies and procedures to keep children safe and ensure that delivery and collection practices are followed. Service Leaders are responsible for ensuring that policies and procedures are followed.

3.3. Working with Families

We highly value and respect families' choices about their children. We are guided by them on who is authorised to pick up their child/ren.

The transition of children to and from the Service requires particular attention, particularly given how busy it can be at certain times and the volume of people entering and exiting the Service. Families must ensure that authorised nominees are aware of the designated entry and exit points for sign in/out.

Junior Adventures Group Services require that families inform the Service prior to the start of session of absences to assist in streamlining our collection process to ensure and maintain the safety and wellbeing of children a priority.

3.4. Working with the School

The service will establish and maintain a positive relationship with the school to ensure the duty of care is upheld by all parties involved.

Safeguarding children during their delivery to, and collection from, the service premises can be enabled by collaborative partnerships with the school and clear handover processes, including outlining duty of care responsibility throughout the delivery and collection process.

Where specific arrangements have been made between the Service and the school, children may be accompanied to and from their class by a team member or school representative.

3.5. Authorised Nominees

Authorised Nominees must be over the age of 18. Changes to Authorised Nominees' details must be provided to the Service. Authorised Nominees must carry photo ID and be willing to produce it when requested by JAG People.

Authorised Nominees may be contacted where the parent or guardian has been delayed and requested to collect children by the Service closing time.

Temporary authorisations must:

  • Be provided in writing by the parent/guardian

  • Include full name, date, and contact details

  • Be verified prior to release of the child

3.6. Leaving the Service

Children are to only be permitted to leave the service premises in accordance with Regulation 99 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations.

Children may only be released:

  • Into the care of a parent, authorised nominee recorded in the enrolment record, or a person authorised by the parent or authorised nominee

  • Where written authorisation has been provided

  • As part of an approved excursion or transportation arrangement with appropriate authorisation

  • In the event of medical treatment, emergency, or as otherwise required by law

Prior to releasing a child, Team Members must:

  • Verify the identity of the collecting person against the enrolment record

  • Confirm the person is authorised to collect the child

  • Ensure the child is signed out by the authorised person

  • Assess that the person is fit to safely assume care of the child

A child must not be released where:

  • The person is not authorised

  • Identity cannot be verified

  • The person appears affected by drugs or alcohol

  • Release would breach a court order

  • There are concerns for the child's safety

At all times, educators must be satisfied that the child is being released safely, lawfully, and in accordance with the enrolment record and any applicable court orders.

3.7. Our Team Members

Our Service leaders play a vital role in leading good practice at our service and are the point of call for staff and parents when an issue during delivery or collection needs to be resolved. All staff are provided with the necessary training, knowledge and ongoing team support to perform their duties effectively.

3.8. Refusal of Collection

If a team member does not consider the person who has requested to pick up a child/ren from the Service to be authorised to collect the child or they are not in a fit state to take responsibility for a child/ren, they will exercise their duty of care and refuse access to the adult, retain the child at the Service and notify the child's/children's parents or carers. Refer to the 06IR007 Families Code of Conduct and our incident reporting process.

Refusal of collection must occur in accordance with Section 3.5 – Release of Children.

3.9. Record Keeping

JAG People will follow JAG processes and practices to ensure that the presence and absence of children are accurately recorded daily to meet relevant legislative requirements and assist with daily program management and record keeping. Relevant information is held on the child's file in a secure information management system and is accessible only to staff who need to access the information to perform their duties.

Court orders (including parenting orders or parenting plans) are provided to the Service and are stored with the child's enrolment information.

Record keeping ensuring the safe delivery and collection of children and the relevant legislative requirements includes:

  • child's name, date and time of arrival at the Service and departure time

  • signatures by the nominated person delivering and collecting the child/ren from the Service

  • records determining who the Authorised Nominees are to deliver and pick up the child, as well as other relevant information about complex family dynamics, court orders and changes to families' circumstances will be collected, recorded and communicated to relevant staff to keep children safe and to respond to families

  • checking that children have been correctly signed in and out

The service must implement controls to prevent unauthorised persons entering the service, including:

  • Monitoring entry points

  • Verifying identity of all unfamiliar persons

  • Challenging and escalating unauthorised access attempts

Attendance records must be accurate, complete, and maintained in real time.

Records must:

  • Reflect the exact time of arrival and departure

  • Be signed by the authorised person collecting the child

  • Align with headcounts and supervision records

3.10. Court Orders and Collection of Children

Many families have shared parenting arrangements. Both parents have lawful authority of their children and are consequently permitted to remove children from the Service's care unless a Magistrates Court or Family Court make different orders prohibiting contact with the child. Prohibited Persons will not be permitted to enter the Service or pick up children from the Service. Court orders must be provided to the Service and will be stored with the child's enrolment information.

If a court order is in place for a family, the enrolling parent or guardian must notify the Service Leader and provide a current court order. Where things change, the parent or guardian must immediately advise the Service.

If the enrolling parent or guardian wishes to grant permission for an unauthorised person to collect a child, they must provide an updated court order (where applicable) and written permission, including the day and date the child is to be collected. The child's enrolment form must be updated to reflect the changes to the circumstances.

Where a non-enrolling parent or guardian cites an Order of the Family Court giving them lawful access to the child, the court order needs to be produced for inspection by an educator before the child is released into their custody.

If a court order exists, the educator must ensure that the child only leaves the Service with the parent/guardian or Authorised Nominee who has custody as stated in the court order.

If a team member is unsure about the circumstances, they must contact their Line Manager immediately for guidance.

Court orders must be sighted in original or certified form and stored on the child's enrolment record.

Where a dispute occurs at collection:

  • The child must not be released if inconsistent with the order

  • The situation must be escalated immediately to Service Leadership, and

  • Police may be contacted where required to ensure safety

3.11. Transportation of Children between the Service and School

JAG may provide a bus or people mover to transport children from other schools to the Service where applicable. For details relating to the transportation of children, refer to SD 2.14 Transportation Policy.

3.12. Late Collection

We understand that, from time to time, parents or guardians may be late in picking up their children. Parents and guardians are provided with a Key Service Information sheet upon enrolment. This outlines agreed information about service provision, including late fees that will apply where a parent or guardian collects their child/ren from the Service after the Service closes.

Parents, guardians, and nominees are asked to notify the Service if they are going to be late for collection time. This is of particular importance to enable staff to reassure children.

Should a parent/guardian be consistently late to collect their child/ren, the family may be asked to seek alternative care.

The late collection fee is not subject to Child Care Subsidy.

3.13. Failure to Collect a Child/Children

In the event a child is not collected from the Service by the Service closing time, team members will attempt to contact all authorised persons using the contact details contained in the enrolment form.

Where there is no response from the authorised persons, and the child has not been collected within 30 minutes of the Service closing, authorities will be contacted. The duty of care will be handed over to the relevant emergency services.

Once the police have been notified, team members will refer to our policies and procedures for contacting child protection authorities regarding the abandonment of a child.

3.14. Risk Management

Services will conduct a comprehensive risk assessment as soon as practicable after becoming aware of any circumstance that may impact the safety of children during delivery, collection, or transitions between locations.

Team Members will work collaboratively with families, children, and schools to ensure service-specific transition arrangements are implemented. This includes consideration of the unique needs of children below school age and children with additional or specific needs. Standard arrangements for transitions between the OSHC service and school will be agreed and documented between a School Representative and the Service Leadership team.

Risk assessments must consider all relevant factors, including:

  • Supervision arrangements during transitions

  • Delivery and collection processes involving authorised nominees

  • Environmental risks, including entry/exit points and proximity to hazards

  • Communication systems and processes

  • Emergency response and risk mitigation strategies

The risk assessment will specifically address:

a. The age, developmental stage, and individual needs of each child

b. The roles and responsibilities of relevant persons, including:

  • The nominated supervisor (where multiple services are involved)

  • The child's parent

  • Authorised nominees

  • Any other authorised person

c. The roles and responsibilities of each service involved in the child's transition

d. Communication arrangements between services, including escalation processes if a child is missing or unaccounted for

e. Procedures to be followed if a child cannot be accounted for

f. Appropriate supervision levels based on identified risks

g. The proposed route and destination, including proximity to hazards

h. Processes for entering and exiting:

  • The service premises

  • The collection or transition location

  • Ensuring compliance with Regulation 99 when children leave the premises

The safety and wellbeing of all children will remain the primary consideration throughout the risk assessment process.

3.15. Safe Arrival of Children

The service will implement SD 2.17 Safe Arrival of Children Policy in accordance with Regulations 102AAB and 102AAC to ensure all children expected to attend the service are accounted for.

Any instance where a child cannot be accounted for, including where a child leaves the service or transition area without authorisation, must be managed in accordance with the 02P003 Absent and Missing Children Procedure.

3.16. Supervision

Team Members ensure that supervision of children is maintained throughout the delivery and collection process as per 02P015 Supervision of Children Procedure. Where variance from standard arrival and departure occurs, Team Members must ensure that adequate supervision is maintained while resolving the situation. Team Members must seek guidance from their line manager immediately, or as soon as reasonably practical to ensure that proper intervention and process is effectively implemented.

Active supervision must be maintained at all times during delivery and collection, with particular focus on high-risk transition periods.

3.17. Child Safety

Policies and practices reflect the relevant legislation, including the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. JAG provides policies and procedures to support and equip people with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children safe. These practices are continuously reviewed and improved to ensure up to date practices are in effect throughout the business.

4. Key Terms

5. References

Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations

Other Relevant Legislation

  • Section 165 – Offence to inadequately supervise children

  • Section 167 – Offence relating to protection of children from harm and hazards

  • Section 170 – Offence relating to unauthorised persons on education and care service premises (applies to an education and care service operating in a participating jurisdiction that has a working with children law)

  • Section 175 – Offence relating to requirement to keep enrolment and other documents

  • Regulation 86 – Notification to parents of incident, injury, trauma and illness

  • Regulation 98 – Telephone or other communication equipment

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

  • Regulation 100 – Risk assessment must be conducted before excursion

  • Regulation 101 – Conduct of risk assessment for excursion

  • Regulation 102 – Authorisation for excursions

  • Regulation 102AAB – Safe arrival of children policies and procedures

  • Regulation 102AAC – Risk assessment for the purposes of safe arrival of children policies and procedures

  • Regulation 102C – Conduct of risk assessment for transporting children by the education and care service

  • Regulation 102D – Authorisation for service to transport children

  • Regulation 122 – Educators must be working directly with children to be included in ratios

  • Regulation 123 – Educator to child ratios

  • Regulation 157 – Access for parents

  • Regulation 158 – Children's attendance record to be kept by approved provider

  • Regulation 160 – Child enrolment records to be kept by approved provider and family day care educator

  • Regulation 161 – Authorisations to be kept in enrolment record

  • Regulation 167 – Offence relating to protection of children from harm and hazards

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

  • Regulation 170 – Policies and procedures to be followed

  • Regulation 171 – Policies and procedures to be kept available

  • Regulation 172 – Notification of change to policies or procedures

Related Policies

  • SD 2.3 Staff Supervision of Children Policy

  • SD 2.5 Incident, Trauma, Illness and Injuries Policy

  • SD 2.14 Transportation Policy

  • SD 3.1 Child Safe Environments Policy

Related Procedures

  • 02P002 Delivery and Collection of Children Procedure

  • 02P003 Absent and Missing Children Procedure

  • 02P011 Extra-Curricular Activities Procedure

  • 02P012 Safe Transportation of Children Procedure

  • 07P012 Risk Assessment Procedure

Other

Version: 4.2
Change History: Change Register
Date Approved: 3/06/2026
Date Implemented: 22/06/2026
Document Owner: Quality Service Department
Document Approvers: CEO/Approved Provider
Next Review: 12 Months