View as PDF

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 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.

3.2 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.

3.3 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. 

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.

3.4 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.

3.5 Leaving the Service

Children are permitted to leave the Service premises when:

• they are given into the care of the parent, an Authorised Nominee recorded in the child’s enrolment, or a person authorised by the parent or Authorised Nominee
• the Service has been provided with written authorisation to leave from their parent or Authorised Nominee
• they are taken on excursion or transportation provided by the Service with written authorisation from their parent or Authorised Nominee
• they are given into the care of a person or taken outside of the premises because they require medical, hospital or ambulance care or treatment or due to another emergency.

3.6 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.

3.7  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 Families Code of Conduct and our incident reporting process.

3.8 Our Records 

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 to ensure 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
• checking people at entry against the child and nominee details
• ensuring unauthorised people are not entering the Service.

3.9 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.

3.10 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 our Safe Transportation of Children Policy.

Educators authorised to drive a bus or people mover will hold a valid full driver’s licence for the class of vehicle being operated and will carry it at all times while using the vehicle. They must be over the age of 21 years. JAG has systems and processes in place to ensure that licences are current, and employment contracts require staff to notify their manager if there is a change in circumstance (e.g., loss of licence).

Risk assessments and checklists will be completed before the operation of any vehicle. In determining the required educator-to-child ratio for the transportation of children, the provisions outlined in the completed risk assessment are considered.

3.11 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.

3.12 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.

3.13 Supervision 

Team Members ensure that supervision of children is maintained throughout the delivery and collection process. 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.

3.14 Child Safety 

Policies and practices reflect the relevant legislation, including the Child Safe Standards. 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