What would you do?

[EmmaReed84]

This is just a couple of general questions really, finding out what you would all do in certain situations.

1. You care for a child who attends playschool during the day, you take them and collect them, they are only there for 2.5 hours and parent works an hours drive away. The child ends up sick at the playschool... Would you call the parent to come immediately and collect the child, trying as best you can to keep them seperate... Or refuse to collect the child and tell the playschool they have to wait for parent to collect, even if it goes over the time they close... (emergency contacts also live an hour away)... something else.

2. You collect a child from school and you are informed that the child said they have been feeling sick in the last 10 minutes. Would you call the parent and tell them to collect from yours, or take child home and see how it pans out...

3. You are asked for ad-hoc care which just so happens to be during the time mindees are at playschool, meaning you do not go over your numbers... but you are still paid for the child who is at playschool. Would you take on the extra child knowing you are sort of getting paid twice... IYSWIM.

These have not actually happened to me, but just things that have come up and made me think...

[AgentTink]

They are some tough questions:

1) I would be making sure that if a parent gave emergency contacts that they had someone who is closer, Over a hour away is not acceptable for me, as if there was a emergency nobody would be able to assist quick enough. I would not be a emergency contact at pre-school for a child who was sick as I too have the same rules as playschool, so if they cant be at pre-school they cannot come to my setting either. I just think that if you collect them when they are ill you are following the EYFS which clearly states you should be trying to prevent cross infection at all times. I know one of my families would not be happy if i collected a sick child, as i do not allow their child to attend when ill

2) It would depend on how ill the child was. And how old they were. But just like i contact the parents if a little one is not well then the same would go for a school age child - if they cannot join in the afternoon plans than they should be at home. I would still take the child home in this case though as the control has passed to you upon collecting the child from school.

3) No unfortunatly if the pre-school had a emergency such as a broken water pipe then the parents would expect you to collect their child. They are paying for you to collect in these instances. But it is a tough call becuase obviously the chances of these things happening can be slight, but it just wouldnt sit right with me to be taking money from two parents for the same time slot.

But as you say i have not been in these positions myself, so it is really hard to say what is the right thing to do. The only one i am sure of is the first sickness one as i dont knowlingly have a sick child in my setting. This is what i tell all of my parents.

[Bridey]

1. I'm finding that one tricky. Its hard to put myself in that situation as I know that I wouldn't accept emergency contacts who live an hour away. Emergency is emergency - I need people who can collect within 5/10 minutes max. I know protocol dictates that playgroup deals with this but I think I would be tempted to still collect the child and make them comfortable away from my other mindees than put them in an awkward situation when they would already be distressed and wanting their parents.

2. I'd call the parent and let them know the situation. Most of my parents would collect immediately or make arrangements to come early anyway, without me asking. I would keep an eye on the child and if they appeared unwell then would call the parent again and ask them to collect.

3. I would never charge a parent whilst someone else is using their space. If a parent is paying a fee while their child is at playschool then that space is theirs and theirs alone. If they are agreeable to me using that space for ad hoc care and getting their fee refunded when this happens then fine. Otherwise you are being dishonest.

[The Juggler]

This is just a couple of general questions really, finding out what you would all do in certain situations.

1. You care for a child who attends playschool during the day, you take them and collect them, they are only there for 2.5 hours and parent works an hours drive away. The child ends up sick at the playschool... Would you call the parent to come immediately and collect the child, trying as best you can to keep them seperate... Or refuse to collect the child and tell the playschool they have to wait for parent to collect, even if it goes over the time they close... (emergency contacts also live an hour away)... something else.if they had been sick I would take the call, then call the parent myself. If they were with you, they'd be sick in your house so I'd probbably collect if parent were unable and isolate until parent could get there - within 2 hours as per emergency contact rule

2. You collect a child from school and you are informed that the child said they have been feeling sick in the last 10 minutes. Would you call the parent and tell them to collect from yours, or take child home and see how it pans out...would keep until anything happened unless child really unwell and needs to go then. they can feel sick for all sorts of reasons, eating too much, running around too much - especially if asthmatic)

3. You are asked for ad-hoc care which just so happens to be during the time mindees are at playschool, meaning you do not go over your numbers... but you are still paid for the child who is at playschool. Would you take on the extra child knowing you are sort of getting paid twice... IYSWIM.you have to refund other parent, you can't take 2 lots of money for one place really unless you have a variation in place

These have not actually happened to me, but just things that have come up and made me think...

good questions!