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This situation is a regular occurrence, which schools have difficulty managing.  In some situations children are uncollected as a result of unforeseen circumstances, for example a traffic accident.  In such circumstances, it is the responsibility of parents to contact the school to inform them of the situation, when the child is likely to be collected and make other appropriate arrangements.  In other situations children are uncollected from school as a result of parents not giving appropriate priority to arrangements for their children and not appreciating their children’s needs for a reliable and secure routine.  Children not collected are likely to feel neglected and unvalued, and fearful due to uncertainty about when they will be collected and uncertainty about why their parent is late.  As such it is a child welfare issue.

Most schools end their days between 3.00 and 3.30 p.m.  Some operate after school clubs, which would generally end by 4.30 p.m.  Schools do not have a responsibility to make arrangements to care for children after these times.  When children are not collected, staff must be drawn from other activities to supervise them. 

Schools experience that some parents are “persistent offenders” regarding collecting their children late.

Preliminary Action by Schools

Following adoption of the policy, schools will write to all parents to inform them clearly of action which will be taken if their children are uncollected from school.

Where parents have persistently collected their children late, but not to the extent warranting immediate action by Children’s Services, a letter will be sent to them.  This will highlight the problem, how it affects the children and the action that will be taken in future.  A copy of this letter will be sent to Children’s Services.  The letter will be logged on the child's electronic recording system as a contact, but not taken as a Referral at this stage.

Schools have a responsibility to maintain up to date lists of contact details for parents and carers.  When children are uncollected, schools will make every effort to contact carers using this information.

If the child(ren) remain uncollected and no contact can be made with parents/carers, schools will need to take further action to resolve the situation.  If children remain uncollected by 4.30 p.m, schools may contact Children’s Services.  If the child(ren) are already known to a social worker, the school should try to contact this worker directly.  If the child(ren) are unknown to Children’s Services, then a referral should be made to the Referral and Assessment Team (see Contact Details Appendix).

Action by Children’s Services

On receipt of the Referral, a Request for Assessment Form will be completed, and standard checks made.

The social worker dealing with the Referral will liaise with the school, and information known about the child(ren) and family by both agencies will be exchanged.

The social worker will alert the Fostering Team or the Emergency Duty Service that an emergency foster placement may be needed (see Contact Details Appendix).  The timing of any move to foster carers will depend on the resources available at the school to continue to care for the child(ren), the immediate physical needs of the children for food, rest and domestic facilities, and any information about likelihood of the children being collected imminently.

The social worker will make arrangements with the school for the child(ren) to be taken to the emergency foster carer.  If possible, a familiar member of school staff should be involved in taking the child(ren) to the placement.  The social worker should be present, at least at the point when the child(ren) arrive at the carers.

If the child or children become Looked After, the school should make efforts to inform parents/carers of the action that has been taken, by delivering a letter to the home address and leaving a letter in a prominent place at the school.  The letter should inform them of the action taken and give a number for the parents to contact Children’s Services.

If it is necessary for children to become Looked After due to being uncollected from school, this should normally be as an Accommodated child under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, on the grounds that the child(ren) has(have) been abandoned.  In exceptional circumstances, where there are other serious known risks to the child, a Strategy Discussion/Meeting should take place.

Before the child(ren) are left at the foster carers, the forms for accommodation of children should be completed – see Decision to Look After and Care Planning Procedure. The school staff may be helpful in supplying relevant information about the child(ren).

Following the child(ren) becoming accommodated, continued efforts should be made to contact the parents.

When contact is made with the parents, the social worker should make a brief assessment of the circumstances leading to the child(ren) being accommodated, and whether the current home circumstances are appropriate and safe for the child(ren) to be discharged.  This assessment may be made over the telephone or in person, and information assessed in conjunction with information already held by Children’s Services and other agencies.

If there are immediate serious concerns for the welfare of the child(ren) were they to be discharged from accommodation, contact should be made with the police regarding the possibility of the children being made subject to Police Protection.

The social worker should be present when the children are discharged from accommodation to the care of parents, to deal with any unforeseen circumstances at the time of discharge, complete discharge paperwork and inform parents of further likely action by Children’s Services.

A social worker should visit the family on the following day to further assess circumstances resulting in the child(ren) being uncollected, and discuss with parents the seriousness of children being uncollected and any likely consequences.  Serious situations may result in a Strategy Discussion/Meeting being called.

The social worker should liaise with the school as soon as possible to update the school regarding the resolution of the incident and discuss any further welfare issues concerning the child(ren).

Children Living in Other Authorities

The above procedure should be operated for children resident in other boroughs.  At the point of Referral by the school, the Referral and Assessment Team should make contact with Children’s Services in the other authority, to notify them of the situation and seek any information the other authority may hold on the child(ren).  In some circumstances the other authority may wish to assume a role, for instance if they have a legal responsibility towards the child or if they are already involved with the family.

If full responsibility continues to rest with Enfield, the above procedure should be followed up to the point when the child(ren) are discharged from accommodation.  Following discharge, the other authority should be informed, and copies of all paperwork sent.  Responsibility should be passed to the other authority at this point.

End