To worry that this child carer stank of alcohol?

[giddybiddy]

There is an after school club which collects from our school, which my children don't attend, but which I walk past as they wait to pick up the children. Today as I passed them the young man who is one of the staff smelt really strongly of stale drink. A couple of weekends ago I happened to see him in our local village, drunk as a skunk, peeing against a lamppost (this was about 11pm at night). The staff who collect these children (at the risk of sounding very snobby) look fairly dodgy although I am assuming that underneath it all they are fabulous childcarers... Do I ignore the fact I think this man smelt of drink and just thank the lord my children don't go to this club or should I do something about it and if so what???

[bubblagirl]

i wouldnt say anything yet as he could have been out night before you sweat out the alcohol so can still smell of it the next day but if you happen to notice it again then say something

[notnowbernard]

I think you need to report to whoever is in charge of the after-school club.

[bubblagirl]

how do you mean they look dodgy? they are normal people doing a job i would of thought

and surely all people working with dc have crb check done so i wouldnt imagine going on looks alone you could assume they are dodgy

as for young lad peeing up a lampost i worked in a residential home and with sn kids and you should of seen me when i wasnt working and i was bloody good at my job but out of hours we are allowed to be a bit crazy although i nver peed up any lamposts might of tried cant remember lol

[MotherFunk]

Message withdrawn

[notnowbernard]

One thing to be pissing up a lampost at 11pm on a sat night with no work the next day...

Quite another to be stinking strongly enough of booze the next afternoon for a passer-by to notice.

I think this is unacceptable for someone in charge of a group of children

[giddybiddy]

I mean that they look pretty dirty, dishelved and not what you might expect collecting kids from school. This young man is in his 20s and yes might be the greatest child carer going, but obviously isn't the brightest spark given we live in a really small village, he looks after kids from the local primary school - I mean he could have found another lamp post to pee on! I'm not worried about the fact he looks dodgy, I'm trying to paint a picture of the guy! The fact remains he smelt strongly of drink as was in charge of small children. It really is none of my business and I can ignore it, but should I?

[giddybiddy]

I should clarify as a job, before we get into a discussion about how dishelved you might or might not look collecting children from school.........

[MotherFunk]

Message withdrawn

[ScruffyTeddy]

Oh im not sure really. I think what he does in his private life is nothing to do with anyone else.

I used to have a takeaway sometimes on a Saturday night and every Monday, without fail my colleague would know, she could smell garlic on me!

I suppose if he's been to the pub the night before he could smell of beer, doesn't automatically mean he's drunk on the job.

[FrannyandZooey]

If he has drunk a LOT the night before he may still have alcohol in his system the next day when at work, which would obviously not be a good thing

some people do smell strongly of drink the next day even if they have not drunk that much, though, especially if they have not showered or changed their clothes

[ScruffyTeddy]

I wouldn't worry too much anyway, because if it happens regularly im sure other parents would have noiticed.

[notnowbernard]

Drunk on the job or not I would not be happy with someone who reeks of booze having responsibility for my child.

[ScruffyTeddy]

He does't have responsibility for op's child though. Like I say, im sure the parents of the children who attend the club could raise their own concerns if need be?

[giddybiddy]

Yes, except that the parents of the children who attend the club might never see this man as far as I know. They are at work when he collects their kids and takes them where ever they go and may be he isn't the one who signs them out the door. As I've mentioned he certainly wouldn't be the man of choice when it comes to great impressions for paying punters!

[notnowbernard]

I do think I'd want to let his employers know though, even if it wasn't my child being looked after.

[ScruffyTeddy]

Ok but what kind of evidence he's unfit to care for kids do you actually have?

you saw him drunk and peeing up a lampost a couple of weekends ago and you walked past him this afternoon and smelt beer.

If you're really that worried and think you will be taken seriously then go ahead. Afterall, if he's done nothing wrong then he's got nothing to worry about has he?

[FAQ]

I had a colleague at my old job who was given that sack because he "stank of alcohol" and had "obviously been drinking before he came to work".

Actually he was wearing a VERY strong, (rather disgusting) aftershave which had he drunk it would have probably rendered him useless for work as he'd have been in a drunken stupour. Being the cr*p employers that they were even when he took the offending "aftershave" in - they still didn't believe him.

And the person that reported him had simply walked past him - not talked to him at all.

[notnowbernard]

If I were the OP, I would simply want to report what I'd seen...

An employee in charge of a group of children who was smelling of alcohol.

Up to them how they take it from there. It wouldn't be about 'grassing him up', or making judgements.

IMO if you are employed to look after anyone (nurse, doctor, childcare worker, vet, busdriver etc etc) you should not be smelling of alcohol.

And I'm pretty certain I don't smell of alcohol the following afternoon if I've had a couple of drinks the night before

[Shaniece]

Did you go right up close to him to smell his breath?? I don't understand how you can smell alcohol on a person by just walking past them in the street??

if he had alcohol smell on his breath then you have every right to report him to the manager. There shouldn't be an alcohol smell on someones breath the morning after the night before.

[notnowbernard]

Shaniece - I think this is what would concern me... if I could smell alcohol on someone just by walking past them, it would concern me

[FAQ]

maybe he's had beer tipped over his jacket one too many times and hasn't bothered to wash it??

[Shaniece]

Yeah, I would be a bit concerned - I mean any job that involves caring for someone should = no alcohol at all. If he was a milkman or postman no one would worry about it.

[ScruffyTeddy]

But surely someone else would have noticed it too? The children, the parents, his colleagues? If it was strong enough to smell just from walking past? If this was a regular thing would noone have reported it?

[FrannyandZooey]

No, some people really smell the next day
not on their breath, it's on their skin
usually IME if someone smells strongly of alcohol the next day, they have really had a skinfull the night before and are probably not in fit state to be caring for children, but it affects some people after just a few drinks, so you can't be sure

[notnowbernard]

Yes, I also think someone from his workplace would be aware of it, if he was smelling that strongly.

But that thought wouldn't stop me from contacting them.

Again, it's not about being judgemental, just reporting facts.

And if he did spill beer down his top, fine... but someone should have a word with him about his personal hygiene in that case!