To wonder what happens if you don't turn up to collect from school?

[Tiredmum1511]

What happens to the child?

[MarthasGinYard]

Well at our school the head would take them home for tea but I know this isn't the norm....

[EspressoPatronum]

School will phone you, then the second contact, then the third contact if they have one. If no one comes that will phone social services eventually.

[Campurp]

... they try to contact the parent/carer/emergency contact. If all else fails I guess they’d call social services.

[OwlBeThere]

They will ring another contact and if no reply they will ring SS and/or the police.

[Beach11]

Social Services and police get involved

[SocksRock]

When I was a preschool chair we had a policy of attempting to make contact with every emergency number we had for an hour. After that we call the police who would contact social services and arrange for temporary care until a parent could be located.

[dementedpixie]

They keep hold of the child and phone everyone listed as contacts. Don't know what happens if none of them collect

[Comefromaway]

According to the procedure at the primary school my two went to an attempt would be made to contact everyone on the child’s contact list but if the child remained uncollected after a certain amount of time social services would be called.

[xyzandabc]

At our school they get taken to the office who then start calling the contacts listed for the child.
If no one collects after all contacts have been tried, then they will call social services for emergency care and/or police if they are worried about what's happened to the parent/carer.

[YouSawThePlans]

Why are you asking OP? Is everything ok?

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

Why OP?

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

At one school my DDs attended they would have been put in After school club while trying to contact a parent.
If I failed to get them from the School bus, they would have been returned to the school (although the bus escort would ring the parent first, which they did for me when I was incorrectly sent a msg saying it was 30 minutes late not 10!)
At another they would have been sent home with a friend (very small village!)

[Tiredmum1511]

And if the other contacts are removed?

[SallyLovesCheese]

Schools I've worked at, if the child hasn't been collected by the time after school club is finishing (as they'd be put in after school club if no response from parent/carer after about 30 mins), then social services would be called. So the parent/carer would have over 2 hours to get in touch. Never known anyone having to call SS in this situation though.

[anitagreen]

Hope your ok OP not sure what you're asking for but please don't consider that, I was late to collect one of mine last week and when I eventually got there her little face was so tear stained I felt awful she kept asking if I was going to leave her again and couldn't understand I was late, she kept saying I thought you'd gone mummy. Felt shit for days after but it was bloody roadworks again making me late

[CalleighDoodle]

Social
Services.

Are you in danger?

[Tiredmum1511]

No honestly I'm just tired, nothing sinister

[Comefromaway]

Dd’s school insists on there being a second contact if it’s only ever used in an emergency, due to a tragic case where a parent had died and no one knew.

[thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter]

I don't think school would let you just have one contact/emergency contact details.

This is concerning.

[PinkSqidgyPig]

At our school they take them to the office and try to contact the parent.
Then the child goes to after school care provision while they continue to attempt contact.
Then they would try to contact the emergency contact person on record.
Continuing to call the parent (s) throughout.
If they are still unsuccessful their policy states they would have to contact social services emergency team if all avenues are exhausted.
Informally they might contact other parents who they know are friends of the parent. As it's at pickup and other parents are around then classmates parents might offer to run round to the family home to attempt contact. (Well worth having a few parent friends to look out for each other!).

I wondered this when she first started school 7 years ago. It's never been an issue. But having a classmate parent you can ring in an emergency has proved very useful for many of us.

[MrsBricks]

Try all emergency contacts.
Police as parent is a missing person/welfare check required
Headteacher would probably be expected to keep hold of child until they need to be accommodated overnight when social services would get involved.

[bluebunny123]

What you're saying is sounding very worrying. If you're thinking of just leaving a child at the school please don't. They'll be worried sick when it becomes clear you're not coming. I've been late before now and it broke my heart seeing her little face when I did eventually arrive.

[NoSquirrels]

School wouldn't let you have just one emergency contact (i.e. you) so they would try all the contacts they have, until at some point a trigger moment would be reached (2 hours, whatever) and then they'd call Social Services.

It should be in the information on your school's website, under policies.

[AuditAngel]

DHZ forgot to collect DD2 on first day of term. As I wasn’t there, 3 different parents messaged me. I tried to contact DH but failed. Spoke to class teacher by phone and DD2 was released to care of best friend’s mum for a play date.

That said, i have been a parent at that school for over 11 years, and class teacher had one of my older kids too.

In another occasion DH forgot, the office called me, I said i would pack up an get there, but would take 1/2 an hour, they told me to take my time and drive safely, she was quite happy reading a book.

[Tiredmum1511]

No honestly it's nothing like that. My concern was that ideally the only viable emergency contact other than me is my mum and she probably needs removing. Then my anxiety has gone into overdrive over what happens if for whatever reason I don't turn up