DD1 is 13 months, has been in nursery part-time for 5 weeks.
Yesterday I picked her up from nursery as normal, staff all smiles, went home & took the dogs to the park. DH came home & we all went out for a nice pub tea to celebrate me getting through my first month back at work (& first pay day for months!). Then I got a call from the Deputy Manager at the nursery to inform me a staff member has been suspended over an "incident" involving my daughter. Heart in mouth while I pray please don't let it be violent, or God forbid, sexual. Turns out another member of staff was walking past the CCTV screens they have in the entrance hall showing all rooms when she caught this staffer "throwing DD onto a beanbag with what we consider unacceptable force". DD had been throwing sand or something apparently, they think said staffer was engaging in an inappropriate attempt at discipline (she is 13 mo, FFS).
The woman who caught her in the act intervened to ensure DD was ok & remove her from this person's care. The management then reviewed the footage and suspended her. They didn't tell me when I picked DD up because the staff member was still in the building.
They didn't tell me who it was (probably appropriate although I am not into vigilantism) but have asked me to come in first thing Mon am to see the footage myself & discuss it further.
As far as they are aware at this stage it was an isolated incident but they are investigating further to see if she has behaved this way before, with DD or others.
I am trying not to over-reacting but have felt a but sick since learning this & slept badly last night. Just keep imagining the incident (am sure it is now worse in my mind than it was in actual fact). DH has postponed a work trip so he can come with me on Mon am.
I haven't massively enjoyed my return to work, have missed DD, and worried about how she was settling in. Yesterday was actually the first morning she didn't cry on dropping her off so I was starting to feel better- now I just feel my trust has been broken and I am suddenly acutely aware I have left her with strangers.
Also -what if it has happened before?
What if it is not deemed a sackable offence & I have to leave DD with this person again? Even if I see the footage and don't feel what she did was terrible, it would be very odd to leave DD with her & for me to have to interest with her as normal after she has been through a suspension process in relation to DD (which must be a pretty awful thing for the staff member involved, assuming what they caught was a rare moment of frustration not a typical moment from an uncaring cow).
DD appears to be fine physically & emotionally.
I haven't told parents or ILs yet as they will almost certainly overreact & tell us to remove her from the nursery (MIL in particular would be distraught & would probably tell me to give up work immediately!).
Any advice? Anyone known this happen elsewhere?
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Nursery staffer suspended for manhandling my DD
68 replies
birdofthenorth · 01/10/2011 08:43
OP posts:
RumourOfAHurricane ·
01/10/2011 09:46
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