Well you are, if you expect First Aid from a soft play centre!!!

[Lucyellensmum100]

If you take your child to a soft play centre, they have no legal obligation whatsoever to provide first aid if your child injures itself. This from the Environmental health and safety officer at my local council.

Thankfully though, most places would probably rush to assist you. I wont name names because that would be wrong but my child was injured in a soft play centre in Herne Bay and we were offered no assistance or first aid equipment, in terms of towels to stem blood flow etc, someone to calm me and my daughter down because i was quite frankly in an total panic. They couldnt even tell me where the local Minor injuries unit was.

I reported this to the local authorities and they have said that the only come back i have is to file a civil case, which i dont want to do, the accident wasn't their fault, but some concern would have been nice. They have upheld the complaint in terms of them sending feedback to the place but can take no action as they have acted within the law - surely this can't be right???

Apparently the responsibility lies with the parents! well yes, of course it does, but i don't carry a first aid box around with me - i had to go to the toilets to try and find something to stem the blood flow (my DD had bitten through her tongue) I amd incredulous that this is apparently OK.

Kind of funny, though, how big kids (some aged 21 or older) are treated better in this regard than little ones, though.

I would have thought the same duty of care/legal obligation would have applied to both, so thanks to Lucy for pointing out you can be really unlucky and get some complete jobsworth who is happy to sit by whilst your child bleeds.

You can't compare how they reacted to a cut to how they would react to someone collapsing. Two very different scenarios

as mentioned above, if nothing else then maybe this thread will make more parents/carers take on more responsibility for ensuring they are trained and prepared to deal with incidents like this.

I've had to ask for 1st aid supplies twice in the last few weeks and was very grateful that the public places I was in at the time had supplies and staff who cared to help me.

Sirzy Why not? I've collapsed loads over the years in public, and so have a pretty good idea of how people react (Boots, brilliant, tube passengers who stepped over me, not so brilliant, tube staff, brilliant, passers by have who called the ambulance, brilliant).

You can't see immediately how serious the situation is, I look serious but am not. I have a friend who sustained a wound to the leg, he nearly died. I know lots of people whose kids have ended up with a broken something or other that didn't look serious.

Not even having an accident book? No first aid kit whatsoever? No list of local emergency numbers and a phone to use?

I'm sorry, this is basic stuff, not even about having trained first aiders.

SauvignonBlanche You are right. My cousin-in-law was in a Maidenhead restaurant, choked on her food and died leaving two little boys.

Mumsy - you might expect the same duty of care and places you have worked may have had policies that covered non employees, but the duty of care is different.

First aid isn't an exception, the regs that cover them come under the umbrella of the Health & Safety at Work, etc Act. Although certain sections relate to non employees,(a small part of the law) H &S legislation places duties on employers and employees. They are work related.

I have commented on this thread, but this will be the last post, as I am perfectly able to think for myself and CBA to waste any more of my time.

I have just come across this blog whilst searching for sumthing else on fone, but I had to stop & read this, (even tho it is 2 years + since). I think it is very sad that our society as a whole has come to this. Not only in a child's playcentre but in general. How many people witness an accident/attack/injured person & walk on by nowadays? I see/hear about it all to often that passers by/witnesses do nothingt help the injured, how sad? Especially a child, wot if it was your child? Would u expect someone to stop or cum over & help? I wood. I always put myself in their shoes. As long as your life is not threatened then why not give sum1 5/10/45 mins of your time? Even if u have no first aid skills, sumtimes all sum1 needs is a bit of support or gerneral calm & knowledge. & if its a case of 'I mite get sued' then get them to sign a piece of paper on entryto agree to medical assistance & person trying to help is trying there best & cannot b held responsible or prosecuted. Gone are the days when u cud walk down a road & say 'morning' to people, more of a case 'wot u lookin at?'. Just remember, one day u may b that injured person & look to a stranger for help?? Well hope your children are fully recovered now, best wishes to all.

The trouble is as soon as they help in anyway or give you so much as a clean toilet roll they become liable for anything that goes wrong.

If your a trained first Aider the legal situation is even worse.

The law is a total arse in this field and needs needs a total overhaul.