Nursery went home and left dd!

[lookingfortheanswer]

Posting here for traffic, I don't have an aibu.

Went to pick up dd from nursery this afternoon and found the whole place locked up and nobody there. After frantically calling, banging on doors, checking nobody else had picked her up we managed to contact the neighbouring school. The staff who were still there were amazing, helped us to get into the building where we found dd on the toilet, on her own, lights off and doors closed, staff gone home. It took us half an hour to get in so she was there at least that long. She was obviously very upset but is now home and fine and drinking lemonade as a treat while I try to stop shaking.

Obviously this is a huge safeguarding issue and there is no way she is going back. The head of the neighbouring school has been in touch and is organising a meeting for the morning.

Any advice on where to go from here, who to complain to? Should we get legal advice? I am so so angry!

This is a very believable incident. There are many nurseries, children's centres, schools and 6th form colleges in my area who share sites and caretakers, and are separate from the school other than paying them/the LA rent and the usual transition stuff. In the OP's position I would have gone to the school building too after ringing the nursery landline with my mobile, because if there had been an incident involving a fire/power cut the school would probably know about it, and the nursery kids may have decamped there. (Ignoring the fact the OP hadn't had a phone call about any incidents, or note on the door - that would be another less serious thread)

There was also an incident recently, locally to me, with a childminder with an assistant who had left a three year old in the front garden (not even locked in the house, alone but relatively safe) after failing to make sure they were in the car for the school run. Luckily the child was found quickly by the childminders neighbour who had realised what had happened.

OP - hope your daughter recovers from this, you get some answers, and find new childcare you can trust.

This can quite easily happen, there was a programme about a year ago about the failure of some nurseries to keep kids safe, profit over care such as in care homes. Op could have been panicking like I would and all coolin sense solutions go out of the window, but not finding that situation I would have panicked and called the police as there in effect is a missing child.

Common sense doh

What did the police say op?

I seriously hope the nursery contacts you today with a grovelling apology. Even though an apology on it's own isn't enough.

Glad your dd is okay.

The staff were in such a hurry to go home they did not check all the rooms and toilets in the building before going home, basic requirement really when your looking after children.

Hope all is OK this morning OP and DP. How your night wasn't too bad.

Best of luck with everything you will be dealing with today.

I worked in a centre with vulnerable adults, before lock up we would check all the building before locking up and going home

all my DC have attended nursery going back 10 years. it has never shut earlier than the published time and on the few occasions I have been late (7/7 bombings etc) they wait until the last child is picked up (grumpily, admittedly). if no phone call or explanation they call the named emergency contacts and would then call social services if it got that far. this is terrible and the nursery should be massively sanctioned, if not shut down. poor little thing. they are loco parentis and have failed her massively.

Hope OP DD DP had a decent night's sleep and are ready to sort out this mess today.

I can't believe the number of posts on this thread questioning its validity.
This is about someone's child, someone's life. Have you really nothing better to do than to doubt people? Waking up to read some of these horrible posts is the last thing that the OP needs.

Anyway, I hope that you and your DD have managed to get a bit of sleep and are beginning to come down from the shock at what happened.
Its good that the local authority are taking things seriously and have contacted you. The setting themselves should contact Ofsted to report this as a 'significant incident'. I would recommend that you call them first thing this morning, but it will be interesting to see if the nursery do the same.

Can you take some time off work, or do you have back-up childcare in place? I'd imagine all you want to do for now is to keep your daughter close to you.

I smells, it can happen, you cannot be 100% certain that it can never happen. Children have died in some nursery care, and have gotten injured.

Surely the nursery is cleaned at the end of the day, especially the toilets, either by the staff, or by a cleaning company? Also if staff are allowed to leave early, I'd be surprised there wasn't a manager staying behind to do paperwork.

It's not just the not checking before leaving that's the problem here though. There are multiple failures.

The record keeping about which children are in and who has been picked up are clearly not good enough (otherwise they'd have known the child was there). The general supervision of the children isn't brilliant either, as no one knew where the OP's daughter was. And then they left the building without carrying out a proper check.

OP I hope you managed to get a decent amount of sleep. Good luck with your meeting today, it sounds like the head of the school is being very supportive.
Shocking thing to have happened, I'm glad your dd is ok.

I know calamitous, at the very least check all the building before going home

Some people here are.....

" I'm so fucking important that instead of following one of the very few rules of this forum, I shall pick holes in a person's story pretending to be interested when really, anyone can see that I am snarkily troll hunting but I am VERY important and witty and hilarious, so it's ok".

lookingfortheanswe If you do happen to read this, I hope you and your DD are ok and that you are getting real life support to manage the nursery situation. I wish you all the best.

This has really shocked me. I'm getting ready to start a course in September and will be leaving my 1 year old in nursery 3 days a week, and now you've got me worried they won't really look after her or care that she's there.

OP, I hope you're ok and can get some answers today.

I believe this could happen. My daughter's after schoolclub is officially open until 6, but if I don't pick her up before 5.30 she's the last one there with only one member of staff remaining.

Op I hope you find some answers today and aren't put off from updating.

What time is the meeting this morning? Don't let them fob you off with excuses, leaving a child is inexcusable!

OP, how is your DD this morning? Did she sleep OK?