to think this might be a child protection/safe guarding issue?

[thickgit]

There's a nursery close by to me. Today, they were playing outside. I very clearly saw male nursery worker laying on his back on the ground, leaning up a bit on his elbows. One girl was laying on her front, on him. Another girl was laying on him, more on his chest.
It looked inappropriate to me so I immediately called nursery and told manager to go outside and see. She was more interested in knowing who I was.

I called back ten minutes later to give her my number. She wanted my name. I wouldn't give it. She was very defensive about the scenario and just wanted to know if I would feel the same if it was a woman. I explained that I've worked in nurseries and would not let children lay on me like this. She said other workers were out there, so she had no issue with it.
What are your thoughts?

[KatsutheClockworkOctopus]

My DS has a male carer at his nursery. If I arrived and saw the situation you described, I wouldn't think anything of it (other than worrying the man was a bit squashed-DS weighs a ton)

[Earlyday]

I don't think over familiar physical contact is appropriate in this setting.

I speak as someone whose child was abused in a nursery - and for which a nursery worker was convicted.

I know we shouldn't be over the top worried about everyone who has contact with our children - but equally I think it is vital not to be naive.

[Ifonlylovewouldsavetheday]

Don't want to point out the obvious but often abuse is actually very public but people refuse to see/believe it. OP wasn't reporting abuse but poor teaching assistant skills.

[JuxtapositionRecords]

Why is not appropriate?

[ctjoy103]

Why should she reassure you? So that you could feel confident going around poking your nose in places?

[Dawndonnaagain]

Men play rough and tumble with their children all the time, it is not a problem in a nursery setting. Grow up.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

However, a man almost lying flat on his back with two children lying on top of him is not appropriate in a nursery setting.

Says.... You?

This stinks of goady fuckery. If I'm wrong then the OP is nasty as fuck.

[bringbacksideburns]

If it concerned you so greatly why didn't you give your name and make an official complaint?

I doubt very much you'd be rushing to ring them if it had been a woman lying there.

Also he was out in the open not hiding away.

[grumpysquash3]

Why did you call back ten minutes later to give your number? They would already have it.

[UnderTheGreenwoodTree]

OP - I really am one of the first posters to jump in and say when I think behaviour towards children is inappropriate - but this doesn't sound bad to me.

He was lying down, and the kids were climbing on him/lying on him. Men do tend to be more physical with children, IME - I know that at family get-together, it's usually the men rough-housing the children.

[Pipbin]

OP wasn't reporting abuse but poor teaching assistant skills.

What was poor about this? He was interacting with the children rather than holding them at arms length.

[Ifonlylovewouldsavetheday]

Just wondering what section and in which Teaching Assistant level course this type of play is encouraged! Leap on the OP all you like, but lying on the ground with close contact is not part of the training. There are many reasons why people don't give names and the above posts explain why.

[Toraleistripe]

It is not about him being male. I don't think 'anything goes' is acceptable in childcare settings. Usually organisations have policies on levels of physical contact. Of course nursery workers have to cuddle small children. They even might play rough and tumble. However this isn't what is described. I think even with small children there needs to be boundaries on acceptable levels of physical contact where the carer is not family. I personally thinks this oversteps that boundary.

[JuxtapositionRecords]

OP wasn't reporting abuse but poor teaching assistant skills.

Erm, look at her thread title??

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

Agree Pipbin. And nursery assistants aren't teaching assistants anyway. They are employed to play with the children and that sometimes involves physical play.

[CustardLover]

Wow. Haven't you got a headache from that doom-alarm going off OP? It must exhaust you.

[thickgit]

I called back once I'd arrived home. I wanted her to have my number in case she wanted to discuss it further. I didn't know she had my number
They were not playing rough and tumble. As strange as it may sound, they looked as though they were relaxing on a summer's day
Just to make it super clear. . . The guy was
laying on his back, propped up by elbows. One girl was laying on top of him, so her feet roughly at his shins, her head roughly at his chest.

[SueLawleyandNicholasWitchell]

It's not a problem for family and it's not a problem for babysitters and nannies and those employed by parents with their standards and within their context.

For a nursery, they will have a policy for physical contact. Usually this is deemed acceptable if it is initiated by the child. So if an adult was lying down and a child approached and lay on top of him then that would probably be ok. But if a child was lying down and an adult picked them up and lay them on top of them, then that would be a problem. Or if a child came to lie on top of an adult who then put his arms around and gave him a cuddle, that would be a problem. Any kind of kiss would also be unacceptable (kiss it better etc). A passerby judging the situation is unlikely to have seen how it started.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

Nah. Not buying it

[Gileswithachainsaw]

He has a Penis. of course it's inappropriate. better hope he's gay hey.



ffs

dd1 used to jump all over her key worker at pre school. if she saw her out shopping shed run up and give her a cuddle.

but she's a woman so it's ok

poor guy. they obviously trust and feel relaxed with him. they are statistically safer there witg him. than at home.

[thickgit]

Yes, I definitely need to change the title. No idea how to do this?

[shazzarooney99]

Good lord! probably a game of pile on! why diddnt you give your name op???? you make a huge issue of it being a man and how he was lying down..................................

[ctjoy103]

Fitting username op

[Pipbin]

You can't change the title unless you report the post to MNHQ and ask them.
However what good would changing the title do? You clearly have a problem as the adult has a penis.