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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to put 3 year old with 5 year old in child-contract taxi to nursery as one off and...

257 replies

Bluejay100 · 21/04/2016 19:43

Was nursery right to report me to Health Visitor for doing this, without informing me? I know it was maybe not ideal but my ex husband declined to take them at last minute as he was annoyed I've claimed for child maintenance, and it's an hour commute to my work via that nursery. I also work in a vital healthcare role and need to be in at 8. So not ideal, but is it a child protection issue?? I'm fuming at them.

OP posts:
Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 21/04/2016 20:06

Good God op. I know you might have had your reasons, but what on earth were you thinking of. Letting 2 babies get in a taxi on their own. You don't know the taxi driver. Heaven forbid, but anything could have happened, or supposen there was an accident.
Under safe guarding and duty of care laws. The school were legally obliged to report you.

starjumper · 21/04/2016 20:06

Is this a reverse?

Groovee · 21/04/2016 20:07

Our nursery insist an adult over 16 must collect the child and drop off.

titchy · 21/04/2016 20:07

Jesus do posters not realise that local education authorities actually provide taxis for kids to get to school? I don't think the OP left the kids with Uber on speed dial FFS.

This sounds to me like the 5 year old's normal way of travelling to school. Which is fine and reality for lots of people.

The taxi shouldn't really have taken the 3 yo unless you paid, in which case I'm not really seeing the problem.

Is the 3 yo life worth more than the 5 yo? And get real with the pedo comments. At least spell it right.Hmm

Clandestino · 21/04/2016 20:07

Can all the jumped up elite parents settle for a second?!

I'm not an elite parent. I am full time working and commuting and so is my husband who is also often away on business leaving me to juggle the childcare. There were cases when my childminder couldn't bring my daughter to school or pick her up. I moved mountains to do that or arrange something else but I would never let her go there on her own or in a company of someone I don't know. Sorry, but no position is as vital as the safety of my child.

Dozyoldtwonk · 21/04/2016 20:09

This is OP's first post. Hmm

If genuine, YABU. A 3 year old is way, way to little.

ollieplimsoles · 21/04/2016 20:09

You put your precious 3 year old and 5 year old babies in a car all alone,

wow I hope this is a joke

Biscuit
WellErrr · 21/04/2016 20:09

What did the taxi driver say??

Dozyoldtwonk · 21/04/2016 20:09

*too

curren · 21/04/2016 20:09

I have googled 'child contract taxi uk' and it's brought up exactly nothing.

Until the Op clarifies, no one can really say what it is.

Uncoping · 21/04/2016 20:10

*Child-contract taxi
Child contract taxi
Child-contract taxi
*
Child-contract taxi

CheeseAndOnionWalkers · 21/04/2016 20:10

Do you work at the nursery OP?

TheSuspiciousMsWhicher · 21/04/2016 20:10

do posters not realise that local education authorities actually provide taxis for kids to get to school

Er, yes. I do realise that. My DD. Used one to get to school for all of Reception and half of year 1. She had a chaperone and a regular driver. Nowhere in the OP does it suggest that it was a similar set up.

starjumper · 21/04/2016 20:11

Yep. Got to be a reverse.

AnyFucker · 21/04/2016 20:11

I know exactly what a child contract taxi is

But the contract is for the 5yo

So the 3yo should not have been bundled in and piggybacked. For a start, insurance would not be valid. For a second, the 3yo is too young to know the routine.

Yes, safeguarding is an issue here. In this situation though, the parents should have been informed that a referral to safeguarding services was being made.

Fairylea · 21/04/2016 20:11

Lots of children, especially those with additional needs, travel to school very long distances in a contracted taxi. Crb checked and all the rest of it, from the age of 4 onwards. If my son gets into the special school of our choice it is something we will have to consider - 24 miles in a taxi / mini bus with an escort from reception age. I may take him myself to be honest as it does seem very young to me but lots of people do exactly that. Op should clarify the type of taxi and arrangements.

titchy · 21/04/2016 20:13

I think the term child-contract taxi means it was the same set up as most LEAs use. With regular, DBS checked drivers who either escort the kids into school or hand them over to someone waiting for them. I don't think OP meant the kids had taken the contract out themselves.

AnyFucker · 21/04/2016 20:13

Yep, Fairy. But you can't just add a random child to the mix because your arrangements have tanked. Even if that child is related.

oblada · 21/04/2016 20:13

People are judging without knowing! If it was the normal way for the 5year old to travel it doesn't seem such a big issue really!! but as for nursery reporting I would expect it was their duty.

AnyFucker · 21/04/2016 20:15

It's a massive issue

Not for the 5yo if that contract is organised. You cannot just shoehorn another kid in though.

NeedACleverNN · 21/04/2016 20:15

Ok now I've gotten over my initial shock I still think you are in the wrong.

As it stands I don't know what a child contract taxi is but I can guess at a push it is a taxi driver who is authorised to take children to school and nursery.

They are then insured for the child who can go.

Not for the 3 year old. That was very poor planning on your part even though it was an emergency.

The nursery were in the right reporting though. It IS a safe guarding issue and they could have possibly got into a lot of trouble themselves if they didn't report it

Owllady · 21/04/2016 20:16

As long as you pre book the insurance should be fine shouldn't it?
Fairylea, some special schools start at 2 yo.

Peasandsweetcorn · 21/04/2016 20:16

The LEA have to provide transport to school in circumstances, the main one being that the school they offered the child is 2 miles or more from where they live. If there's no public transport (which would be unusual), the LEA pays for a taxi to collect you from your home, take you to school, pick you up in the afternoon & bring you home. Other than my first two days of reception & the odd day here & there, I did this throughout primary school and the children in the village where I grew up still do as the nearest school is more than two miles away. One of the neighbours' DC is an August bday so can only have been 4 & a few days when they first set off unaccompanied in a taxi. We had the same driver 90% of the time and the same relief driver the rest of the time so you obviously get to know the driver & the driver gets to know you and, if you are lucky, sends you back in when they spot you've forgotten your coat or lunch box or similar.
I don't know but I imagine that is the sort of thing OP is talking about which is very different to what some of you are imagining!

AnyFucker · 21/04/2016 20:16

if op works in the Health Service she will be well aware that this is not appropriate, even for an "emergency"

titchy · 21/04/2016 20:16

If the OP had paid the driver for the 3 year old wouldn't that mean the younger one was a normal customer and covered on the drivers usual insurance, rather than the specific LEA insurance that covers the 5 yo?

Assuming that was the case and they were insured, and the driver took them both to their designated place at the same school I don't think it's too bad......