Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Need to make a serious complaint about softplay who would i contact??

94 replies

Mummy1111 · 26/02/2019 15:03

On sunday past i had my two little ones at softplay (5yrs and 2yrs) we go to softplays regularly but was first time to this one as it was newly opened. We were in about 20mins and my little one had went up to top of climbing part i heard a scream and cry like hes never done before and instantly within few seconds i was at top of where he was there was a member of staff there she said aw think may have got a freight or hurt himself. His foot was stuck on net and i got him out. I didnt speak to her i just took him down in a panic i then realised he wouldnt stand or put pressure on his legs. Within minutes where more staff over at us i asked the girl who had spoken before adter i seen her walking over with another staff member and i said so ehat exactly happened ehat did he get his foot stuck on??? There was no first aider, no incident report no nothing my partner stayed there to make there way home i went right to hospital. Turns out my little one has damage to his ankle and has broken his shin from under knee to bottom of leg he is now in a full leg cast.
The staff didnt contact us, i phoned today to be told no forms where done they didnt even have note of his name and that obviously staff didnt follow guidelines but theres also a problem with a language barrier from the girl who helped him as aparently doesnt speak greatest english? But was able to tell me his leg was caught on net and she got him out???then back tracked.
He has this on upto 8weeks and if didnt heal could need surgery.
Who can i contact and is there anything i can do???

OP posts:
crispysausagerolls · 26/02/2019 17:09

nothinglefttochoose

What you said

SinkGirl · 26/02/2019 17:11

This isn’t a sprained ankle - this is a serious break. The equipment is marked for use from 2, and there are signs saying parents shouldn’t go on the equipment, which means it should be safe for two year olds to use independently or they should have people supervising. Of course accidents happen but this sort of injury needs an explanation - what they’ve told OP doesn’t correlate with an injury like that.

AlbusPercival · 26/02/2019 17:12

Ill get flamed for this but I’d approach a no win no fee lawyer.
Make it financial and they will pay attention to making it safe for others. You also have losses to consider.
Bear in mind you will lose most of your compensation to the lawyer though abd it may take literally years to get a settlement

SockQueen · 26/02/2019 17:15

Sounds like a "toddler fracture," a spiral fracture of the tibia (shin bone) which can happen with relatively little force. Having a foot stuck and then falling or twisting on it sounds exactly like how they usually happen, so while obviously traumatic for the OP and her DS, it's not a very unusual injury. The questions I'd be concerned about are whether the netting is of appropriate size for the designated ages, and why the accident was not properly reported.

Original poster
Mummy1111 · 26/02/2019 17:18

Yes for a staff member to tell me when i went right over his feet had caught in net and she got him out (he wasnt upset at this point), he then started screaming and within secs i was there and he was with the staff member. Then by time they got over to me when i took him down she then said she was unsure when i asked???so yes i find this very strange. To also confirm the netting ia the same size width all way over the area so even if he was at the bottom or any part of it so being up the top part which was for his age and ability then i dont see how injuries like this could be acceptable???

OP posts:
Fiveredbricks · 26/02/2019 17:21

The HSE.

But also why was your 2yr old unsupervised in a softplay?

Bugsymalonemumof2 · 26/02/2019 17:22

It sounds like it was just a freak accident, they happen. Why do people always want someone to blame for these things?

They should have recorded it better and have a better procedure BUT it doesn't mean the accident was at all their fault

Newadventure · 26/02/2019 17:22

Sorry, did you say the staff member said she tried to pull him out and he got scared??
So when she pulled him he then screamed?
Sorry but it sounds to me like she injured him (By accident), I can't see how he could have done that to himself.

Odd to me that she was there in the first place tbh. Any soft play I've ever been to there's never any staff members in the play area.
I'm not saying she was there for any other sinister reason but it just seems odd.
I think it's 100% been an accident, that she has caused.

Would explain why it's not getting dealt with properly now too.

SinkGirl · 26/02/2019 17:23

OP said before - the area is for 2 up and states no parents allowed in the area

oilLovesChuck · 26/02/2019 17:24

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
Mummy1111 · 26/02/2019 17:28

This is exactly my issue, i dont for any second think anyone maliciously done anything to my son, however i am not happy with being told one thing then after trying to backtrack, also the way it was handled. I feel the worst mummy not being able to exactly say what happened to my 2year old baby.i wasnt letting my kids run crazy and not knowing where they were i seen them both few mins before this as they had a drink of juice. Its a very small enclosed softplay was very quiet and not like usual busy softplays we go to. The area is the only thing thats in it other than a soft pit for babies under 12months. No adults were to go on the equipment and there were staff sitting up there in and throughout the area. Yeah also the loss of earnings is an issue, however not my PRIORITY this has happened now and i want to atleast know how he sustained it. :(

OP posts:
oilLovesChuck · 26/02/2019 17:33

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Newadventure · 26/02/2019 17:33

No I don't think it was malicious either.. but I do think she did it. He only started crying once she tried to pull him out. She said so herself. His foot was caught and she's pulled him out with his foot still trapped and injured his leg.
Now they're back tracking.
I'm not sure how you'd ever prove it though.
Poor lad, and you! (And the girl really, I doubt she did it on perpose, i really do)

PippilottaLongstocking · 26/02/2019 17:35

My son got injured in a small independent shop recently, one of the people working there helped us and asked me to fill in an accident form with name/address/description of injury. If a shop has these policies then a softplay where people are much more likely to get injured definitely should!

NicoAndTheNiners · 26/02/2019 17:38

I agree it sounds more like the staff member may have caused the injury from what you say, obviously an accident but not very good. She may just have tugged at him and caused his foot to twist further but dunno how you could prove that.

Original poster
Mummy1111 · 26/02/2019 17:42

Just have to wait and see what the fracture clinic say tomorrow and also once i hear back from health and safety officer. Thanks for all information and advice.

OP posts:
OutInTheCountry · 26/02/2019 17:42

It's my understanding that as an employer you have provide adequate first aiders for staff but not for the general public. If you want to discuss it and clarify the position then contact the environmental health team at your local council. ROSPA also have a website that will have some information. I run a venue and have first aiders for staff and the public, we keep full records of any incidents which is best practice but I don't think it's a legal requirement.

GrandmaSharksDentures · 26/02/2019 17:42

I would guess that the child has sustained a spiral fracture from getting the leg caught in the netting & then either falling or trying to pull the leg out. Toddlers can break their legs just by walking - "Toddlers' Fracture is a real thing. Sounds plausible enough to me

Laiste · 26/02/2019 17:51

My SIL split her shin bone from stepping awkwardly into a pot hole when she got out of her car. She didn't even fall over! Ow!

Freak accidents can occur. Toddlers bones are delicate.

YepImafraidIchangeditagain · 26/02/2019 17:51

Without outing myself....this is my area, so...

This incident is a RIDDOR and must be reported by the soft play itself to the H&S authority.

They should have filled in an accident form, taken details from you and taken photos of the area that it happened.
It is also good practice to follow up after 24 and 48 hours and take note of this.
All staff present should give a statement. This is done internally.

Contact the management or owner immediately, ask for their most recent ROSPA report and enquire as to when you expect to hear from the H&S team.

They will be in huge trouble for not following procedure properly.

mangolover · 26/02/2019 17:57

Unpopular opinion 👋 but why were you not supervising your child?

Yes it is awful they haven't contacted you to fill out an accident form or handled it properly. Yes that's a health and safety matter.

But it's a bit bloody cheeky complaining when you couldn't be bothered to supervise him yourself in the first place isn't it? It's not the staffs job to inform you of what happened!

Most soft plays have separate areas for under 3s and most parents wouldn't ever leave an under 3 without supervising them as they go.

I have a disability and a 3 & 5 year old. We don't get to soft play very often because either my partner has to be with us or it has to be on a day I know I can crawl around with them which is very rare. I'd never not watch them though!

I'm flabbergasted you could complain on those grounds yet your child wasn't important enough to actually supervise at the time. What if he had injured another child? What if the damage had been worse? My child got concussed at soft play and needed a CT scan, and that was all witnessed. We could explain what had happened to the many doctors that saw him in A&E.

Beggars belief

mum11970 · 26/02/2019 18:01

My friend’s 3 year old son managed to break his arm at my son’s first birthday at a local leisure centre. It was just a bouncy castle, foam cubes and mats. These things happen, none of us ever worked how he managed it. Accidents happen when kids play, the staff member probably has no more idea than you how it happened. Speculating that the staff member did it helping your son is awful, the injury may not of hurt straight away for many reasons. People these days always seem to be looking for someone to blame.

NicoAndTheNiners · 26/02/2019 18:17

Unpopular opinion 👋 but why were you not supervising your child?

Some people need to read the OPs posts, especially the one about the sign saying no adults allowed in the soft play area. And that the sign said the area was for age 2yo and up. So OP adhered to the rules and perfectly correctly assumed it was safe for small kids.

SinkGirl · 26/02/2019 18:42

Why do people not read - it’s infuriating! Not only did OP explain but multiple people have asked and been answered.

I am shocked at some of the responses - this little one has had a very nasty and very painful injury. The company can’t / won’t tell her what happened, and they haven’t followed safety procedures. The child can’t go to nursery; the parent has loss of earnings and the parent was following the rules set out by the business. Accidents do happen but she doesn’t even know what happened.

She’s lucky that, with a serious injury and not being able to explain how it happened, the hospital didn’t call social services - I’ve known this happen to two people when they didn’t see exactly what happened when their child was injured.

BlueEyedPersephone · 26/02/2019 19:04

I would report to local council as a riddor, and in addition contact a solicitor as they did not follow procedure and another child could get injured, you are also going to incur cost as time off work etc. Even if they state at own risk, it still has to be safe.