To think this can't be true about play centres?

[JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows]

Seen this this morning on Facebook from a trampoline park/soft play centre - surely it can't be true? Too many safeguarding issues - My kids are 5 and 8 and I wouldn't leave them alone inside a play centre. I'd sit in the cafe/seating area and look out for them but parents can't possibly be expected to leave their 4+ year olds (they clarify in the comments that it only applies to kids 4 and over) alone?

@Daydrambeliever

The staff I have encountered are barely given any kind of induction nevermind training.

My toddler nephew had a member of staff run over his foot with a catering trolley. Blood everywhere. I had to seek out a member of staff to ask for first aid. A very young person, ashen-faced, threw a first aid kit onto our table and literally ran away! When I returned the box I asked if they had an incident book for me to fill in - you'd have thought I was talking swahili!

However, the IKEA where I live have AMAZING staff. They are dbs checked andtrained in child protection (certificates on the wall). They also strictly limit numbers for supervision ratio purposes.

That's so bad!

I went to Walby Farm Park in Carlisle once and my son broke his arm - he wasn't even in soft play he was walking into the gift shop and fell! They were amazing, first aider on hand, accident book filled out and phone calls to follow up. I know it's only because they don't want me to sue 😂 but still was nice to see they followed procedure.

@Butwasitherdriveway

They can take it as seriously as they like. The risk of injuries at these type of places is really high

And a parent being in there would prevent that how?

[quote Butwasitherdriveway]@Scepticalch3rry James and pumper will tell you what a nightmare stubborn poster I am but even I can see you are attempting to pick a random argument out of thin air! Why? I'm not really sure what point you are making![/quote]
She’s just being an absolute goady fucker all over the place. God knows why, things are crap enough at the moment!

@Butwasitherdriveway

They can take it as seriously as they like. The risk of injuries at these type of places is really high

@Butwasitherdriveway the risk of injury is high in trampoline parks in general but parents either accept that risk or they don't take their kids there in the first place. If my child breaks their leg on a trampoline, the time it takes me to get from the viewing platform / cafe or from standing outside the entrance door is not going to make a difference. I either trust the trained staff to supervise my child adequately or I don't, that's a choice for individual parents.

@user1471530109

OP, if you had titled your thread as something like 'i am not comfortable with this' rather than 'this can't be true' you would have got a different response.

You have younger children so for you, it feels unsuitable. It doesn't matter what the age limit they have stipulated is. Most 4 yr olds wouldn't go in alone and many parents wouldn't be happy to do that either. But some would go in with their sibling? Or the centre may back track and allow a 4-6 session?

But at the end of the day, the centre is sticking to the guidance and will have done all the necessary risk assessments. I personally hate trampoline parks so I wouldn't be letting my own kids know about it. But that's nothing to do with what they are suggesting regarding the supervised session. My youngest was 6 when I reluctantly let her go in. But at the time, I paid to actually go on the trampolines with her. Not sit in the cafe. These sessions will very likely be on a much lower capacity. All these indoor child's exercise classes are. Swimming lessons are half size and their dance lessons are too. Even scouts/beavers outside was in tiny numbers.

You're right, but like I say if they were older I'd be less shocked. But TBH aren't these places for very young kids anyway? my DD is nearly 9 and if it wasn't for her little brother I probably wouldn't go to a soft play.

I do think there's a major difference to trained childcare staff and soft play/trampoline staff.

2 years college and in the case of teacher 4yr uni for a start!

Also there's a difference between being able to see your kid (even from a balcony) and being able to go to your kids should they need you to leaving them to go in alone and you aren't permitted to enter.

Yes, some parents would be happy to but I agree with OP I don't think many parents of children aged 4-9/10 would happily send them in alone - especially if it's an all ages play session.

There’s no chance I’d use something like this. Hopefully it isn’t long term.

Knowing my sixth formers who work in these kinds of centres, they're great pupils to teach but not mentally equipped to suddenly be responsible for dozens of random (feral) children.

Dozens of feral children? Or several well supervised children?

But a PP says

For the posters asking if this is a play centre or trampoline park. It's both although the softplay area will be closed. Even in non-Covid times, the staff ensure that there is only one child per trampoline etc. If a child wants to go on a different piece of equipment, they join the queue until the staff member tells them they can go on. With fewer children and no parents blocking the staff's view, there's probably less chance for a child to be hurt.

Did you take your DC to the trampoline park pre-covid?

Too much safeguarding in this country it's bad.
Raising children to be wary of adults is wrong, not expecting them to play for a while without their parents.
They can do what they want as a business, snowflakes and pfb parents don't need to go.

[quote TattiePants]@JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows to be fair, I don't think the management are helping themselves. They hadn't owned the place that long pre Covid and I do think the tone of the facebook post was a bit flippant. They could have avoided a lot of the fuss by posting a factual comment on why this decision is necessary, understanding that some parents won't be comfortable with it, offering refunds to those parents and explaining how they are going to mitigate risks eg x number of children, y number of trained, DBS checked staff etc. They've also been very slow to respond to criticism.

The staff there are pretty young (they did a profile on each staff member last year) but that's not to say they aren't suitably trained.[/quote]
Yes I noticed this - the inexperienced tone made me wonder if they knew what they were talking about 🙈 their responses have been a bit grumpy

My child used a holiday club, I didn't know the staff running it. It was separate from the school. Many parents are in this position. What about when you send your child off to a residential? You won't know the staff there.

The first cub camp my son went to, was at an outdoor activity centre, so all the activities were run by the staff at the centre not the cub leaders.

Other parents use holiday clubs when they go on holiday, you won't know the staff there either.

@FlattestWhite

Do you mean 'right' as it following the correct guidelines, or 'right' in the sense of 'should they be allowed to do this and is it right for parents to allow their children in alone?'

Right as in correct!

I did Google FWIW but found nothing

I went to Walby Farm Park in Carlisle once and my son broke his arm - he wasn't even in soft play he was walking into the gift shop and fell! They were amazing, first aider on hand, accident book filled out and phone calls to follow up. I know it's only because they don't want me to sue 😂 but still was nice to see they followed procedure.

If he randomly fell then the park wouldn't be negligent and you wouldn't be able to sue.

Well with all the ‘what aboutery’ - my child wouldn’t be going on a residential before year 6 for one thing and for another, the teachers don’t just leave them to it and go and have a cup of tea and cake!

@JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows

Just accept that as a parent, being sat in a cafe provides no protection to your child playing in a soft play. Yes they can run to you and ask for help, or run over crying after being pushed over. But none of those is preventative.

Of course it provides protection because it provides reassurance to children.

If you're the type of person who doesn't want to risk your child coming up against any sort of conflict then soft play isn't for you. But other people aren't wrong for taking their children just in case another kid might pick on them and they aren't towering over them the second it happens

In the same vein, surely you can see that even if supervised bounce isn’t for you, other people aren’t wrong for taking their children if their children don’t need reassurance? Especially when the other option is the centre being closed completely.

I wouldn’t send my 4 year old, but I’m sure some people would. I would happily send my 9 year old though. Plenty of my sixth formers work at the local holiday play scheme which takes ages 4-11 so clearly some parents are happy with their children being supervised mainly by teenagers.

If you were interested in sending your children, you could always ask about ratios, DBS checks, etc.

@JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows but @TattiePants has already said more than once that the soft play part isn't open! It's just the trampoline park. So I would imagine older kids would be attracted, not 4 and 5 yr olds.

soft play is miles worse than trampoline parks. Horrendous places and so glad my two are past that stage

@Devlesko

Too much safeguarding in this country it's bad. Raising children to be wary of adults is wrong, not expecting them to play for a while without their parents. They can do what they want as a business, snowflakes and pfb parents don't need to go.

I agree and I think this sort of thing was what Amanda Owen was talking about when she said we're raising a generation of snowflakes.

@daffodilsandprimroses many schools (pre-COVID) run residentials well before Y6. We have run camps for Beavers who start at 6.

When DS had swimming lessons with school, the lessons were solely run by the swimming instructors, the teachers had no involvement apart from getting the children to and from the pool.

I’m sure they do but I wouldn’t be happy sending my six year old on one. Other parents can make that choice themselves of course.

[quote Scepticalch3rry]@daffodilsandprimroses

Ah so a child being able to run to a parent after being harmed is now the gist of where this is going. Funny how its gone from 'being in a cafe can't prevent harm' to now 'but then a child can run to you for help'

Just accept that as a parent, being sat in a cafe provides no protection to your child playing in a soft play. Yes they can run to you and ask for help, or run over crying after being pushed over. But none of those is preventative.

These are SUPERVISED trampoline sessions, not even sure why this has even turned into a soft play discussion as that is not opening until May 17th.

I find it odd how you're accepting of putting your children in unsafe sleeping arrangements but getting worked up about this. Its mighty odd how some parents pick and choose when to keep their child safe (when it suits them it seems)[/quote]
OP will keep moving the goal posts this is no more than your usual Covid Restrictions 'wOnT yOu tHiNk oF tHe pOoR cHiLdReN' thread, OP's moving of the free session/soft play/supervised session goalpost, the refusal to engage on the fact that the staff would be DBS checked, and no one picker her up on the use of 'what about children with SEN' when the type of people who tend to post this anti lockdown spiel only give a shite about SEN kids when they can use them in some argument against lockdown/covid restrictions

What on earth is a 'bounce' session?

I don't see the problem with this, the sessions will be supervised by vetted staff? It's just like dropping them off at Brownies or whatever, surely?

Too much safeguarding in this country it's bad.

Are you arguing against safe guarding children? Creepy much?

I agree and I think this sort of thing was what Amanda Owen was talking about when she said we're raising a generation of snowflakes.

Strangely I tend to find that most 'snowflakey' behaviour is displayed by mainly an older, white demographic who say stupid shit like 'Political correctness gorn mad/its only banter/NAMALT/schroedingers immigrant' but obviously not all of that demographic

To be honest just I tend to think aNyOnE who does that is a bit of a nob.

@daffodilsandprimroses

I’m sure they do but I wouldn’t be happy sending my six year old on one. Other parents can make that choice themselves of course.

Well exactly. The trampoline park is offering an option that some parents will choose to take, and other parents wouldn’t be happy to take.

I don’t see why that option existing “can’t be true” according to the OP, especially when the only other option is the centre being closed completely.