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?

Because I can watch them from where I sit

Yeah, watch them get hurt! You couldn't do anything about it in time.

Sounds fine. The kids will be supervised by staff. No different to me taking my children to their trampoline training. Ok, so mine have trained coaches teaching them how to move and land safely. But in terms of supervision and checks, any person working with children has to have the appropriate dbs.

Putting it another way, when parents take their kids to these places, how many of them are trained trampoline gymnastics coaches to ensure their own children are suitably warmed up etc?

I’m with you OP. I think a load of things that would have been considered a no no a year ago (remember the threads on here about parents not supervising their kids properly at various places, too busy looking at their phones/drinking coffee/chatting with their mates etc) are fine now that we worship at the altar of Covid. And it’s fine to discuss that, even if we have no plans to go.

If my children wanted to go to a trampoline park and there were staff keeping an eye out then I would let them. I wouldn't be encouraging them. But if dd 8+ came home and said "my friends are all going to trampoline Park on Saturday can I go" I would allow her despite not being able to sit in cafe. So I expect there is a market for it.

We took our children to gymnastics club at 7, where parents were asked not to remain.
If the sessions are supervised, presumably safeguarding will be similar?

Wouldn’t leave a 4 year old at either, though.

@halcyondays if I'm in my car how will they know which parent to get though?

The staff will probably be a lot more vigilant than a parent 'supervising' from the cafe who is probably drinking a coffee and scrolling through their phone.

I disagree unless they have a 1:1 ratio - parents say in a seating area keep half an eye on their own kids anyway, and that child comes to their parent if there's a problem. They're not gonna do the same with staff.

I'm actually amazed people here think a free soft play session with children as you long as 4 and no parents to supervise is considered safe

There used to be a soft play near us which had a cafe at the front and they supervised the kids while they played. You couldn’t see the play area from the cafe.

Inside cafes and inside play are not allowed therefore they are offering what is allowed - exercise classes. You don't have to book.

@DenisetheMenace

We took our children to gymnastics club at 7, where parents were asked not to remain. If the sessions are supervised, presumably safeguarding will be similar?

Wouldn’t leave a 4 year old at either, though.

Gymnastics lessons are not the same as a 'free' soft play session with no structure other than 'go crazy' where loads of small kids are running about on trampolines though?

Did your kids never go to a birthday party pre Covid at a soft play or anything? Where the parents were supervising and didn’t have a 1:1 ratio.

@Rukaya as I've said twice, that's the nature of trampoline parks - kids get hurt even if you're with them - but if my child got hurt or was doing something they shouldn't I could do something about it or see to them quickly. A few staff who suddenly have childcare responsibilities can't provide a safe level of care IMO

No, I won't be going if this is true. Not a chance!

If you think it's too dangerous, then don't take your children. This is the only way they can open to comply with the law.

I expect they'd quite like an income again.

@halcyondays

Did your kids never go to a birthday party pre Covid at a soft play or anything? Where the parents were supervising and didn’t have a 1:1 ratio.

I've never actually done 'drop off' parties yet parents have always stayed but at least there was a parent who knew the children who was able to look out for them. Which is better than a complete stranger

I disagree unless they have a 1:1 ratio - parents say in a seating area keep half an eye on their own kids anyway, and that child comes to their parent if there's a problem. They're not gonna do the same with staff.

They wouldn't need 1-1 supervision though and many parents would be be supervising multiple children. The staff would be keeping an eye on a set area and enforcing the rules and ensuring the children are playing safely.

The vast majority of 4 year olds in a classroom don't have 1-1supevision and despite their being multiple ways they could hurt themselves no one seems to think that's unsafe.

@moochingtothepub it's not an exercise class, this is free roaming soft play session.

But it's not a free sport play session. It's a supervised bounce session. What's the staff to child ratio? Do you know? I'm guessing not.

@halcyondays

There used to be a soft play near us which had a cafe at the front and they supervised the kids while they played. You couldn’t see the play area from the cafe.

Any I've ever been to, the cafe is in the same area as the soft play bit

I'm really not sure what you are expecting. By law cafes etc are not permitted to open indoors at the moment, this includes those in play centres etc. The centres are doing everything they can within the law to open up and hold sessions. If you don't like this arrangement then don't go, wait untill cafes etc are permitted to seat indoors.

@Clymene

But it's not a free sport play session. It's a supervised bounce session. What's the staff to child ratio? Do you know? I'm guessing not.

What's the difference? All it means is that staff are at the sidelines as they usually are but there's no parents. How is that any safer?

My son used to have swimming lessons when he was little. I used to sit in the cafe with the other parents. There was a huge window so you could watch the lessons. I will admit I didn’t concentrate completely on my son’s lessons as would often be chatting to the other parents. If my son got into difficulty I would not have been able to magic myself through the window to help him, so was completely reliant on the staff to ensure he was safe.

The same applies for these venues.

Our local soft play (pre-Covid) ran after school clubs so assume the same sort of thing as the OP is worried about.

@Clymene I'm not saying they shouldn't open. I'm saying I expected that the rules for play centres - like last time lockdown was lifted - would be parents can come along and sit on tables/seating areas/in the cafe but just not go in the soft play area unless their child was in distress. Not sure why now the law would be that parents can't come in at all.

All it means is that staff are at the sidelines as they usually are but there's no parents. How is that any safer?

Presumably they will have more staff and each staff member will be supervising a set area. The amount of children at the session will also be reduced. It's probably more safe now than it was when they expected the parents to help supervise.

Not wrong no. From April 12th these centres can open Including dance groups swimming etc BUT only to children everyone else outside. A lot are delaying opening till May 17th due to these rules.

This thread is a bit hostile for some reason!

I agree with you @JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows but I did guess they’d have to do something like this to keep it open. And I agree that it depends on the age of the kid, most 8 year olds could go in with a couple
of pals but I don’t think it’ll work for the younger ones.

And there’s a massive difference between a trained, qualified P1 teacher in charge of a group of four year olds in a classroom setting and a teenager being paid minimum wage to supervise a trampoline park.