Is it ok to ask children to be labelled with their full name on day trip.

[BrownieBlondie]

So ds is going on a group trip, not school but similar vibe. The plan is for each child to wear a wrist band with their full name on. I see this as a safeguarding risk as a stranger could read it and talk a child into thinking they know them/their parents.
Before I say something am I being paranoid or do others see this as a safeguarding issue.

You’re right. We used to give the children a label with the school name if they weren’t wearing uniform on a trip. They shouldn’t be labelled with their name. A phone number is far more sensible on a wristband.

I think that's being paranoid but without knowing how old the child is, where they are going, what the supervision will be like who can give a proper opinion

What’s the purpose of having their full name on display?
Presumably all the teachers / helpers already know who’s who?

It shouldn't be their full name. When we went to geronemo festival many a year ago we were given blank wristbands to write our phone number on, I thought that was an excellent idea.

I assume it’s in case they get lost as it also has an emergency contact. That in itself is worrying!

I am quite anxious about these things but I still would say you’re overthinking this. Focus instead on teaching your child what to do if they get lost

i don’t think that’s a good idea. I label my kids with my phone number in busy places, ever since a heartstopping 20 mins when we lost our 2 year old

They should be labelled with a phone number, not a name

Definitely wouldn't be happy about this, and I don't think you're being paranoid, no.

If a child gets lost, the finder doesn't need to know their name. They might ask them their name instinctively, they might want to use their name to comfort them - but they don't need to know it.

If they phone the number and say that they have found a lost child the adult on the other end isn't going to have more than one missing child and even if they did they still need to get this one back.

This seems a little paranoid to me. If people see a phone number, that can also be used to harass the child and their family if someone is crazy enough.

Depends on the situation. My dd had a wristband that had my phone number and "I am autistic" on right into her teens we used when appropriate (she may still have it) any place where she could be unfamiliar as then she would refuse to talk. Her name was on the inside of it not on display

Surely the children know their full name is displayed? If they are old enough to go on a trip they are old enough to know their names and understand that everyone else can read it. And why on earth would they be unsupervised with access to strangers? That's what you should be concerned about in the first place! If they are old enough to be mingling unsupervised then they are old enough to deal with a situation themselves.

I think you are being way over the top here.

I did start the thread in case I was being OTT, which some think I am. I guess as I have friends with adopted children who are careful to keep them off social media and wouldn’t want birth family to know their new name, maybe this has tainted my thoughts.

I'm pretty pragmatic and I wouldn't be that happy about this. There's no reason really for them to have a full name on there - presumably the kids are old enough to know their own names if asked.

If you think this scenario is possible just don’t let them go

No, they shouldn't have their name. When police give out the wristbands for DC they always say just to put a phone number on it.

It’s a terrible idea and Ofsted would be massively unimpressed by the group. (Assuming they’re a registered childcare group?)

when I ran a holiday playscheme we were told we couldn’t allow the children to put their first names on the trip T-shirts they were decorating during one inspection

The wristbands should have a phone number on them

Plenty of us!

It's the teacher's number that goes on the wrist band on a trip. Or the school mobile that the staff have with them.

Beavers, rainbows and Brownies here also don’t allow children to have their names on show on trips.

Rainbows specifically banned the backpacks with names embroidered on them.

The phone number would be the group emergency contact - not a parent who could be many miles away

Small kids will tell anyone who asks 'what's your name?' So yes I think it's bit over the top.

YANBU, it is a safeguarding risk - just like putting names in big letters on backpacks!

The wrong person gets to them, reads their name and then addresses them using it. A young enough child can easily be convinced that the person taking to them is ‘a friend of Mum’s’ for example purely by the fact that they ‘know’ their name and I’m guessing if the child is young enough that they might not be capable of remembering their full name in an emergency then they are young enough to be easily conned in to believing they are in safe hands with someone just because they happen to know their name.

😂