School said Nanny was high at pick up - Nanny denied

[AMA1234]

We've had a great after school nanny for 2 months now - mainly for DS4 and sometimes DS3. Really good with the kids, organised, cooks etc. Yesterday, I told her that DH and I were at work out of home so left watsapp instructions for dinner as I have done previously. She starts an hr before pick up to prep food and fold laundry. Yday DS4 was poorly so school called and we req she pick him up straight away. School called shortly after he's been picked up to raise safeguarding concerns as she smelt like cannabis and had bloodshot eyes. I rushed home from work and asked her gently if she had been smoking and she denied it. My gut is saying that she was high (no eye contact/slow) but I cant be sure. As I was home unexpectedly she left her keys on the side and for the first time I noticed her keyrings are from Narcotic Anonymous. I think her bag also smelt of cannabis but cant be sure. What shall I do now? I guess options are to end now - still in probation period under contract, ask for a drug test, or treat this as a warning. KInterested in views - I'm waiting for a call back from the school with more info.

Yes they do have them.

Fair point.

Schoo thought your nanny was on drugs and let her take your young child home? Surely not?

I'm surprised she didn't put them in the fridge.

Why did the school let her take your son home if they thought she was high ? @AMA1234

Thanks - I was going to ask the same. That's a huge safeguarding fail.

The school could not point out Nanny was high, and also release your child to the high Nanny. If they did do that, you should be booking a meeting with the head asap. They should have rung the parents and kept the child.

Obviously you should not leave your children in this person's care for another day.

So your child is young enough to be collected from school, and the school were so concerned about the drug use from his new nanny that they called you but sent an unwell child home with a person they believed to be under the influence of drugs?

A new school as well as a new Nanny, I think.
Plus a meeting with the HT and contacting Ofsted?

How is it even a question about what to do in these circumstances???

Apologies @Batties

I meant to add @whattheysay in my post as well.

I’m sorry for missing that off.

Many children are in the care of drug addicts and still go to school

Well assuming this isn’t a wind up. Of course you have to let her go as she’s in charge of a young child whilst clearly under the influence.
my exh has these NA key rings they get given for various milestones of sobriety, however unfortunately my ex has no unsupervised contact with my four year-old as he has relapsed many times and will lie about using drugs and alcohol.. He is welcome to see his child as frequently as he wants, but I certainly wouldn’t let him drive her or be in sole charge of such a young child at the moment . I’m surprised you’re even asking this question to Mumsnet. My ex is capable of folding laundry and cooking lovely meals and having a great time playing with children. But he also can be spaced out, paranoid, aggressive and generally incapable of looking after another person when high

Yes unfortunately in this case OP’s children’s school have flagged this is a concern and she is paying for this nanny. Therefore she is well
within her rights to end the probation period and find a nanny who does her job at the agreed rate without potentially causing safeguarding concerns and worry for her employers.

Having a key ring does not make you a drug addict. In my experience, children are not allowed to be taken home from school or nursery by anyone whom the staff suspect may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If we did suspect such a thing, we would contact the parent directly and ask them to collect the child themselves - we would not send them home with someone who is under the influence.
If the school really did this, that’s a massive safeguarding failure.

Why did school let her leave with the children?

Of course having a keyring stating you’ve been sober for a certain amount of days suggests you are an addict. Especially when combined with people accusing you of being high, and smelling of drugs. OPs story doesn’t exactly check out generally, but if any of it is true the nanny obviously needs to go.

You think a nanny would be proudly showing off her drug addiction?

The nanny doesn't have parental responsibility.

There is no way a UK school would have released a child into the care of a person without parental responsibility who they believed was high.

You clearly don't know much about addiction and/or recovery programs.

The chips / pins / badges / key chains are NOT to “show off addiction” - WTAF?

They are in recognition of sober time achieved and an “aide memoire” if you like, so that when someone is in recovery they can have remembrance of what they have already achieved - with a view to hopefully preventing relapse.

Further, the nanny was not expecting to be called to pick up earlier than normal - I am 1000% sure she would have put her keys away before heading out.

She did not leave them out to show her employer - your thought processes are very weird. And your understanding of NA and other recovery programs is clearly poor.

Either way - she cannot continue in this role.

Anyone can buy those key rings off Etsy!

So the school pointed out something like this and didn’t refer to SS 😂

<don’t think the OP is coming back >

Stop being deliberately obtuse. Chances are people would buy them to celebrate sobriety, not for funnies.

I know these are something they give out and she could have however the fact op just happened to see it on a key ring the day the school told her she was high is what I’m having trouble with

Look for someone else, she lied about it if you could smell it. School have raised it so will constantly judge her, I would not keep her on after probation period as I couldn’t trust her with my children she’s a lying drug user who’s effected your child’s school’s opinion of you as a family.