What do I say to a parent who forgot to collect her child yesterday

[KatyMac]

She sent a friend to collect over an hour late after I texted to say "Is there a problem? You are very late." at 6:30

I am a bit flabbergasted tbh

I have never had a parent forget to collect

I've got a policy on this. Obviously I charge a late fee (10 min or more). My policy says after 30 min I start phoning other contact numbers then after 1 hour I phone social services. Never had to do that mind!

I will create one

There is a late payment on my contract

But this was a temporay contract so it wasn't on it.....it will be next time

But if I create a robust policy now is that victimisation?

How did they forget a child - was there a mix up over times, or which parent was collecting?

I think you should ask for late payment and hope they don't scrutinise the contract. They can't not pay you, can they?

I don't think so. You have every right to finish work when you should finish. If they havent got the courtesy to ring you and say we will be late, or have procedures in place for someone else to pick up I think you are within your rights to charge the. People will just take the p*ss otherwise!

Obviously its within your discretion to decide what situations are appropriate to charging them.

Katy this has brought back some memories for me...

I used to mind a little boy whos parents always used to 'forget' to pick him up, or forget which childminder he was at (two of us shared him)
They would try and drop him at my house when I was on holiday and I would direct them to other cm house and then they would turn up back at my house to collect him.
They would turn up at my house to collect him when they had dropped him at nursery and the nursery had spent all day trying to contact them cos he hadn't been collected
The dad would park his car round the corner from my house, come and collect him and then he couldn't remember where he had left the car!!!
One night I was trying to contact his Mum til 8pm and when i finally got hold of her she thought his dad had collected him
I called meeting after meeting and in the end gave notice but I'm sure it won't come to that for you.

I would just mention that it isn't fair on the child and a massive inconvenience to you.

I explained that DD was not having a great summer because of DH being so ill, and that DD & I had arranged to go out, and that we couldn't because DD had to go to bed at 7:30 - so we didn't have time

Her response was t not bring the child today & to say she might not come tomorrow - which would be quite passive aggressive - apart from the fact that she has paid for the days already (I found out she used to do this with her old childminder, who invoiced in arrears)

hi katy mac have policy on this if you would like copy

surely there is a concern with the welfare of the child if parents repeadly forget their child - personally if they forgot their child time and time again I would have contact social services.

Sorry, forgot their child???!!!!

I have an uncollected child policy never thought that anyone would ever ever ever have to implement this one though? how can you forget your own child fgs??

I'd be calling SS next time if it happened again!

What did parents/child have to say? What did you say to them??

Only ever been 20mins late before

Child was desperately upset - mum unconcerned

Crikey

Late collection policy here too - never had to implement it:

Ring parents
Ring emergency contacts
After 2 hours ring social services.

I hope it was an abberation, we all have busy lives although forgetting a child is extreme.

Sorry your evening plans were disrupted too.

This happened all the time with the family I used to nanny for. I used to drop the youngest at nursery 2 afternoons a week and then I had finished work for the day so went home (was live out) Usually at about 6pm I would get a call on my mobile asking to come and collect him as the parents had forgotten and I was emergency number!!! This probably happened at least 2 times a month

how strange

what was her reason for child being forgotten?

maybe a mix up of which parent picking up?

poor child, and poor you as you had to change your plans Katy - hope DH gets better soon ( well now - never understood why you say get better soon - should be get better now )

I thought the 2 hour rule and then ring social services was a Ofsted rule? You should have that in your policies anyway Katy, so no need to feel you are acting on this particular case.

shocking behaviour btw.

That's grim. I have been late occasionally and just once had a panicked txt from DS dad asking if he was supposed to be collecting that night because he couldn't remember - it wasn;t his night and DS was already home and stuffing his tea down his neck... I can see it happening to anyone once in a while ie each parent thinking it;s the other's turn or having made arrangements with someone else who cocks it up. Or, of course, some sort of dire emergency like being run over. But these people do sound dreadful.

Mines SS after an hour. Poor child