new nursery policy - if child off for 3+ days - is this true?

[adsmam]

Hi all
I'm new here I've joined specifically to see if anyone has heard about a new nursery policy, it Involves a child needing to be seen by a professional if they are off sick from nursery for more than 3-5 days. Any help would be appreciated :)

Ive not heard of that it might just be down to a policy change at your nursery.

What kind of setting is it?

Are you claiming the free funding?
Settings have to do what they can to make sure that children have regular attendance.
If it is a private nursery then they can pretty much set their own policies.

There's nothing in my local authority guidance like that. It must be a nursery-specific thing they've introduced at your nursery.

It's a surestart children's centre, I'm claiming the free funding for the 2 year olds nursery placement. My little boys been off for 5 days as we've both had a bad cold and I was planning on taking him back in tomorrow, but I got a call today from his key worker. She said it was a new policy introduced and because he's been off for more than 3 days I had to pop in with him so he could be seen. She was adamant but it doesn't seem right to me and i couldn't find anything on the internet about it, that's why I'm posting here.

so tyey have to see him because he isnt well?

I would ask to see the policy

I'd put money on this being to do with the little boy who died in Scotland recently. He hadn't been seen in nursery since before Xmas. My guess is your nursery have rewritten their Child protection policy to say that children must be seen by a professional from outside the home.

I can see how it makes sense from a safeguarding point of view but shouldnt all parents have been toldwhen the policy changed?

and if a child has a bug is nursery really the place for them to be taken? It would make more sense for them to ne taken to a walk in centre

I was going to say what rafa has just said.

It's going to be a bit tricky with really poorly children though. Bed is sometimes the best place.

But if they are really poorly then another professional will probably have seen them, such as a GP or nurse.

Yes, good

Good point.

It doesn't even make sense from a safe guarding pov. Are all parents considered guilty of abuse or cruelty until proven innocent, what utter crap. I'd change your provider OP.

I agree. This will be an amendment to their safeguarding policy to ensure that children are seen by someone outside the family, rather than take a parent/carer's word for the fact that they are unwell and at home.

So sad that it's needed.

I'm not sure if it's even safeguarding, so much as just needing people to actually attend the sessions. My setting has also recently started providing the funded 2 year places and lots of children have really poor attendance, sometimes being "ill" for weeks at a time or on the same days every week etc and it blocks a place for someone who actually wants it.

Not suggesting at all that this is what the OP is doing, just that it is probably the thinking behind this new policy.

Are all parents considered guilty of abuse or cruelty until proven innocent, what utter crap
Sadly, but that's the way it is going.
For far too long, each serious case review makes the point that professionals have been far too trusting in believing what the parents tell them.

For 3 yr old funding we have to justify all absence - holiday,sick etc.

I explained that my son would be returning back to nursery the next day but she still insisted that he be brought in to be seen, surely if it was about funding then the next day would have been fine. I felt forced to go in and threatened with it being referred if I chose not too. I have nothing to hide so went but the whole thing has left me a bit gobsmacked !

Find a new nursery. This sounds like total idiocy to me.

Ask them to do a home visit? If he is ill and contagious he should not be in the present of other children surely. Once they have to do home visits to confirm chicken pox, d&v they may change their policy? Are you entitled to holiday from the nursery, if have free funding - worth checking their policies. And if they have not given you a policy in writing or agreed to it when you chose that nursery it may be worth a mention?

Did you speak to the manager? I'd ask for a meeting to clarify the exact policy and tell them how you felt.

Seems incredibly heavy-handed. What were they going to do if you said 'no'? What referral? They aren't your bosses and they can't order you around.

Threatened with being referred - this pisses me off that people use ss in this way, like the police with instant powers to turn up and whisk your kids away because you didn't take them to nursery when they were ill. They are just on a power trip.
What would happen if you didn't take ds in? By the time they'd made a referral and it was responded to he would be better and back in nursery.
I would ask to see their policy and clarify in what circumstances your child needs to be seen- what if he had had an infectious illness?

I'm not saying that everyone should not be more aware of child protection and should raise concerns but this does seem a bit ott and reactionary. SS haven't got the resources to follow up every child who's not been in nursery for a few days.

I'm going to ask for a copy of the policy tomorrow. Thanks for all the replies :) x