Jesters Kids Club Arrivals & Departures Procedure

Jesters will give a warm and friendly welcome to each child on arrival and ensure that they depart safely at the end of each session.

Admissions
It is the responsibility of the Team Leader to ensure that an accurate record is kept of all children in the Club, and that any arrival or departure to and from the premises is recorded in the register. The register will be kept in an accessible location on the premises at all times (for exemptions to this rule, see the Visits and Outings policy). This process will be supplemented by regular head counts during the day.

Records of daily registers should be kept by the Club for at least one year.

Arrivals
On arrival, a member of staff will immediately record the child’s attendance in the daily register, including the time of registration.

If the parent/carer wants their child to be given medicine during the day by a member of staff, they must complete and sign the Administering Medication Form (See Appendix Three). Further details of this procedure are contained in the Club’s Health, Illness and Emergency policy.

Departures
If the child is to be collected by someone other than the parent/carer, this must be indicated to a member of staff and recorded at the start of the session. The adult nominated to collect a child must be one of those named on the Admissions Form (see Appendix Four). Only adults – aged 16 years and over – and with suitable identification, will be authorised to collect children.

Permission and arrangements for children leaving the Club alone at the end of a session will be a matter for discussion between the Team Leader and parents/carers, based on an understanding of a child’s age, maturity and previous experience. Written consent for children leaving the Club alone must be submitted to Jesters before such arrangements are able to commence.

No child under the age of 8 will be allowed to leave the Club unaccompanied.

No adult other than those named on the Admissions Form will be allowed to leave the Club with a child. In the event that someone else should arrive without prior knowledge, the Club will telephone the parent/carer immediately.

If the parent/carer or alternative nominated adult is going to be late to collect their child, staff must be informed of this on arrival. If the designated adult is late in picking up their child without prior warning, the provisions of the Uncollected Children policy will be activated.

Upon departure, the register will be marked to show that the child has left the premises. The time of departure will also be recorded.

Absences
If a child is going to be absent from a session, parents must inform the  Team Leader or Director in advance, personally.

If a child is absent without explanation for more than three days concurrently, staff will contact the parents/carers to try to ascertain the reasons behind this.

Regular absences from the Club could be an early sign and/or symptom that a child or family may be encountering some difficulties and might need support from the relevant statutory agencies.  Jesters and its staff will always try to discover the causes of prolonged and unexplained absences.

Escorting Children between School and Jesters
Where children are escorted between school premises and Jesters, the following procedures will be carried out:

The Team Leader will ensure that a thorough risk assessment is carried out and regularly reviewed, according to the provisions of the Risk Assessment policy.

A contact within the school will be identified, with whom the Team Leader or Director will liaise.

A clear agreement will be reached between Jesters and the school about when responsibility for children’s safety is officially transferred.

The Team Leader will ensure that an identical register of all children who require escorting between locations is kept by both the school and Jesters and updated daily.

A regular meeting place for children will be established within both the school and Jesters. If the meeting place is complex, children under eight should be escorted directly from and to classrooms and Jesters.

There will always be an appropriate number of staff members or associate team members accompanying any such group.

Given the extensive geographic nature of the Jesters schools, associate Team Members are often used to collect and escort children.  Such Team Members will always be security checked and vetted prior to supporting us.

Staff will ensure that children are given instructions on road safety.

If a child is absent from Jesters without prior warning, staff will check to see if they attended school that day – they will not simply accept the word of other children. If the whereabouts of the child is not clear, staff will immediately inform the designated contact at the school and the parents/carers.

Transport
Where possible, Jesters will use a minibus when escorting children longer distances. When escorting children by minibus or other private vehicle, staff will ensure that the following rules are always adhered to:

 In addition to the driver, where appropriate, there will be at least one adult supervising at all times. This adult will be seated in the back of the minibus and nearest to the door. All adults, who are involved in the transportation of children, will have appropriate and up to date Criminal Records Bureau checks.

 Children should not sit at the front of a minibus.

 The driver will have a valid Section 19 Small Bus Permit, suitable for driving a minibus and escorting children.

 All vehicles are suitably insured and all children are wearing seat belts. 

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Jesters Kids Clubs, Main Road, Bicknacre, Essex, 
Main Office Tel: 01245 222384