Childcare arrival and departure procedure

Purpose

To make sure every child is signed in and out accurately, is handed over only to an authorized person, and is accounted for at all times, and that educators know what to do when collection doesn’t go to plan.

Scope

All children attending the service, all educators, and every adult who drops off or collects a child. It covers normal arrival and departure, late collection, collection by someone not on the authorized list, a restricted person, and an adult who seems unfit to take the child.

Responsibilities

Definitions

Authorized person

An adult named in the child’s enrollment record as allowed to collect the child.

Attendance record

The daily sign-in and sign-out record, on paper or in an app, with each child’s name, the date, arrival and departure times, and the signature of the adult who dropped off or collected.

Restricted person

Anyone a court order, parenting order or written instruction from a guardian prevents from having contact with, or collecting, the child.

What you need

• The attendance record (sheet or app)
• Each child’s enrollment record, with authorized persons, photos where held, and any court orders
• The room headcount sheet
• Emergency contact list and a working phone

Procedure

1. Prepare for arrivals

   Before the first child arrives, check that the attendance record is ready, that enough educators are rostered for the expected numbers, and that any notes from families (medication, custody changes, allergies) are in the right room.

2. Sign the child in

   The adult dropping off writes the arrival time and signs the record. The educator checks the entry is complete before the adult leaves.

   Caution: Don’t accept a child who hasn’t been signed in.

3. Take the day’s information

   Ask about sleep, food, health and who will collect the child today, and record anything the room needs to know.

   Caution: If the child seems unwell, follow your illness procedure before the adult leaves. Medication must be handed to an educator and recorded under your medication procedure, never left in a bag.

4. Hand over and update the headcount

   The child is handed to a named educator, never left alone at the entrance. The room headcount is updated straight away.

5. Keep every child accounted for during the day

   Check the headcount against the attendance record at set times and at every move between areas, such as indoors to outdoors, rest time and excursions.

6. Confirm who is collecting

   Check that the person collecting is an authorized person on the child’s record. If an educator doesn’t know them, check photo ID against the record.

   • If a parent asks by phone for someone else to collect, ask for written confirmation (email or app message) and check that person’s ID on arrival.
   • Record any one-off authority in the attendance record.

   Caution: Never release a child to someone who isn’t authorized, even if the child knows them. Phone the parent or guardian and tell the person in charge.

7. Check for restrictions

   Check the child’s record for any court order or restriction before releasing the child.

   Caution: If a restricted person arrives, don’t release the child and stay calm. Tell the person in charge at once. Call the police if anyone is at risk.

8. Check the person is fit to collect

   If the person collecting seems affected by alcohol or drugs, or otherwise unable to care for the child safely, don’t release the child. The person in charge talks to them privately and offers to call another authorized person.

   Caution: If the person insists on taking the child and you believe the child is at risk, call the police and follow your child protection procedure.

9. Hand over and sign out

   Pass on the day’s information, including any incident, medication given, meals and sleep. The adult writes the departure time and signs the record, and the educator updates the headcount.

10. Handle late collection

    If a child hasn’t been collected by closing time, two educators stay with the child. Phone the parents, then the emergency contacts, and record the time of each call.

    • Follow your late-collection policy, including any fee and how long to keep trying.
    • If no one can be reached by the time your policy sets, the person in charge contacts the authority your local rules name, such as child protection services or the police.

11. Check at the end of the day

    Check that every child signed in has been signed out. Walk through every room, the outdoor areas, toilets and sleep rooms to confirm that no child remains, then sign the attendance record.

Records

• The daily attendance record, with every arrival and departure time and signature, kept for as long as your local regulations require.
• A note of every exception (refused collection, late collection, unknown adult or restricted person), with the times and what was done.
• Authorized-person details and any court orders in each child’s enrollment record, reviewed at least once a year and whenever a family reports a change.

Related documents

• Incident, injury, trauma and illness procedure
• Medication administration procedure
• Late collection policy
• Child protection policy
• Excursion procedure

Revision history