Guest Posted March 7, 2005 Posted March 7, 2005 The latest communication from our Education & Cultural,Services Directorate says we need one of these in place. Providers on school sites are covered by the school's policy, but we have to devise our own. Scenarios suggested include death or serious injury resulting from violence, accident, self-harm &/or sudden traumatic illness; major fire; building collapse; riot/civil disorder; natural &/or man-made incidents; missing persons/abductions; terrorism. Apparently we need 'to consider all possibilities' which strikes me as an impossible task. I wondered if anyone from other parts of the country has had to write something similar. It seems to require more than even OFSTED have asked for recently - ion fact it arrived only a few days after we'd had our most recent care component inspection. The shape of things to come?!
Guest Posted March 7, 2005 Posted March 7, 2005 Hi Weightman We don't have such a policy in place and I have not heard of anybody having to have one before-but I suppose it was only a matter of time. If you have this in place you won't need anything else surely??? I suppose you could include the fact that you have insurance to cover such events. We already have some of the componenets of this in place in other policies, such as missing child and what we do if we have to evacuate the building and can't return. But what we would do if there was an act of terrorism?? I don't honestly know! Linda
Guest Posted March 7, 2005 Posted March 7, 2005 I can't imagine how you can prepare for anything - like you say an impossible task! However a quick internet search led me to this http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/emergencies/ which seems to be very comprehensive and may help you think of some things to consider - although geared to schools rather than nurseries/preschools. Keep us posted - we may all have to do one of these before long! Carolyn
AnonyMouse_64 Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 EEEk! How long have you got? http://alex.edfac.usyd.edu.au/LocalResourc...l/critical.html Good luck.
Guest Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 Many thanks for your replies, especially the 2 web sites which look to be on exactly the right lines. The annoying thing is they're doing one for the schools but don't even send any sample with this letter - just a note saying something like 'I hope this has helped!' I'm going to peek a look at the one from a relative's school I think! We haven't been given a time limit but they sent a slip asking whether this is already in place or where we've got to in writing it - when is completion due by? etc. My colleague advised me to put 2010!! Anyway it was reassuring to be told that should an act of terrorism or something similarly awful take place, the police & Social Services would help us [even though we're not a school!!] As for the bit where we practice the plan--- 'Right, children, we're going to practice a road traffic accident today. I need a volunteer to lie down in the road so we can practice what happens if a bus runs over you'. I don't think so!! I am getting very cynical in my old age, but really' it's enough to make you! And that's the end of today's grumble!!
AnonyMouse_3139 Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 Look, if a bomb goes off I promise to scream really loud. OK?? I doubt it will give parents much faith in you if they think their children are going to be put in a such a situation anyway.
Guest Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 My wonderful new Deputy manager has come from an American chain of Nurseries and they had an emegency bag containing blankets, torches, bottled water, tins of food, spare mobile phone, radio etc. All the children's names and emergency numbers were kept up to date on a list inside. I have not produced a bag for the Nursery yet as presumably if everywhere was bombed so there was no shelter in the vicinity we would also need to have a tent type Nursery for 'just in case'? Really interested in everyones comments on this! Teri
Guest Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 After the docudrama about the dirty bomb - during the discussions afterwards they talked about schools and nurseries having some supplies, and the emergency bag Teri mentioned sounds like a good idea. We had a kind of emergency recently when there was an alert at Heathrow, some of our parents were locked into their buildings and were not allowed out for several hours and so could not pick up their children, they were able to phone us and let us know what was happening but we did wonder what we would do if they couldn't pick them up at all. We have some emergency numbers for relatives but what if they couldn't get to us either. We have identified a safe area within our building away from windows where we could shelter from a bomb blast but we may not get any warning. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A CLOCKWORK RADIO ON THEIR LIST AS BATTERIES MAY RUN OUT.
AnonyMouse_1999 Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 Oh crikey! I really don't think we can cover every remote possibility that could (but hopefully never will) happen. In our local paper recently there have been tragic stories of a tanker crashing into the side of a house, another house that is now non existant following a gas explosion. I suppose the reality is that either of these could occur in any of our settings. I actually think that god fobid it did happen, I would do my level best just to get the children to safety. In an ideal world we would file out calmly complete with register, list of contacts and mobile phones but a critical incident perhaps does not necessarily allow for this. If a bomb goes off and we are surrounded by rubble and debris the top priority is to get everyone out. If we succed in getting outside to safety with all 14 children and staff I would be happy! I cannot guarantee I would root around for an emergency bag or be able to get the phone and the contact lists ( they could be buried!!) Does this make sense!! As long as we achieve the best possible outcome for the children isn't that what it is all about. Perhaps not the same but maybe lots of you have done first aid course and know how to do CPR. You know it is so many breaths, so many compressions and where and how to place your hands. Done it on the dummy, got the knowledge and know what you should do. Well I found the reality very different! I had to use it! I did the breaths, did the compressions but for the life of me I couldn't remember the number or ratio and I muddled through as best I could. I didnt' do it by the book but it worked!!!
AnonyMouse_1999 Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 Just thought I would add that I have re read my previous message and am not sure I like the 'tone' I certainly did not mean to appear dismissive of others views and grovelling apologies if that's the way any of you read it!!!
Guest Posted March 8, 2005 Posted March 8, 2005 Don't worry about it Geraldine-I agree with you. No matter how much paperwork we have in place nobody knows how we would react in the case of a real emergency. It's fine having fire drills etc, which I am more than happy to do, and we keep calm and do the routine as we should. But at the back of our minds we know there isn't a fire and, should things go wrong we will be ok. But in reality..... who knows?? And I don't want to be dismissive of something horrendous happening, we are all too aware that we live in very uncertain times, but if a bomb went off or whatever you would have to cope as best you could. And that's all any of us can do. And, to be perfectly honest, if something terrible like that did happen I would also be worrying about my own family-wouldn't most of us? After all we are only human! Linda
Guest Posted March 9, 2005 Posted March 9, 2005 It would be a good idea to have an evacuation procedure, our school have agreed to provide accomodation for our local social services day nursery as we have all the facilities they would need in an emergency. Their building is near an RAF camp which could be targeted, this why they have an evacuation plan, but each setting must first assess the risk.
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