Creating a safe environment for children and parents

A childcare centre has a duty of care to ensure parents, children and other members of the public are safe. If there is a foreseeable risk in any area under your control, steps need to be taken to reduce the likelihood of an incident occurring. It is our experience that accidents often occur during pick-up and drop-off times, as parents and children enter and exit the premises. Depending on your centre, areas of risk could include the car park, paths and walkways, as well as areas inside the centre.

The following examples highlight how easily a mishap can occur and simple measures that can be put in place to reduce risk. Based on actual cases, they highlight areas in which similar incidents can be avoided, protecting the reputation of your centre.

• A parent was walking from the car park into a childcare centre and tripped on the uneven path, injuring her knee.

No one wants to see this occur, especially if it is preventable.  To minimise such a risk, conduct a  regular check of all outside walkways to identify uneven surfaces. Where there is a change in surface or height there should be a clear identification of such a change.  Put a sign up to warn visitors to the centre until a permanent solution can be found.

• A parent fell on a ramp leading into a Childcare centre. It had been raining and the ramp was slippery.

Wet weather automatically increases your exposure as surfaces become slippery when wet. Look at ways that the floor surface can be improved such as the application of non-slip paint or strips. Fit handrails, these may help to avert a fall.

• A parent slipped and fell on a wet floor which had just been cleaned when she arrived at the centre to collect her child.

Wherever possible, cleaning should be undertaken outside business hours. Spills should be cleaned up immediately. However if this is required, cordon off the area and use a warning sign to indicate where floors may be wet or slippery.

The car park area is an area of risk which deserves particular attention.  A common sense approach, together with regular hazard checks can reduce the risk of incidents occurring in this area.

• Ensure that provided parking spots are clearly marked.
• If the child care centre is set away from the road try to encourage an entry and exit to control directional flow of traffic.
• Encourage parents to reverse park into car parks when dropping off children to provide better visibility when leaving.  This will reduce the likelihood of vehicle accidents and injury to children.
• Put in place and communicate simple rules and procedures for children to abide by when in the car park area eg. ‘no running’, ‘always hold hands with the parent until safely in the centre’.
• Keep shrubs or trees trimmed to ensure there is no physical risk to vehicle or personal risk to parents and children when entering or leaving the centre.
• Provide a set parking area for staff (if space allows).

Conducting regular hazard checks and taking appropriate action when risk is identified will help you manage public liability risk and meet your duty of care. You will also have peace of mind knowing that you are doing all that you can to prevent incidents involving parents, children and other visitors to the centre.

Visit Riskequip for Child Care and complete a Self-Check Q&A on your management of Public Liability risk.

While prevention is always the best outcome, an adequate public liability insurance cover is also a key part of your centre’s protection. Public liability incidents can prove costly and consideration should be given to effecting cover up to $20 million.