Southport

Firstly, we send our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of all involved, both children and adults, but not least the families of the three children taken far too early. Nothing can replace what has been lost.

The duty of care that we share in the wraparound and out of school sector is one that everyone takes exceptionally seriously. Now is a time for collective sadness, and of support.

This incident will be a reminder to everyone in our sector to ensure that security is paramount. We hope that this is an isolated incident relating to one person and in one setting. Parents will of course, naturally and rightly, be concerned about the safety of their children but what happened in Southport should not mean that parents do not feel safe sending their children to holiday clubs, or wraparound childcare. Our role is to support parents, staff and our wider stakeholders in understanding the response we are taking as childcare providers.

We expect that all providers will immediately review their security measures, venue risk assessments and their emergency procedures and communicate this with parents, staff, children and others involved in the operations of the setting. People will need reassurance of the measures that settings are taking. Naturally parents may feel they want to keep their children close to them at a time like this, but may need reassurance that holiday clubs are overwhelmingly safe and secure places for children to be. Supportive communication is key.

There are standard practice measures such as passwords for secure collection of children, ensuring that doors are secure both for unauthorised adult access but also to ensure that children can’t leave, and evacuation and lock down procedures that should be widely understood. All reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that the premises is safe and secure. Parents need to feel confident and trust in the provision that cares for their children, and should be encouraged to speak to their provider if they are at all concerned about what measures are in place; providers should be proactively sharing information with families too. Trust is hard won in this sector and this is an opportunity to show parents we are on their side.

We do not believe that this is an issue that is about one type of venue being more secure than others; it’s about everyone playing their part in ensuring that premises where children are being cared for are secure. No one should be afraid to challenge adults that they don’t recognise, and challenge practices that we know to be unhelpful. Doors shouldn’t be propped open whether for heat or ease of access unless there are wider perimeter security measures in place. Sometimes, out of innate politeness adults hold doors for people; we need to make sure that we don’t do that, so that only people who should have access to children do. Please remind families not to do this – big signs on doors might be useful here. As always, it is the responsibility of the staff at each setting to ensure that they only hand over children to authorised adults - we all need to contribute to keeping communities safe. 

More than anything, we need to come together and not be divided on this issue. Families of the children and adults hurt in this attack need our support. Our sector, and our member providers who knew and loved these children need our support. We also need to understand that both parents, children and staff in holiday settings will be frightened by what’s happened and to seek support. 

Do you need a lockdown procedure?

For more information, guidance and free downloads find our Lockdown Procedure page here