When it comes to our children’s safety, we rely on those in a position of care to always fulfil their duty in making sure that our little ones are as protected as possible, which is why an incident involving a childcare centre has split opinion this week.
An ‘infuriated’ mother has condemned a Dublin childcare centre, after her six-year-old child wet herself after being turned away from its doors, when her grandmother requested to use the facilities.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Live Line show this afternoon, the mum revealed that the family had been giving the children fluids ahead of an operation to have her tonsils removed.
While out with her grandmother, the child expressed a need to use the toilet, and the woman headed straight for the childcare centre – although there were a number of restaurants and a pub close by.
Citing their safety and insurance policy, which is also agreed upon and signed by the parent of every child attending, the crèche manager declined the request.
The child went on to wet herself, which naturally left the family distressed, resulting in her mother taking to the airwaves to share her 'shock' over the incident.
A number of listeners took to Twitter to show their support for the crèche manager, insisting that pre-agreed safety policies need to be followed in all situations – a point which Laura Haugh, Mum-in-Residence at MummyPages, made on the show.
Acknowledging that the incident was ‘very unfortunate’ for all involved, Laura reiterated that Ireland’s strict child protection laws place a duty of care on all crèche staff to uphold their safety policies at all times.
Nope sorry I wouldn't want a stranger in my child's crèche. When it comes to children ,trust no one #liveline
— AK (@andreakirwan) March 29, 2016
could a random child passing by not have been invited into a creche to use a toilet.... the mind boggles #liveline pic.twitter.com/DDs86wn7CH
— Tots & Co Childcare (@Totsandcocreche) March 29, 2016
#liveline use the bloody toilets in the pub 4 gods sake
— Caroline Geoghegan (@Carolinegeogh) March 29, 2016
#liveline creche. Between insurance and protection, I can see why a creche won't allow a child in off the street to use the loo
— bren (@brenstrong) March 29, 2016
“They have a very clear policy – only parents, the children, staff members and identified, photographed members of the public can enter, and this is for the safety of the children who attend the crèche,” said Laura.
She added: “I don’t think the parents of the children attending would be too happy to hear that a stranger was allowed into the crèche.”
While it was acknowledged that this was an innocent case, recent incidents in South Dublin have led to safety concerns in crèches in the area.
Just last October, a woman was arrested by gardaí for reportedly trying to abduct toddlers from creches in the area. In this instance, family and child agency Tusla sent a letter around to facilities in the area, calling for vigilance and increased security.
What are your thoughts on what happened to this family?
