The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Missing nursery child ruled ‘at serious risk’
An Aberdeen nursery put a three-year-old at “serious risk of harm” after failing to notice he had gone missing, an investigation has found.
River Wood slipped out of Kingsford School Nursery and was found wandering down Lang Stracht – and almost hit by a bus – on August 3.
His mother, Kayleigh Kilpatrick, only found out when a kind stranger – who found the toddler on the busy road – was standing at her front door with him.
Now an investigation by the Care Inspectorate has revealed it took nursery staff at least 25 minutes to raise the alarm with the council and police after discovering River had gone.
By that point, the stranger had already taken him back to his mum.
Miss Kilpatrick told The Press and Journal the incident has had a “profound impact” on the family.
She has Tourette’s Syndrome which she says has worsened since the incident along with her anxiety. She has been unable to return to her job as a support worker.
“I’m really struggling. My ticks and anxiety, I’m on high alert all the time and I feel like something is going to happen to him constantly,” she said. “If I can’t see him or don’t know where he is I am instantly in floods of tears.”
She said she is “in a panic” at home on her own and has been living between her mum’s and sister’s houses with River and his sister Sienna, two.
Miss Kilpatrick and River’s dad, Peter Wood, have not put their son back to the nursery. They have tried getting him enrolled elsewhere, but have been told he will need to reapply.
Aberdeen City Council launched an investigation but River’s parents felt this wasn’t adequate and approached the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate report has upheld five complaints.
They were: Complaint 1: River was at serious risk of harm when he left the premises unaccompanied.
There was a CCTV camera at the front of the building, but the investigation found not enough attention was paid to it. This, along with the fact there was “limited supervision” ultimately enabled him to walk out.
New door alarms have been fitted since the incident, but the report said it still has concerns about security.
Complaint 2: Communication with River’s parents has been misleading and contradictory.
No official notetaker was present at the initial meeting between River’s parents and a quality improvement officer. River’s dad took his own notes, which contradicted the subsequent information issued relating to timings.
The investigation report noted that the facility gave approximate timings for the day’s events, despite the fact CCTV footage and call logs could have confirmed them precisely.
It added: “River’s parents were concerned they were being misled when they were told a member of staff carried out a perimeter check, they were not provided with further information.”
Complaint 3: Staff did not raise any concerns in a timely manner, lengthening the period of time he was at risk of harm.
A timeline of events is as follows, the CCTV clock is said to have been three minutes fast:
● 4.27pm: River is seen on CCTV leaving nursery.
● 4.40pm: Staff notice River is missing, though this cannot be confirmed.
● Around 4.55pm: Staff member seen leaving the premises by the garden gate and going in the direction River went.
● Around 5.03pm: Staff member returns to the nursery without River.
● 5.02pm: Call to Aberdeen City Council.
● 5.06pm: Call to police. The Care Inspectorate’s report stated the delay in staff contacting police put River at “increased risk of harm”. It did not, however, make a requirement for improvement due to ongoing investigations into staff actions.
Complaint 4: Staff caring for River on August 3 did not follow the service missing child policy and procedure. Kingsford School Nursery does not have a missing child policy, but staff should be aware of the council’s.
The report said: “Staff did not follow missing child policy and procedures and had to call locality lead for advice, causing further delay.”
Despite an ongoing internal investigation, the Care Inspectorate has made a requirement those working at the nursery must be aware of the missing child procedure.
Complaint 5: Staff did not contact River’s parents.
River’s parents were not told he was missing until he had been returned home, approximately 26 minutes after staff noticed he was gone.
Staff put this delay down to “being unable to access the database and panic”.
Regardless of this, the report says: “People using the service should be confident they will be contacted in a timely manner in the event of an emergency.
River’s dad, Mr Wood, said he remains “livid” at the handling of the incident.
He feels the matter is being treated as “done and dusted” with publication of the report, but does not feel the nursery has been held accountable.
He said: “They’re trying to sweep it under the carpet. If they didn’t try to do that and were being a bit more open and transparent – which they told us they would be – then I wouldn’t be so livid.”
A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council said: “We met with River’s parents following an investigation into this unfortunate incident to apologise and discuss the measures we have undertaken.
“River’s parents have sought information on available early learning and childcare spaces in their chosen area and two have been identified.”