Urgent motion to prevent repeat of nursery incident

An urgent motion has been submitted by opposition councillors over Aberdeen City Council’s handling of the toddler from Kingsford School Nursery who slipped out unnoticed.

It comes after it was determined the nursery put three-year-old River Wood at “serious risk of harm” after failing to notice he had gone missing.

On August 3, River was almost hit by a bus after he walked out of Kingsford School Nursery unnoticed and was found wandering down Lang Stracht.

An investigation by the Care Inspectorate stated it took nursery staff 25 minutes to raise the alarm, by which point a kindly stranger had already taken him back to his mum.

Following the investigation, Aberdeen City Council said it met River’s parents to apologise and discuss a review of security at the nursery.

A motion has now been submitted by the authority’s opposition Conservative group about the incident to help “ensure safeguarding against future similar circumstances”.

The urgent motion notes the “distressing” story reported and the Care Inspectorate investigation into the incident.

It states that the safety of children in its care is of “paramount importance” and lays out several instructions for the chief education officer.

These include a provision of a report of the circumstances, outcomes of the Care Inspectorate report and the changes in procedure and policy to ensure safeguarding against future similar circumstances.

Conservative group deputy leader Richard Brooks said: “The incident at Kingsford will have caused alarm to the parents concerned and others.

“My urgent motion at education on Tuesday asks for officers to set out the circumstances and steps taken to ensure this does not happen again.”

If accepted, the motion will be debated at the council’s education and children services committee on Tuesday.

SCARE: Three-year-old River Wood managed to walk out of Kingsford School Nursery. Pictures by Kath Flannery.

Kayleigh Kilpatrick with her son, River.