Ofsted Finds Serious Safeguarding Failures at Crosby Nursery Following Child Collection Incident

An Ofsted inspection has found serious safeguarding failures at a Crosby nursery after a child was mistakenly collected by the wrong adult and driven away before staff realised the error.

The inspection at Kids Planet Crosby was carried out following the incident in June, when a two year old girl was accidentally taken home by another child’s grandad. The child was safely returned to the nursery a short time later, but the incident prompted the nursery to refer itself to Ofsted.

The regulator has now published its findings, concluding that safeguarding standards were not being met and that weaknesses in procedures placed children at “significant risk of harm.”

Inspectors found that leadership had failed to ensure safeguarding procedures were implemented consistently, highlighting concerns over staff deployment, supervision and collection procedures.

The report also raised concerns about children’s privacy during toileting and intimate care, although inspectors noted that immediate action was taken to address this during the inspection.

While Ofsted praised staff for building warm relationships with children and recognised strengths in areas including children’s learning, behaviour, inclusion and partnerships with parents, it said these positive aspects did not outweigh the significant weaknesses in safeguarding.

As a result, Ofsted found that the nursery had failed to meet the safeguarding requirements of both the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Childcare Register.

Enforcement action is now expected, with the provider having been issued a Welfare Requirements Notice requiring a four point action plan.

In response, Kids Planet said it was “deeply sorry” for the incident, describing it as an isolated and unprecedented case of human error where established procedures were not followed.

The nursery said it immediately strengthened its collection procedures, enhanced security arrangements, increased safeguarding training, improved staff supervision and reviewed its risk assessments. It also confirmed that Ofsted returned for a follow up visit on 22 July, with the outcome of that visit due to be published separately.

The incident has raised wider concerns about safeguarding procedures in early years settings and the importance of ensuring robust collection processes are followed at all times to keep children safe.