Rationale

Because Safe is one of our core values, keeping our tamariki and team safe is Kindercare’s top priority (NELP 1.1 – ensure places of learning are safe). Under certain circumstances, our most effective way to do this is to put our centres into lockdown. The purpose of a lockdown is to incorporate a shelter in place strategy to keep a potential threat out of the centre or keep tamariki and the team as far as possible away from a threat from inside the centre. Lockdown drills empower our team with confidence, knowledge, and possible action steps to take based on when, how, and what to do, in a real lockdown situation.

Procedure Details

A lockdown is described as a security measure taken during an emergency or threat of danger, to prevent people from entering or leaving the building.

The aim of this policy is to assist our team in preparing to quickly and calmly implement a shelter in place by moving tamariki to safety avoiding heightened alarm; thinking about potential threats in your local community; how the proximity of the threat to your own centre might influence planning; how different lengths of time in lockdown i.e. duration, impact planning; whether the threat is internal or external to the centre; what practical measures (food, water, nappy changes, bottles, medication, toilet facilities) are in place to ensure tamariki are kept safe, settled, calm and well cared for during the lockdown period; and ensure the team are safe, with access to food, water and bathroom facilities (NELP 1.1 – ensure places of learning are safe).

Secondly, this policy is about ensuring each centre develops their own individual shelter in place plan and procedure for lockdown, identifies safe areas in advance, knows how to alert others in the team, and is clear about what external communication is needed and to whom i.e. parents and whānau, Area Manager/Manager, Support Office etc (NELP 1.1 Learners with their whānau are at the centre of education Partner with families and whānau).

Because Lockdown drills are an essential part of preparing for an actual lockdown event, these shelter in place drills must be conducted a minimum of 4 times a year i.e. every 3 months. Drills must cover a variety of possible lockdown scenarios including internal and external threats to the centre.

Important:

Once in lockdown, do not unlock doors and windows or go outside until the centres is given the all clear.
Once the centre has initiated a lockdown, no one (including parents and whānau) will be granted access into or out of the centre, except emergency personnel.

Threat outside the centre

Centres may face a threat posed by an intruder or other emergency, outside the centre, that prevents the evacuation of tamariki and our team from the centre. In these situations, centres must be prepared to respond quickly and competently to implement a shelter in place, by removing our tamariki and team from a threat/area of high risk, to an area of low risk, placing the centre in lockdown. While sheltering in place, our tamariki and team must not move from a low risk/safe area, back to an area of high risk/threat.

Purpose

A centre lockdown/shelter in place can serve several purposes during an emergency, including the following:

Removing tamariki and our team from the threat
Isolating the dangerous situation to the smallest area of the centre
Depending on the situation, facilitating an organised evacuation away from the dangerous area

Procedure for our centres and team in lockdown:

Once placed in lockdown, tamariki and our team will quickly move inside the centre (if outside), and into a designated safe place, to await further instructions.

During shelter in place, tamariki will be responded to calmly, and gently. Our team will maintain a settled environment, engaging tamariki quietly in activities. They will have access to kai, water and toilets.

Parents and whānau will receive communication via text messages and our Educa message board, as and when the team are able to provide updates.

While in lockdown, no one will be permitted to enter or leave the centre. This is to protect tamariki and our team. Parents and whānau are advised not to come to the centre, not to knock or wait at any entrance areas, and not to call the centre as the team may not be able to talk, and it is essential that the landline is open for emergency communication and updates.

While reasons for a lockdown may vary, it is only once the Ministry of Education, or NZ Police or Kindercare’s crisis management team have given the “All Clear” that the centre lockdown will be lifted.

Parents and whānau will receive a text message and Educa update that the centre is no longer in lockdown. At this point, the centre will be open to parents and whānau again.

“Safe Areas” in the centre are those safe spaces which also ensure tamariki and our team have enough ventilation and are a suitable size for the number of tamariki and the team, for a reasonable period of time, including lockdown periods that may extend into several hours.

Additional Information

·       Ensure the centre has a small stock of tinned food in the pantry for the purpose of making a quick meal for tamariki and the team if a lockdown/shelter in place situation continues after the centre closing time. Ensure this includes a quick meal option for tamariki with allergies.

·       Update Infocare contact details regularly for tamariki to ensure you have a mobile number for parents and whānau for emergency communication.

·       If tamariki and the team move to a safe area outside of their room, ensure that medication needed for pre-identified health needs and chronic medication is taken with them to the safe area.

·       Ensure that tamariki and the team will have safe access to toilet facilities from their place of safety in the centre.

Trips:

·       If a group in the centre are out on a trip when the centre goes into lockdown, the Centre Director, Centre Administrator or Centre Supervisor will notify that team as they cannot return to the centre while it is in lockdown. Centre to advise their Area Manager of the trip so that parents and whānau of these tamariki are notified that they will not be returning to the centre until safe to do so. (Refer to Kindercare’s Trip Policy)

·       If a room are on a field trip, and the venue they are visiting goes into lockdown, the group will follow the procedures and protocol of the venue but notify their Centre Director or Centre Administrator immediately that the venue is in lockdown. The centre must immediately notify Kindercare’s Communications Coordinator or if not available, People & Culture Manager that a group from the centre are in lockdown at a venue. Support Office will send emergency text communication to the parents and whānau of tamariki on the trip so they are informed by Kindercare before hearing it via the media etc. (Refer to Kindercare’s Trip Policy)

·       Teams out of the centre on a trip with tamariki must ensure they take a list of parents and whānau contact details, and emergency contacts, so that in the event of an emergency/lockdown, they are able to contact parents and whānau or emergency contacts.

·       If tamariki are picked up from the trip venue (either because the venue is in lockdown or the centre is in lockdown) and tamariki cannot return to the centre, parents and whānau or emergency contact must sign that they have picked up the child and give a reason.

Threat from Inside the Centre

Centres may face a threat posed by a person inside the centre that could potentially put our tamariki and team in danger. In these situations, centres must be prepared to take steps to implement shelter in place by quickly and calmly moving tamariki and our team away to isolate them from danger.

A potential threat from inside the centre could be a stranger, or someone known to the centre, under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, or an angry/upset parent/employee or member of an employee or parents’/whānau, or a visitor to the centre.

Procedure for our team to follow (NELP 1.1 – ensure places of learning are safe)

1. When the centre is placed in lockdown, our team must calmly and quietly move tamariki to another room, as far away from the threat as possible (situation specific), or into the outside playground (if safe to do so).
2. Keep tamariki and the team away from windows and doors and engage tamariki in a quiet activity to keep them calm and as settled as possible.

Based on the threat/nature of the emergency, the centre may need to be evacuated. The order to evacuate may come from NZ Police, Armed Offender Squad, Kindercare Support Office, or if the threat is immediate, the centre leadership team has autonomy to make the call to evacuate when acting in the safety of tamariki (NELP 1.1 – ensure places of learning are safe). In this instance, the centre will call 111, then Auckland Support Office to notify them that the centre is evacuating. The centre will then follow Kindercare’s Emergency Evacuation Procedure.

Last Review Dates: July 2024