Easter Seals North Georgia - Lawrenceville

591-1-1-.08(7) · Rule 591-1-1-.08(7) requires the Center to ensure that children are only released to authorized person(s), and that Center Staff take necessary steps to determine that any such person(s) presenting to pick up a child in care is authorized by the Parent(s) of the child and that person matches the identifying information provided by the Parent.

During an investigation, it was determined that on February 7, 2022, a four-year-old child was released to an unauthorized person. Center staff released a child with the same first name to the new pickup person but failed to check the last name and ensure that the correct child was released. The pickup person had never met the child and was also unaware that they had the wrong child. The child was in the care of the unauthorized person for twenty to thirty minutes, the time it took to transport the child to the corporate center and back.

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591-1-1-.29(3) · Rule 591-1-1-.29(3) requires the Director or designated person-in-charge to report or cause to be reported to the Department within twenty-four (24) hours or the next work day: any death of a child while in the care of the Center; any serious illness or injury requiring hospitalization or professional medical attention other than first aid of a child while in the care of the Center; any situation when a child in care becomes missing, such as, but not limited to, a child who is left on a vehicle, a child who leaves the building, playground, or property, or a child who is left behind on any trip; any fire; any structural disaster; any emergency situation that requires temporarily relocating children; any time the program’s operating status changes (i.e., open to closed or temporarily closed and temporarily closed to open).

During an investigation, it was determined that on February 7, 2022, a four-year-old child went missing for twenty to thirty minutes when the child was released to an unauthorized person. Staff were unaware that the child was with the wrong person until the parent arrived to pick the child up and the child was not present. The incident was not reported until February 10, 2022.

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