Parents Not Using Car Seats

[Cradle2crayons]

....doesn't matter if it would cause issues with the family or not. It's something you agreed to do when you became a mandated reporter.

I would also use this situation to send home a reminder letter to parents about care seat safety and what their obligations are as well as what you are required by law to do if you are aware that a parent is not using a car seat.

why would they know YOU called anyway... It could be someone on the highway reporting them??

I have in my policies that parents or authorized pickups MUST have state approved and age/size appropriate child restraints or else the police will be called. I even go over that at interview.

[Second Home]

So would a provider be held liabke if they did not know the parent was not using a car seat?

Most days I do not see the child being put in tne car so how would I know if they were using a car seat .

[Unregistered]

No, you can not be liable for anything you don't know.

[Meeko]

I would tell the dad that you are a mandated reporter. He MUST have the right equipment to transport his child. Tell him he has to go get one before he takes the child. If he says he;s going to take his child anyway...tell him you are calling the authorities.

[Blackcat31]

So would a provider be held liabke if they did not know the parent was not using a car seat?

Most days I do not see the child being put in tne car so how would I know if they were using a car seat .

In case you are interested in reading more about this, Tom Copeland has a podcast available discussing your (general provider -you) responsibility if a parent arrives without a car seat or under the influence.

http://www.tomcopelandblog.com/2014/02/tom-copeland-podcast-what-you-should-do-when-a-parent-shows-up-drunk-or-without-a-car-seat.html

[MarinaVanessa]

Just call up the parents ..
"I noticed that yesterday Johnny was picked up without a car seat. I have to tell you as a mandated reporter that this is considered child endangerment and very dangerous. Little Johnny should be in a car seat/booster seat until he's [age/weight/height]. I can't allow him to be picked up anymore without a car seat, it's a requirement of my license to report things like this. I'm sure it was just an oversight, next time I'll have to make the call"

As long as the child falls within the requirements for needing to sit in a safety seat he should be picked up and dropped off in one. Check his age, height and weight just to make sure he's not too old, tall or heavy for one and if he isn't definitely have the talk.

[Unregistered]

I got everyone to give me their make, model, tag number, and color of their car today. The parent that this happened with had already scheduled to be off today, but I plan to get their info tomorrow. I asked for their info and wrote everything down first, then told them that I saw someone put one of their children in the car without a car seat and I am required to report that. But since I didn't have their car information, I couldn't report it. Everyone seemed fine after I did this today. They just said, " oh, okay, well I use a car seat so there's no problem with me."

We'll see how the father who didn't use a car seat reacts when I ask for his information next time I see him.