An investigation has been launched after a four-year-old girl escaped unnoticed from her playgroup and was found wandering the streets.
The girl was trying to cross a busy road in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, when she was spotted by her cousin, who alerted Annisa Hussain, the girl’s mother.
Ms Hussain was on her way to collect her daughter from the class run by Splat Staffordshire, an after-school and weekend playgroup, at the Dresden Scout Hut at 7.25pm on May 10.
The 33-year-old mother said that when she asked if staff knew her daughter had left class, a Splat employee replied, “No.”
“She doesn’t understand the dangers of the road,” Ms Hussain told StokeonTrentLive. “She can’t cross the road by herself. Even when I’m with her, I have to hold her hand because she’ll rush out into the road.
“I picked up my daughter and headed to the scout room. There was a staff member who let all the children out with their parents. I asked, “Did you know my daughter just left this place?” And they said, “No.” How can you not know that a four-year-old child has just left your home?
“I couldn’t stay calm. Longton is now a dangerous area, with the shootings that took place a few days ago,” she added.
“She woke up crying twice in the night.”
Ms Hussain said she did not know how long her daughter had been wandering the streets alone. She was found on Belgrave Road, two blocks from her classroom on Wise Street.
She added: “My daughter has never had nightmares before. She woke up crying twice in the middle of the night.
The incident was reported to Splat Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Scouts.
An investigation has since been opened by Splat and the Dresden Scout Group has canceled the group’s rental.
Lilian Dodd, president of the scout group, said: “Parents reported it to the local council. It’s up to the Child Services Protection Team to deal with it.”
“Complete internal investigation”
According to its website, Splat sessions are for children only. It states that children must be picked up by an adult, but if the child is over 10, they are “permitted to leave the session on their own with permission from a parent/guardian.”
Splat says all staff are DBS checked, first aid trained and have safeguarding qualifications to “ensure children are kept safe at all times”.
A spokesperson for the group said: “We are carrying out a full internal investigation; Once we have finalized our findings, any suggested improvements or corrective actions will be implemented. Ms Hussain was contacted by Splat the same evening as the incident and our internal investigation began the following morning. We are handling this issue in accordance with our relevant policies and procedures. If anyone has any information on this, we encourage them to contact us.
“We will be happy to share our findings once this internal investigation is complete. We want to reassure parents whose children attend our weekly sessions that our doors remain locked throughout the session and that staff/child ratios are respected. We are ready to deal with this issue openly and honestly. We are investigating and will share the results in due course.
The Telegraph has contacted Stoke-on-Trent City Council for comment.
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