A three-year-old child disappeared momentarily from a nursery in Palmela, in the district of Setúbal, after a time of “greater circulation” in the establishment. The child was found in an adjacent courtyard and is not injured, but grandmother asks: “What if I had gone on the road?”
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13/11/2026
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Uthe three-year-old child disappeared from a nursery in Palmela, in the district of Setúbal, and was located “a little later” in a courtyard adjacent to the building, without any injury.
The information was advanced by the District Diary on Wednesday, and confirmed by News to Minutes at the daycare center, the Palmela Social Center, this Friday.
Everything happened on November 4, and according to the clarification sent by the establishment, the child “was temporarily removed from the institution’s playground during a period of entry and exit of children and family members”.
“The child was in a leisure period, in a space that is always accompanied and supervised by the professionals of the institution. The occurrence occurred during a time of greater movement of persons, associated with the entry and collection of children, and the child managed to pass through an access zone without its exit immediately detected“, details the center.
The child was, however, located “a little later in a courtyard adjacent to the Social Center, by a person belonging to the school community, who immediately accompanied her back to the interior of the institution, having not suffered any injury”. The space where it was found belongs to the former facilities of the Republican National Guard (GNR), according to the publication that advanced with the disappearance. O News to Minutes he's trying to get in touch with GNR.
Those responsible indicate in the note sent that this was a punctual situation, “there is no similar occurrence record” in the institution.
“What if I had gone down the road?”
The above mentioned publication also notes that the child's grandmother expressed great concern about the safety and surveillance of the site. “This cannot happen, because the child cannot leave the interior of the institution alone for the street”, said the family member, who should press a complaint with the authorities.
“Was it in the courtyard adjacent to the social center, but had it gone out to the road, and had it not gone well?“, questions.
The social center explains that the family was informed by the direction of the center “as soon as the situation was identified”. “From the first moment, the management has maintained close, direct and continued contact with the mother of the child, in a dialogue of great closeness and cooperation. The child normally returned to the institution the next day and continues to attend it, maintaining a relationship of trust and collaboration between the family and the social center”, reads in the statement.
It also explains the publication that still on Thursday, November 12, the mother of the child “returned to express to the direction her concern to preserve the privacy of the child and to avoid the public exposure of this episode”. In view of this situation, the social center ensures that it was in this sense that it always avoided disclosing “details of an individual and family nature”, an attitude that “never meant unavailability to provide clarifications about the occurrence, assume institutional responsibility or explain the measures adopted”.
Social center implemented measures. Which ones?
Underlining that he faced this situation with “maximum seriousness”, the social centre further points out that he developed “immediate internal diligence to ascertain the circumstances of the event and identify the aspects that needed correction”.
Following the analysis, some measures were implemented, namely:, “the gridging in the identified crossing zone and the procedures for controlling access and monitoring of children were reviewed, particularly during periods of greater movement of persons, such as the moments of entry and collection”.
“ We understand that a situation of this nature raises concern with families – it is precisely because we recognize the responsibility entrusted to us that we believe it is important to clarify what has happened, to assume the identified failure and to take account of the measures adopted”, writes the social center, realizing that it maintains its “compromise with the safety, protection and well-being of all children who are daily in their care, as well as with a relationship of transparency, proximity and trust with their families”.