CM Leaving children with someone else while she "pops" out

I don't think you need to be confrontational about it but you do need to say something - surely someone else could have taken her child to the Drs but at the very least she should have contacted you

you do need to bring it up and just say you are not happy that she left your child with someone else - and mention that her insuarnce wouldnt have been valid and that ofsted would disaprove

to which all cm's would know this anyway iyswim

I think you should say something when you collect them. Nicely, of course.... but something. Just so it's out there in the open. Otherwise, you'll always be wondering if it's happening or going to happen again and you can't have your children with someone you don't trust. She also needs to know that you noticed and were a bit shocked by it.

I would be so if this happened with my ds. I know my cm would never do this, because she is professional and honest. You do need to say something to her - even just gently, that you'd like to know in the future if this is going to happen. Don't think that you need to please her in order to have a cm for your dc. She does not have this power over you. You pay her to care for your children and keep them safe. She is out of line, out of order... did she even say anything to you when she got home about it? To explain at least (not that it would excuse it, but just wondering if she just brushed it off and thought you should be ok with it or if she felt caught out...)

I agree with thesecondcoming - the other cms would be disgusted with this behaviour.

And I agree, not all cms are like this. It's not a minefield, but this one needs reporting to ofsted.

It doesn't need to be a big confrontation with the CM - just tell her you're not comfortable with her leaving your children with other people, and if a problem arises in the future she's to let you know so you can make alternative arrangements.

Hi
I have had occasion over the 10 years that i have childminded to take my own children to hospital appointments/ doctors/ dentist etc and have always told the parents of these when pre booked and if the parents cant get anyone else to have their children i have just taken themwith me, the only time this was a problem was when my daughter who was about 6 at the time had to have an mri scan, 2 of the parents couldnt get the time off so i took my mom with me and she sat with the mindees in the waiting room just whilst my daughter had the actually mri scan, i had fully informed the parents of what i would do if they couldnt get the time off and they had signed to say that my mom would be with them all the time and i would be in the scan for less than half an hour.
It is hard as a parent and childminder when your own children need appointments and i am not saying it is easy taking my child as 6/7 year old to try to talk to the doctor about thier ear/ throat etc ache, when you have 3 under 5's with you as well but at the end of the day you get through it best you can i try to get the nap time agreeable with the doctors appointment so maybe one of them is asleep in a pushchair and i take a book each for the others and just try to talk to the doctor for the couple of minutes it takes to for something like ear ache, I know it sounds hard but the parents pay for me to look after their child so i look after their children at the same time as mine.

Why could the CM's DH or mother take the child to the doctors?
When I Cm'd prevously and now, DH was slited as the emergency cover provider, he knows the children they know him,a nd where we live now he knows all the aprents too. He has 6 CRB checks, he is first aid trained etc.

Only once have I ever put mindees into the care of someone else, and that was when a previous mindee developed symptoms of meningitis. The quickest way for me to get him seen was to take him with DH to Dundee, where I could meet his mum. I rang the parent of the toehr mindess - both schoola ge children - and told her what was happening, and said was it ok for my neighbour x to pick them up as neighbours dd was in the elder mindees class and she knew them.

However, that was indeed a dire emergency

Thnk fishie's point was other people think CMs are just babysitters not that any CMs class themselves as such.

As in the 'oh you just look after children/play all day/it's not a real job'. Or parents who say they leave their childfen with a babysitter when really it's a CM.

Wow, Fishie!! I have never - ever! - classed myself as a babysitter and dont know any other cms who do!!!! I'm a childcare professional who has worked hard to gain 2 level 3 qualifications over the last 5yrs, along with all of the other 'training and standards' that we have to have in order to meet the welfare requirements of EYFS!!!

I work a 50hr week, earn roughly the minimum wage after expenses, but have never left a child with anyone else - although I do have a policy which names my DH and DD1 (both crb checked) as emergency carers and parents sign an agreement to this effect.

OP, I would have a chat with cm along the lines that you were a bit surprised and shocked that she wasnt there at hometime and feel a bit uncomfortable that your dc was left with other adults without her advising you in advance, albeit it was with her DH and mother. Agree she shouldnt have done it - but parents out there reading this, please be assured that cms are NOT in the habit of leaving mindees with unregistered, uninsured adults.

Off to bed now - ready for a 7.30am start

maybe was an emergancy appointment but as she left her mindess with an unregistered person her insurance isnt valid

from what i gather even if she had told you, she still cant leave her mindees with a non cm/assistant

my cm has taken ds with her child when they needed to go to doc at short notice, is most educational for him.

she would never ever leave the children with anyone else and i am really shocked that people think this is ok. no wonder johannas thinks cm are a 'minefield' if this is the expectation.

it is a shame that there isn't more publicity about the training and standards which cm must attain, too many people think they are babysitters.

It's utterly wrong unless there was an emergency for which she could not have planned.
If she had to rush a child to hospital or something, fair enough, but it is completely out of order to leave your child with someone else without your consent in any other circumstances.

Something like that would be a big red flag for me, because it shows a disregard for professional standards. I would see if I could find a new CM tbh.

I have my mother as an emergency backup. All parents know this as it is in my policies. She would only be left with the children in a real emergency (ie me, my DD, or a mindee being rushed to hospital). She is CRB checked (but doesn't have to be for this role). All parents would have been informed immediately either by me, or my mother what arrangements had been made.

If this was a pre booked doctor's appointment, or you had not been made aware of any emergency care procedures and you were not informed what was happening, then it is a definite no no in my book!

I would not be happy at all - you pay the CM for her to take care of your child, it's not up to her to delegate the job to someone else! She's not doing you a favour, she's providing a professional childcare service.

At the very least, she should have let you know about the arrangements beforehand so you could have made a choice.

Huge breach of trust, even without considering the implications with Ofsted.

She thought she could get away with it. Make sure she doesn't.

Think Pippin and I x-posted!

Fairhaired - you should be bothered. All my family are 'lovely' as is my neighbour who the children know very well.
The point is that the childminder is the registered person - meaning that they have been deemed to be suitable looking after children - therefore the insurance is validated and granted. The childminder is the first aider and thus through their training able to deal with and accident or emergency. Worse case senario - a child chokes - I know what to do and how to attempt to sustain life until help arrives - as lovely as my neighbour is and my husband for that matter (although I have disseminated my knowledge) - neither would know how to carry out CPR as they have not been trained or given the information about what to expect.
Does that make sense.
also if a child was to have an accident in their care - they are not insured, they are not the registered person either.
I make every effort to safeguard children in my care but also myself, family and visitors - no WAY would I place them in a situation that would make them vulnerable.
We all think it won't happen to us but there is a thread on another forum where a child has made a comment and now the childminder is fearing about allegations against her. I HAVE been in that position where a child made up fantasy tales about what people have done to her (she was 2yr old and she has been the only child who has frightened me with her stories), including her dad throwing her down the stairs and showing me the bruises - this was not true - I knew where she got the bruises from, her brother biting her - she bit herself on numerous occasions, she would tell her parents that I hit and smacked her - NOT TRUE, she said my son strangled her - he was only just over a year old and was quarter of her size and these were some of the 'minor' stories she concocted. Parents knew she was a story teller - thank goodness but I was so on edge with her and would not allow anyone to be alone with her even for a second. No way was I going to allow my precious family to be accused of something

Thing is though 99% of the time nothing would happen and it would all be fine.

Tonight I picked my kids up from CM all fine.

Brought them home, gave DD porridge and made her laugh. She started to choke. I slapped her hard. She threw up. I was there to comfort her. It was horrible, but everything was OK. This happened in a split second (as accidents do), but my point is if she was with someone not known to her/or first aid trained it could have turned out differently. Not saying she would have died but I'm sure she would have been more distressed.

Not trying to scaremonger, but i also think it makes a mockery of the valuable work that CMs do.

My childminder had a hospital appointment yesterday.

She mentioned it in passing last week & I asked her if she needed me to find someone to have my children for that afternoon.

She said her sister would mind the children. This would have been fine with me! But as it happened, my sister was off & she is always happy to mind my two anytime.

So they got to spend an afternoon with their aunt.

I don't know what would have happened if she had've went on to the appointment & not made me aware that my children were being looked after by her sister...not sure I would have been that bothered really, as I know all her family & they're lovely.

So not much help I'm afraid

She needs to be reported to Ofsted. Childminders are not even supposed to leave kids in the car with someone else.
The appointment was not an emergency. She just thought she could get away with it.
How do you know if she has been doing this kind of thing regularly?

And JS they are NOT a minefield. Each CM has his or her own way of working but they all MUST comply with Ofsted regulations, you just shop around until you find the one that suits you and your familly.