CM Club: NO childminders allowed at ANY surestart groups as of now!

I went to a group on Monday (in West Surrey) and there was no mention of it. I'm a nanny though, not a childminder.

This is disgusting, most of us are parents as well as being tax payers. I understand (maybe) if parents are being turned away from playgroups that are being manopolsed by cmers but a blanket ban is not acceptable. Playgroups and pop ins are my life line some weeks. If a time comes when I have a mid day collection or pick up it will mean I won't be able to go far or visit friends or fellow cmers for playdates, effectively I will be without adult company during the week. Even the thought of it is unbearable.

Also, so called deprived families rarely use these facilities. What a joke.....I am livid.

not sure but imagine if you said you were a nanny you would be excluded i even heard of a childminder today who got turned away with her own children because she had an emergency placement of another child with her so was refused entry at a group she always attends

Im a nanny. does that apply to nannies in your areas aswell then?? No one has ever told me that i wasnt allowed to go, i must admit not many childminders do go.

this has been going on here for 4 months all childminders are struggling to get children to socialise and there have been huge impacts on some childrens social skills and children with sen's routine. most parents are unaware and parents using childminders are often feeling disheartened as some people choose childminders because their child can follow the same routines they would at home.

We've been banned from all groups bar Childminder drop-ins since our first children centres opened about 5 years ago. At the time I was livid, coz it meant my own DD was effectively kicked out of a group she'd been attending for 18 months.

I'm in Berkshire and we were NEVER allowed to any other session apart from the weekly Childminder drop in group. Funny enough I was chatting to the Network Co-ordinator this morning at group (she's there a lot) and she told me the whole thing is under review and that I 'might' be able to attend on my week off but at this stage we're still banned from other sessions. They also may stop letting any families in the area go unless they are 'deprived' but as she said, how would they know? The other sessions are pretty empty anyway so it seems silly not to let others in. I'd happily pay a toddler group type fee for going than see it close. I guess I'll wait for an update to see what is decided in our area.

I hope they don't exclude CMs from ours. I used to go to it with DS a lot and now I'm at uni he goes with the childminder - I met her through the centre. She always says he has a good time there and the staff etc always say it is nice to see him.

How do they know we're not looking after underpriveledged children, just because their with a childminder.

y@up - we've been banned here too, apart from a once a month meeting for two hours, often cancelled and replaced by sing along sessions etc.... (any excuse) and we are always made to feel unwelcome :( All my mums live in the local area and pay taxes, often in low paid jobs with long hours. It seems a shame that their children are excluded.

Its in Sutton, Surrey as well!!

We have been to the local paper. Didn't get us anywhere. A few of us have "kicked up a stink" as we have mindees with special needs who are now being deprived of going to music groups, messy play who benefitted greatly from going to the groups

I've been to my sure-start childminders group this morning, no mention of anything there.

It was really busy and they have been trying to get more minders to go, as well as encouraging us to go to the other groups as they feel it is for the needs of any child and don't want to discriminate just because the children are with minders.

We have two surestart centres in a small distance in our town. One has a CM group on a tues the other has a normal one on a thurs that noone has said anything about CMs not going to. TBH I don't think a single 'underpriviledged' parent goes there - it's mostly CMs and mums on maternity leave.

I'd go to the paper

tbh they're probably panicking because if they're not used by who they're intended for they might get cut
they're not an essential service so are under threat

Has this info come from the Surestart centre or via someone else.? I can't see how they can turn anyone away. lots of Mums and child carers use our centre so they would be hell to pay if they turned some people away.