Proposed deregulation of childminders

I don't think for one minute that we will be de-regulated.

Can you imagine the uproar at the first child protection issue that raised its head????? Its not worth the risk to the Govt

You don't need all the tracking codes on that link so just www.labour.org.uk/childcarecommission will do, and if you click the Convert links automatically box, it will make it clickable :D

Can you tell us a bit more about the Commission? It's difficult to frame questions without knowing what their remit is and how much influence they will have.
Sorry to be stupid, but I don't really understand the politics side of it all.

So you don't sit through the whole day's business, the relevant bit starts at 14:30:43 and lasts until 3pm.

If you want to see this in written form, you will have to wait until Monday for publication of Hansard here.

There is not much there from Sarah Teather though, just a confirmation that details of the Childcare Commission to look at affordability and availability announced by the PM on 19 June will be made available soon.

So you don't sit through the whole day's business, the relevant bit starts at 14:30:43 and lasts until 3pm.

If you want to see this in written form, you will have to wait until Monday for publication of Hansard [http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/commons/by-date/#session=62738&year=2012&month=6&day=6 here]].

There is not much there from Sarah Teather though, just a confirmation that details of the Childcare Commission to look at affordability and availability announced by the PM on 19 June will be made available soon.

In my Utopia world, the Government would be honest. When they say "free places for 3&4 year olds, they would not force providers to chose between subsidising it themselves or getting parents to subside it.

Likewise, when they say "we will reduce childcare costs", they will mean that parents will pay less, and not refer to their admin costs!

I suspect cost is lookef at on a per childcare place level. Some nurseries provide 16 places, others could provide 116. Costs the same to inspect both. Childminders provide 6 or less under 8's places.
Childminders are first to be moved to a lower cost inspection process, then I wonder if smallnurseries would be next.

I am particularly concerned by the proposal that we will be inspected by an agency. On my last two inspections, I have been graded higher than the local nurseries and children's centres: outstanding in all areas, including education. I don't want to be overseen and monitored by an agency that doesn't understand childminding and has a lower grading than me, especially if that agency happens to be my competitor!

I would be pleased at a change in ratios. I work with another childminder and we can easily cope - have done with the variations. To my mind, it has been the restriction in ratios that has pushed up costs for all settings.

I also think that the way OFSTED works is making regulation of childminders expensive. I was astounded that every variation is put to a meeting! Is this what Sir Whatisname is talking about when he says we have to be inspected with each new child? We have to submit reams of paperwork - it must take forever to wade through it all!

But what has really angered me is that childminders are being singled out. Why are we deemed so very expensive? Why are they targeting us when they talk about reducing childcare costs for parents? Are nurseries not just as expensive, if not more, to inspect? Don't they charge higher fees? Why is the first priority to focus on childminding? I suspect it's because the nurseries are bigger businesses and can fight back much harder than we can.

Individual inspection matters but how often should it be done? The current 3 year cycle is costly... it looks to me as though one thing that may be being considered is to more towards an inspection cycle similar to how nannies are inspected now... a percentage are inspected each year. That still maintains individual inspection but does not put a time pressure on the regulator, other than getting a certain percentage done each year (say 25%).

One of the issues in the past was that inspections had to be done by a specific date... back in 2003, Ofsted got behind on inspections and had to catchup. Meeting a time schedule I feel pushes up the cost. So to help reduce the cost, a reduction in the frequency of inspections I feel makes sense... especially for providers where the regulator has had no complaints.

There has been registration of childcare provision since 1941 (Registered Daily Guardian Scheme) with legislation coming in later (Nurseries and Child-Minders Regulation Act 1948).

I find it hard to believe that Government would be proposing to stop there being the requirement to register with some government organisation. They may well be looking at how to reduce costs and how to make the process simpler, whilst also providing more local support for childcare providers.

Over the years there have been changes to how things are regulated... remember pre-Ofsted? There will always be changes in my view but I can't see it ever being totally de-regulated.

I have been a childminder for two years, I want to be individually inspected, parents need to know what the c/m's good at and what they may be lacking in, individual inspections outline the quality of care the c/m can offer and not what the agency can offer. I certainly won't be extending my ratio's, 2 under one years ??? No thank you, it can be hard enough with the ratio as it is at the moment!!! I want to keep the quality of care as it is now. What are the views of c/m re the stat requirement we will have to fulfil re the 2 year progress report that the health visitors currently do? Do c/m get acknowledgement from the gov, local auth, health dept for these? Are we getting paid for them? Do the health visitors know we HAVE to do this? Will they still have to do them also ? If so why are we also given the task?

I pressed the button too quickly too!!
Surely your degree in Childhood Studies should have provided you with the perfect platform to question child development more fully? By applying different tactics and posing specific questions to analyse any anomalies. But a childcare worker without this knowledge may take a 'child's development' from a fundamental angle.
I think I have finished!! LOL

Hi
I understand what you are saying about knowing about the development of children but that also comes with experience like in any job. My view is that childcarers are quick to look for abnormalities in development, even though they know about child development. I know you have great experience too but the amount of children I have worked with as a Lead Professional for EY's SEN prove that there are many cases that are put forward which are unjustified due to cultural behaviour and upbringing or other reason. EG I looked after a boy who had been picked out for assessment for autism because he was quiet and did not react normally socially - according to his teacher. The trauma of diagnosis he went through and the ridicule from his classmates is unbearable for a child so young. The result was that he didn't have autism and that his behaviour was down to his culture; both parents were Malayan.
With all due respect making a comparison of knowing about child development to a lawyer is not quite accurate. A lawyer may know the about the law but he will never really know whether the accused is really guilty unless there is concrete proof. This is where 'I rest my case' that child professionals may suspect something is wrong but they are not the ones to make decisions about a child and their observations may not be enough as proof.
I am studying for a Masters with a speciality in SEN research and my view is that there is more unnecessary labelling of children which is detrimental to their development. When I was at school many moons ago I remember a couple of children who wrote their b's like d's and vice versa - dyslexia in the making. The other children would just say 'oh you have written the b like a d' and there was help from the teacher but never ever any labelling.

Doea DfE have any minutes of the meetings, any draft proposal, or is it still just the thing from CentreForum?

To me it is about cost saving, inspecting individual minders every 3 years costs a lot of money. Is it a justifiable cost or can Government cut the cost somehow?

Any official documents yet from DfE or anyone else?

I absolutely agree with you. Whilst childminding was envisaged as becoming 'a profession' this view never ever worked whilst I was a childminder for many many years. Some parents thought I was nuts giving them contracts to sign and showing them policies, rules, regulations etc. All they wanted was for their child to have a home from home environment which does not automatically mean they would turn into cabbages because childminders are no noting down every single toilet motion, bit of food eaten, which hand they put their crayon in etc..I too became paranoid about payments on time and giving contact books everyday which were hardly ever returned or remarked upon. I know for a fact that when the children went home happy and came back the next day happy to be with me they were satisfied with my work.
I have completed a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood thanks to all the previous initiatives to make me more 'professional', well it hasn't made me more professional because I firmly believe that no qualification will ever make up for an individual who truly likes children and most important of all is liked back by the children. I think everyone will agree that anyone working with children will automatically know if there is something fundamentally wrong with a child's development. Development will flourish in a 'truly' caring environment not one regulated and monitored on next steps and inspections. Inspections should be carried out to ensure the children are safe, well looked after and most of all happy. Not linked to tables, profiles, specific goals which they will have to do later on in life. I had an Ofsted inspection and went to change a child's nappy while the inspector stayed in my front room having her coffee and filling out more forms instead of seeing what I was doing.

This consistent paranoia about record keeping and monitoring made me leave the childminding profession and if tomorrow the situation changes for childminder with the regulations and inspections then I will be the first one back into the job.