Please or to access all these features

Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

someone reporting me to ofsted

29 replies

7secondmemory · 24/10/2012 20:15

I work with an assistant we had 6 children today, we had met up wih a friend and her children in the playground so there was a lot of us. I have a new mindee who is very autistic and will run away so was watching him like a hawk and of course my other mindees. My own little boy always stays near me so i tend not too worry too much about him, however today he gets out of the playground and sets off down the path, we saw him and my friend headed out of the other gate and ran round to catch him, he is 2. I was really upset, there was no harm done and he hadnt got far before he was spotted but obviously you think what if, and i felt guilty that i was watching my mindees more than my own ds. Then somene came up to me shouted at me and said she was going to contact ofsted, she knew i was a childminder and said my mindees are at risk because i wasnt supervising them well enough she said she had seen several of them escape the play area and other people in the park had stopped them and brought them back, this is totally not true, she had no way of knowing which children were with me anyway, its half term and crowded in there but regardless it didnt happen. I said the one who had escaped was my own little boy and not a mindee, she said that made no difference and she would get me closed down,i feel awful about it all. she has a point, whether it was my own child or not someone in my care did get out the playground, he was never out of sight the playground is in a big open field but i didnt immediatly realise he had got out. It probably looked worse because we didnt run directly after him, he was going along a curved path and my friend went out of the other gate and accross the grass to cut him off so he looked to any one watching to be on his own longer than he was. She also said i had more children than i should, it's not true, but it probably looked like my friends children were with me. What will ofsted do if she does complain? I only registered in April, hate the idea of a complaint against me.

OP posts:
Italiana · 24/10/2012 21:51

If Ofsted were to carry out an inspection due to a complaint they would want to see what the c/ms has done in response (complaints log etc and what actions taken) that remains the sma in EYFS 2012....in other words someone has complained about her service and said she would report her...what did the c/m do?
I do not think it would matter it was her child as he/she is part of the ratio
Not telling parents would be noted...as said it is my view and interpretation
I would want to cover all aspects

apotomak · 24/10/2012 21:23

I would not be ringing Ofsted and telling the parents as the only child that got out was not a mindee. I would however write a bit for my own records and reassess how I make sure it does not happen again. Maybe write a new Risk Assesment if you like.
If Ofsted do come out for this they'll come with a full inspection even if you've just had one. If they think it's not serious enough they'll ring or write to you.
Do not worry and just tell them how it was. They do get a lot of time wasters ringing up and complaining.

Italiana · 24/10/2012 20:56

Agree with above...write everything down
you + assistant can look after 6 kids...your register will be your proof of which children were with you on the day
Your friends in the park will confirm your version of facts

In a case like this I would ring Ofsted myself and preempt the caller (totally my opinion)
I would also tell the parents exactly what happened

I wish you good luck and hope all will will be resolved..

LingDiLong · 24/10/2012 20:42

Oh dear, that sounds stressful all round. I have no experience of complaints to Ofsted but I was threatened with a complaint to CSSIW (I work in Wales). I rang my inspector to discuss it with her first. She was lovely and very helpful. I never did have a complaint made in the end but I think it looked good that I'd pre-empted it.

It may not come to anything with you but just in case I'd write down what happened today fully while it's all fresh. I'd also make sure all your paperwork is watertight - did you do a risk assessment? Do you have persmission to be out with the kids?

Swipe left for the next trending thread