Childminder breaking rules?

Perfectly acceptable to use a responsible, non-registered person in an emergency. I've had to do it myself when my own child had a severe allergic reaction and had to be rushed to hospital.

Just have a chat with her and tell her you'd prefer to be informed and given the choice.

The bigger fault really is with the preschool, though, so you definitely need to speak to them and, if you decided to take it further, they're the ones that Ofsted would investigate in this instance because, at the time, your child was in the care of the preschool and not the childminder. They chose to release your child to an unauthorised person.

In my experience it is entirely possible that emergency procedures were discussed at contract signing but as with many other things they are not remembered. I have written policies to refer back to but its not a requirement.

If the cm really hadnt even tried to call me, Id be a bit surprised but my first assumption would have been simply she hadnt got through.

I would have been furious with the school though, unless they could show they had on record that Childminder allows the following people to collect on her behalf in emergencies.

My minder uses her assistant heavily. I am 100% fine with this because it was made clear from the outset, and my kids are safe with the assistant (he had a small medical file in the glove box with a copy of my sign consent for either of them to agree to medical care, for example). When the routine is changed I get a text ( if the options are assistant vs do it myself, I'm not going to leave work!). It sounds like either your minders procedures aren't up to scratch,or they are nut you don't know it. Find out. If you aren't happy, look about for a new one.

Emergencies**

The clause for energies is unlikely to be in the contract, it's usually a policy of its own that the CM will give you before starting. In most contacts, there's a clause to say you agree with the CM's policies and procedures.

I know when I wasn't CMing this was the case. I have a file of policies and procedures and would give a copy to the parents before exchanging contracts. The likelihood that they've read them, probably zero. I've had numberous parents asking me XYZ when it's all clearly explained in my policies which they clearly haven't read.

She should have made you aware of her emergency procedures and she should have let you know when she implemented them. Apart from this, what she did was fine.

The other time wasn't an emergency and should have been pre-arranged with you and the status of her mother's first aid, registration, etc discussed.

I have my next door neighbour as one of my emergency carers. No DBS check or anything, but thoroughly responsible for an emergency. I've never used her.

I can't believe so many posters would be "absolutely fine" about this!

I seriously would be ok with the cm sude of it. Something similar happened when my boys went to a cm.
I wouldn't be happy with the schiol though.

The cm was absolutely right to go to her dc in hospital. I would be ok with her organising her mum to pick up op's dc. What is out of line is not telling the op that this was her procedure previously and not keeping the op informed when it happened. No one would expect a text immediately but this happened in the morning and op wasn't told until 5.30. We has cause to take out ds to a&e last year, dp came and spent all of 3 minutes texting colleagues at work. And that was just courtesy calls to colleagues, this is about who is caring for op's child.

" op, I've had to rush to hospital with my dc. My mum will be available to pick your dc up from pre school. I assume that's ok. If not you'll need to arrange something yourself for today."

It would have taken under a minute.

With regard to pre school they released a child to a person who wasn't authorised and didn't have the password. This is a serious safe guarding issue.

I can't believe so many posters would be "absolutely fine" about this!

There's no need to be arsey with your cm op, just say that you want a review of procedures. I would complain to pre school though- they were well out of line.

would her mother have to pay to be insured?
as these are one offs perhaps that is why the other cm, ie her mother isnt named and insured

My co minder has now resigned as a minder but has reregistered as my assistant her first aid is still up to date. So the fact her mum is no longer a cm does not mean she has no first aid.

If there is an emergency you can leave mindees with anyone you deem responsible adult.....How do we know what information she had when she got a call saying your child is injured and needs to go to hospital....the setting would not know if it was major or minor....so how do we know what panic a parent is in when they get that call as a parent you desperately want to be with your distressed child knowing they are in pain. DO you say Oh no I cant go until I've done xyz or I better get gran to do it instead while I sit here caring for other peoples children?
When you go to hospital it takes time to get there time to be seen time to get an xray all in which your not allowed to use a phone so do you leave your distressed crying child alone while you leave the building to do this?

No matter what we would like to think we would do at the time we are caught up with being a parent not worrying about children who are perfectly safe and happy.

My son was knocked off his bike and ambulanced to hospital turned out not to be more than a bruise so not life threatening after the event but an emergency at the time. He got his had caught in a friends door I dint know if it was severed or not from the panicked call I received from the mum who called the words I got were blood hospital finger and my song screaming.

Mindees children loose so much in their growing up at least let them be parent and child when they are hurt and let her treat her child as you would want to treat yours. Because most of us mindees treat your children as we would treat our own if not better every working day.

The sports presentation etc is rather different. There does appear to be a lack of communication. To cover for non emergenies her mum would need to be either registered as a co minder or assistant. You should be informed of that and when it is preplanned that she will cover. Ask your childminder about it she may be able to put your mind at rest and explain. You can then decide if the set up is right for you.
It seems to me to be a communication problem at this stage rather than a care/ofsted problem.

Fuming and straight onto OFSTED? Without even having a talk about what you would like to happen in the future/what should legally happen etc? Possibly leaving you without childcare? Get ironed out what would be deemed acceptable in future op, if you are happy with all other aspects.

Childminder here.
Yes, she has broken the rules.
Children should not be left with an unregestered person. She should have rung you and let you know what was happening, she certainly shouldn't have waited until you picked up to inform you.
I would also be having words with the preschool, they shouldn't have let the children go with someone who isn't on the collection list.
I would not be happy at all.

You can pay someone for two full weeks so the two hour rule isn't the only one- I guess this is to cover alternative childcare when cm on holiday or similar so legally fine to 'pay' the mum .
Id want to be notified but to be fair her kid could have been in a lot of pain and that would be her priority - a trapped finger could be broken and it's agony if you break it so it's not a minor thing . I found it more painful than childbirth when I trapped mine in the loft ladder

I meant is not currently her back up. Silly fat fingers

It will be in the paperwork. The CM won't have passed her ofsted inspection without having an emergency procedure so unless she is now secretly not a registered childminder, it was in her paperwork. For some reason this wasn't shown to OP. Sounds like a genuine oversight.

Cherry- it was an emergency! Her own child needed medical care. The CM was possibly a bit thoughtless to not inform parent, and also should have shown parent her emergency policies... but she doesn't need to be reported to Ofsted! Especially if OP hasn't even spoken to her about it.
Childminders are human too FFS

It downs sound like the mother is CURRENTLY her back up/co-miner. That's where the problem lies for me. It should be in the paperwork. If it's not then that's a breach.

The 2 hour rule for assistants doesn't apply for childminders. All childminders have to have a back up emergency procedure. For some reason it sounds like you weren't made aware of your CMs.
Again, it would have been nice of her to inform you but I don't think she actually broke any rules.

YANBU.
She should not have let anyone else collect you child and look after them without your prior agreement. I'd be FUMING and straight on to ofstead.

RodeoDriveBaby it doesn't make sense to me that a childminder would leave the child she's looking after (OPs child) with what is essentially a stranger when that person isn't a stranger to her own child....yes I get wanting to take your own kid to the hospital but the other way round would have been much more professional and not half as weird.

My cousin needed takingvto A&e after doing a similar thing .. her whole finger had essentially 'exploded' and needed loads of stitching back together and was wrapped for a good 6 weeks ...

When I did my childminding course we had to have a procedure exactly like the one you have outlined above with a nominated person who could step in. Yes a text would have been good, but she would have been panicked / rushed I would imagine and so I would be forgiving of that.

Do you trust her generally? This sounds like such a none issue that I'd be questioning your response and digging deeper to find out what the real issue is.