is it okay for CM to leave children in her mini bus

[Bilpbip]

While she goes to the nursery door to collect more children?
It is about 150m and out of site of the road where the bus is.

I don't use this child minder even though she is the only one in our village as I didn't get on with her at interview. I'm now wondering if I am just over reacting about this? There are normally two very young toddlers left in the bus.

[Inebriatededna]

flapjackolantern ofsted take all complaints seriously and carry out a full inspection so obviously the childminder you reported could prove she was taking good care of the children ,leaving children in a van out of sight and hearing does however need reporting

[phantomnamechanger]

I would mention it to the nursery. It's wrong, for lots of reasons.

That said, it always saddens and disgusts me the number of parents who do this too, too lazy to take a toddler or baby with them to the playground. Have seen some very distressed toddlers alone in cars and also kids left eating to keep them happy - choke hazard! Plus its a very busy road where wing mirrors are always getting knocked off.

school regularly mention this in newsletters, but it still happens, and will until something awful happens.

[Goldmandra]

You should consider informing Ofsted.

Clearly it would be better to give her a chance to stop doing it but I understand about living in a small village and not wanting to cause bad feeling. It's amazing how you can come across the same person in all different walks of life if you both live in a small community.

This childminder is putting the children at risk in Ofsted's eyes regardless of the wishes of the parents and they are likely to write to her asking for her side if you complain. You can complain anonymously so she won't know who you are.

If you don't want to complain to Ofsted, could you raise it with the nursery, ask them to raise it and see if they can work with her to find a safer way to hand the children over to her?

[FlapJackOLantern]

I'll tell you now that you have to be seriously breaking the rules before Ofsted give a damn!

Our local childminder lets children hold the electric cable and push the lawnmower with her, they play on the trampoline, swings and climbing frame out of her sight, etc. etc. Ofsted didn't give a damn when they were informed.

[Tanith]

There was a case a while ago of a childminder who was looking after a friend's child on a Saturday as a favour and left him in the car outside a shop.

She was prosecuted for neglect and lost her registration.

[valiumredhead]

OP I wouldn't like it and never left ds in the car when he was little.

I've only ever broken my arm, so could be wrong, but driving a minibus of children with your foot in plaster doesn't sound too safe

If it's her left leg that is the broken one and it's an auto van then it will make no difference to her driving.

[jellybeans]

No way. So many parents/carers do this though. I always got mine out, even when I had baby twins and a toddler. I have seen cm leaving mindees outside shops out of sight too. awful..However many cm would not do it.

[Lovethesea]

I leave mine in the car for the petrol station and outside the local shop where I am parked right outside the door. So I am relaxed about it BUT this is different - far too far and against professional responsibility.

My concern is if they get out of the seatbelts, and then out the van into the road, or in the van but releasing the handbrake etc. The time taken to walk to the school, pick up, then walk back, and no other parents passing it all the time to see if the kids are in trouble in any way.

[Mutley77]

I am sure that's not ok. When I was interviewing my cm for DD I said it would be great that she could leave DD asleep in the car if needed as her drive went right alongside her back door so could keep an eye on her. She immediately said she would never do so as is against Ofsted regulations.

[dontyouknow]

I've only ever broken my arm, so could be wrong, but driving a minibus of children with your foot in plaster doesn't sound too safe.

[Bilpbip]

Oops good point MrsJay maybe time to namechange

[hettienne]

If she's registered with Ofsted then she doesn't get to ignore the conditions of her registration so she doesn't lose business, especially if it puts children at risk.

[Bilpbip]

She doesn't have a crutch.

They are not her own kids, they are long grown up

[cleofatra]

No, this isnt acceptable. This happens in our village too and, even though we quite liked the cm in question at our interview, my DH refused to employ her after he witnessed this.

[mrsjay]

if she is a broken footed childminder with a mini bus is a small village then i would imagine somebody will recogise her from this thread just saying

[Bilpbip]

I'm not in possetion of the facts wrt how many kids but there are more than three on some days

[BackOnlyBriefly]

I'm only guessing, but maybe she told the parents 'I really ought to take a month off and that means you'll all have to give up working too or find another CM' and they said "sod that! drive there - it will be ok"

Maybe someone should just ask her.

[hettienne]

Having a broken foot doesn't mean you get to stop fulfilling your obligations towards the children you are being paid to mind

If she is too injured to do her job properly she either needs to hire an assistant or close.

[BackOnlyBriefly]

She recently broke her foot but is walking fine in a cast.

Oh do you think that could possibly be why she isn't walking and trying to look after all the kids while limping on a crutch?

[mrsjay]

is it maybe her own children she is leaving ?

[hettienne]

She is unlikely to be able to have 5 children under 5. Usually CMs are registered for a total of 3 under 5s.

[hettienne]

BackOnlyBriefly - if a CM is unable to keep all the children in her care safe and supervised, then surely that just indicates she has taken on too many children?

If a CM uses the toilet at home she is still within hearing of the children, and only out of sight for a few minutes. Not comparable to this.

[Bilpbip]

I noticed as I have interviewed her and didn't like her so perhaps I'm being judgy about it

[mrsjay]

she is probably breaking her contract and the law change CM bus for a private nursery bus it wouldn't be allowed, I only say Private nursery because a local one picks up at preschool and the staff trip out their charges and go with them

[Bilpbip]

I'm not confrontational at all!

This is a small village and it is every day when we all collect our kids at 11.30 from nursery.

She seems to have four or five kids. She recently broke her foot but is walking fine in a cast.