Childminder who is a recovering alcoholic

[connedbird]

Would I be unreasonable to make Ofsted aware of a person who has recently registered as a childminder but who has also recently been referred to AA following a recent mid day alcohol abuse episode which resulted in her children being temporarily removed by the police?

She has a sponsor and is attending AA meetings/ following 12 steps, so is by all accounts happily getting her life on track. Social services have deemed her suitable to continue looking after her own children on the understanding that she continues with AA and doesn't drink around the children. Also that she leaves her partner due to DV from both sides which she has done.

So, I don't want to be a bitch... but having left my own children with childminders from babies, I feel like it would be something I'd want to know that Ofsted had had the chance to assess before my children were left with a minder.

Wondering if I should even stick my nose in... maybe my own concerns about leaving my pfb DD when she was small are clouding my judgement.

Would SS have made Ofsted aware anyway?

What are your thoughts??

[Tanith]

Can'tunderstandNewton (me neither )

I think what people were pointing out is that the same applies to any childcare. There's a thread in the Nurseries section at the moment where a parent just happened to see on the CCTV that a member of staff treated a little girl in a way she objected to. When she tried to draw attention to it, the staff with her didn't think it was a problem.

It was completely by chance that she was there at all.

[Tanith]

Sorry - just had this pointed out to me!

Troll-hunting? Me??

How did I miss that?!!

In all my days, I never thought anyone would ever accuse me of troll-hunting! I hate troll-hunting - it's well documented on here!
Sorry - nearly troll-hunting. Let's be accurate.

Ineedasockamnesty I think you'd better leave it now. It's obvious you don't know me or my posting style at all.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

I did not make a personal attack you viewing it as one says rather more about you than it does me.

I was not worried. You however must feel validated and delighted.

the op usually means the original poster it quite clearly was not her saying she would never use a childminder that was the comment you would not let slide

[Tanith]

Don't worry, Ineedasockamnesty : MN have done the decent thing for you and removed the personal attack you made.

I've already answered re: the comment you quote that I made in my first post. Take a look back. It's actually the only post where I address the Op, apart from letting her know I'd PM'd her, so "jumping all over the Op" is quite an exaggeration, don't you think?

I have kept on trying to get you to justify or remove your remarks because you avoided doing so when I pointed them out to you.
I'll leave it now those accusations have been removed.

[CantUnderstandNewtonsTheory]

Well done for reporting op, imagine if you hadn't and something happened to one of the children in her care? You'd never forgive yourself!

I think some people have been quite harsh towards myrandomfamily, she wasn't saying all childminders are crap or anything like that, just that she wouldn't send her children to one because it would be too easy to cover up any issues. It doesn't matter that most are excellent or that they usually meet up and go out and about with their mindees, some might not and if you have a non verbal child it is impossible to know what goes on when you're not there. How often do we see threads on here from people wondering if they should report things? Usually they are not talking about the first time they have seen something worrying which means the child was left in that person's care while they wondered what to do. At least in a nursery there will be other people there who can step in if one of the child carers is incapable of looking after the children and it would be much harder to cover things up. Obviously lots of people disagree and that's fine but it is up to me as a mother to make what I think are the best choices for my children and this is what I choose for them.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

So looking at your own posts you cannot see how you contributed hugely to the derail of the thread from a what do I do into a lets not bash childminders? You took it in a direction that clearly implied you were taking it as a personal affront against childminders.


I'm not going to go through your posting history in order to 'back me up' because i dont need to its really rather obvious and quite frankly I don't care enough about it to do so. This thread is a very clear example of what I am referring to as is your inability to to take a graceful way out and insistence in calling my posts personal attacks when they are blatantly not intended in that way at all.had

And being astounded to the point of disbelief about the information exchange within the enhanced DRB system? That sails rather close to troll hunting without crossing the line and saying it.

I have posted a link to a information page about the checks that very clearly shows they are not quite as in depth as people tend to think they are and according to ofstead they inspect on average every 3 years usually only when you actually have mindees.

I compleatly understand that you and other childcare professionals may feel got at and compelled to be defensive by threads like this but its inappropriate and when they go the way lots do like this one,it makes it frustrating,it feels like such a taboo subject (due to the sensitivities surrounding it) that it acts like a cover in a way. And it does make it look very much like you do it for the reason I pointed out earlier (the one you helpfully high lighted and interpreted as me directly quoting previous posts.)

Those posts of yours you reposted, go read them again.

[HSMMaCM]

If there was police involvement, I'd be very surprised if Ofsted don't know. I would tell them anyway.

[Tanith]

I'm guessing that means you couldn't find that evidence, Needasockamnesty

[connedbird]

When I hear I'll come and update. I did tell Ofsted I didn't need to be involved any longer though and that I'd leave it in their hands so I might not hear for a bit until if/ when she divulges the story.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

And a huge amount of faith in the enhanced checks and inspections.and assumption of qualifications.

Checks that do not disclose everything where several bits are up to the discretion of the record keeper and inspections that on average only happen every 3 years usually within 8 months of registration but usually only if you have mindees.

Being astounded about stuff like this happening and not being picked up is naive to say the least.

I would be interested to hear an update as to what ofstead do with the information as it would be reassuring to know if the custom of deciding to investigate or not and taking action or not has changed at all.

[alwaysdoinglaundry]

You all have a touching amount of faith that her GP will know about the alcohol and DV. This will only be the case if she has chosen to go the the GP or there has been an A&E letter about DV (A&E letters about people being drunk are so common as to be barely noticed). Social services are very poor at keeping GPs in the loop, I am a GP and we frequently find out about serious issues like child protection via some roundabout source as social services haven't informed us. It is improving, but slowly.

[Zante111]

Alcoholism is an Illness that is with you for life
She will need to take her recovery seriously.
Join AA , Get a Sponsor and make sure she does the steps.
She is probably in a bad place at the moment and not in a condition to look after children.

[JanaOfTheJungle]

Well done OP. Was so hoping you would report.

[Tanith]

PM'd you, Op. Try not to worry: you did the right thing.

[HalfSpamHalfBrisket]

CRBs have their failings (as illustrated here) - the system needs people like conned to flag up possible risks, which she did.
From a child protection view (I'm a reception teacher, who has also worked in nurseries), the thought of very young children being left in the care of someone who has had such recent trouble with alcohol is very worrying.

[Thebodyloveschocolateandwine]

differentnameforthis

I told the op she should report the cm on the first post

I also posted there are good/bad cms, nurseries, teachers, nurses etc.

But I am dam well not allowing daft posters basically spreading misinformation about the training and supervision of child minders and intimating that no childminder can be trusted because they work alone and that child abuse is less commen in nurseries.

I also am very proud of being a bloody outstanding minder like Tanith so yes will boast.

[Thebodyloveschocolateandwine]

You absolutely did the right thing op. No question.

[adsy]

deffo the right thing to do. well done.

[connedbird]

thanks Gen

[Gen35]

Good for you op, that wasn't easy.

[connedbird]

This has gone off course a bit but by way of an update. I have reported the person. OFSTED passed me through several people as they said it was very serious and all of them thanked me for raising the concern. I managed to remain non opinionated on the subject and just gave the bare facts and pointed them in the direction of the SS for the report.

Glad I did it due to their reaction. She also hadn't told them she had moved so I do think there is an element of cover up happening here. I hope it was the right thing to do and thanks all for backing me x

[Tanith]

differentnameforthis We have answered the Op. I don't see lots of posts trying to prove how great they are with their mindees. I'm the one accused of derailing the thread and I haven't said a word about mine.

Needasockamnesty I'd be more comfortable with you removing your remarks about me entirely since you can't back them up and they're not true.
Unless, of course, you can substantiate them. I've made it easy - I've copied all my posts on this thread, up to the point you made your accusations, below. Please show me where I've derailed the thread, jumped all over the Op, and defended bad practice and all childminders regardless of what they've done.
I'll leave you to provide evidence that I appear on most childcare threads and do the same thing on every one.

Post 19 in answer to OP:
It's the same vetting procedure as for nursery staff and registered nannies, Daisy.

I am, frankly, astounded to the point of disbelief if this has not already been notified to OFSTED. Are you absolutely sure she has actually been registered and is not simply going through the registration process?

It does no harm to ring OFSTED but, as I said, they should be informed by the authorities as well.

Post 61:
Presumably then, Daisy and Myrandom, you wouldn't use a nursery either. After all, one had its registration suspended only yesterday and a staff member arrested.

Post 71 in answer to Myrandom:
I work with my husband. Other childminders work with husbands, mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, friends. Many of them meet up. You're making some pretty sweeping assumptions here.

Post 79: in answer to Myrandom:
But you said it was lone childcarers that concerned you Myrandom. Now you say it's not? Exactly what are you afraid that my husband and I would do??

Post 85 in answer to Myrandom:
No, I'm challenging your statements. You are trying to make it personal.

Post 94 in response to Myrandom saying she's leaving the thread:
It might be best if you do retire from the discussion, Myrandom, since you clearly know nothing about childminders

Post 105:
I think I remember the case Mysterious refers to. The childminder, although registered for daytime care, wasn't legally minding at the time. She was caring for a child overnight when she wasn't registered for overnight care.

Post 139:
Childminders are expected to gain at least a Level 3 qualification - that's the qualification expected for a Room Leader in a nursery - and OFSTED expect us to continue our training. We were advised that the NVQ2 (that nursery workers are working towards) was a waste of time for a childminder. My niece started work in a nursery. She has no childcare qualifications, nor are they required. She has elected to start her NVQ2. She can take further qualifications if she wishes, but there is no requirement to do so.

Post 142:
Really, Needasockamnesty? I haven't seen that at all. What I have seen is several childminders correcting misinformation about their profession.

[differentnameforthis]

but also, just because I happened to have a great one, it didn't follow that all were good either

[differentnameforthis]

This thread didn't expand, it derailed.

When you get to the point when more people are concerned with proving how great they are with their mindees, than helping the op with something quite serious, that is when we need to start remembering why this thread was started.

There are child abusers in all walks of life. Family, friends, teachers, police, politicians, child care workers (in both settings).

I have know some great childminders, and some not so great. Can't say I was happy when the stand in childminder my daughter was left with didn't know where she was when I went to pick her up! My daughter had made it through 2 safety gates (both unsecured, which would not have happened had usual CM been there), one which led upstairs & was playing on the bathroom floor with the cleaning liquids (because the stand in CM had left the bathroom door, as well as both gates, open)

There was usually no need for mindees to be upstairs. The business was conducted all on the ground floor, but the stand in decided to use the fmaily bathroom for herself, and left it all unsecured.

Nor was I happy that when I arrived, she was sat chatting to a friend (not supposed to be there) and hadn't even realised that my dd was gone from the main room & left me to find her while she said goodbye to her friend. We were pretty lucky that the main house was very secure, so she (dd) couldn't get out the busy main road!

HOWEVER, my usual CM was absolute gem & would send me home with food for dd if I had worked late & she hadn't eaten! And vowed never to use this stand in again.

So, no. Not all CM are bad because of my one example, but also, just because I happened to have a great one, it didn't follow that all were bad.

[differentnameforthis]

If I left my child with a minder who was an alcoholic & something happened, resulting in the minder getting drunk & therefore endangering my child, and later found out that a member of her family knew about it & the potential for relapse, I would be ropeable.

You simply cannot let people leave their child with this person. Her own children were removed recently, due to a 'mid day episode' so what if her mindees got removed one day?

That is a hell of a risk to take.

She cannot guarantee that she won't drink around her children/mindees. She is in a huge position of trust with other people's children & they have a right to not leave their child at risk, or at least be in full receipt of all the facts first!