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??

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

Your joking right?

It's rather sensitive to be quite so odd about genralisations when its quite clear I was not referring to every single child minder or every single person on the thread.or do you seriously expect posters to insert "obviously not all" quite so frequently.

It's not a personal attack to say that you frequently turn up on childminder related threads doing exactly what you (and a small amount of others) have done on this thread. And it's fair to say its been derailed,now you could say it was derailed because of 1 flippant comment obviously made by someone reacting strongly to the op or you could say to was derailed by those that leapt on it.

Asking what the posters was afraid you and your DH would do? Why ask that? It has very obvious implications. When it was quite clear that in any other circumstance a husband or family member would be unlikely to be considered as a impartial observer and the poster who mentioned the lone working issue was obviously meaning that.

Did you miss the sentence in the op where she actually clearly states the CM has recently been registered.

Quite a few reports to the police would not be passed on because a report is just that a report its not evidence of wrong doing and in a lot of circumstances it would not be actionable without investigation or conviction an arrest is also not automatically disclosed on a DBS enhanced check it's totally up to the discretion of the cc as are other police interventions that are not classed as convictions.

one of the reasons ofstead are shortly going to require all new registrations to have the check update service is so they can automatically check every 6 months because lots of stuff is not automatically passed on to them and even that won't guarantee that everything gets passed on as from a Police records perspective they only guarantee actual convictions cautions final warnings (exempting those done under the usual harassment route) and none exempt reprimands.other stuff may get passed on but its discretionary.

Here's a useful link for you

www.nacro.org.uk/what-we-do/resettlement-advice-service/support-for-individuals/advice/frequently-asked-questions/criminal-records-and-dbs-crb-checks,1616,NAP.html#3

[Tanith]

I see. You can't actually back up any of your claims about me, then. I thought you'd find it difficult since they're not true.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

You said it yourself, only you call it challenging.

Would you be more comfortable with me saying you often challenge comments people make about childminders and appear to be quite proud of doing it?

In my opinion its unwarranted in many circumstances particularly ones like this thread and it derails.

[Thebodyloveschocolateandwine]

There's a fine line between a thread being derailed and expanded.

The op yes report.

The thread has moved on here.

morethan yes I don't agree with child care all

Okay.

Not much left to say really.

[Thebodyloveschocolateandwine]

Can I add my dh used to amuse the mindees by wiggling his ears and touching his nose with his tongue while my teen dss built the.
Biggest
snowman ever
(of course with me there )and then we allhad hot chocolate and toast.

Great times.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

Every single childcare aibu thread always brings out at least one poster who goes down that route,at least morethan made a point of not insulting anybody who uses it and confirming she's lucky she does not have to.

Thinking back to the nursery locked my child in one that had some frightfully inane and offensive posts about cc users.

I do think that if people were more open about bad practise or issues with childcare (like the op) then it would make it easier for inappropriate ones to be detected because they do cause problems with how people view professional great ones. Gone are the days when childminders were just viewed as baby sitters (quite rightly gone) because these days they are early years professionals and should both be treated and behave as such,the more people realise that can only be a good thing

[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!

[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]

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

[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.

[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

[Gen35]

Good for you op, that wasn't easy.

[connedbird]

thanks Gen

[adsy]

deffo the right thing to do. well done.

[Thebodyloveschocolateandwine]

You absolutely did the right thing op. No question.

[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.

[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.

[Tanith]

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

[JanaOfTheJungle]

Well done OP. Was so hoping you would report.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Tanith]

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

[HSMMaCM]

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