Nursery key worker worries

[LuckyBrickPombear]

Hi all,

First time poster and desperate for advice.

DS is starting nursery in a few weeks and we attended our first settling in session today and I have left feeling so deflated and worried.

He is 13 months so attending the baby room, we met our key worker and he had a little play. When we were there all the babies seemed very unsettled and didn’t seem happy. Our key worker informed us she had only just started and our DS is her only key child. She also informed us that she had not had DBS clearence yet as the paperwork takes a long time (she had only been there a month). I overall didn’t warm to her and don’t feel reassured leaving my baby with her. The other girls in the room also seemed quite miserable and didn’t want to be there.

I have been a much more anxious first time mum than I ever thought I’d be and the thought of leaving him there is making me feel so guilty and sad.

AIBU? Or would you feel the same?

I’ve voiced my concerns with DH, he says give it a chance and if DS doesn’t settle after a month we can have a word about changing key workers or even looking at other nurseries.

YES! we have a surge of new starters every January and September haha it can be a bit challenging but it gets easier in a few weeks.

I'm a previous nursey manager and now childminder.
It is usual as already said for a member of staff to work while waiting for their dbs, but they will always be supervised.
All the room staff will look after your baby, not just keyworker, so wouldn't worry about that too much either.
I'd be more concerned that staff seemed uninterested and unhappy, that is much more worrying, and doesn't make for a happy, enriching environment, if possible I'd try and look at other nurseries and childminders, when you've found the right childcare for your family, you'll know and feel comfortable leaving your little one...this doesn't sound it unfortunately.

Yes its legal, like a said its the norm. Its not like all the members of staff in the nursery will have no DBS, its just the new starters and only for a short period of time.

Look for an experienced childminder. They are worth their weight in gold.

Also, they will have applied for it, just waiting to receive it.

Also OP I have a nanny and a childminder - I pay three times the amount per day for the nanny... And my 2 year old prefers her days with the childminder 😂

A good childminder can genuinely be brilliant for your LO, do interview a couple if you can't find another nursery or still don't feel happy

I'm an Early Years TA in a school nursery and my DBS took 8 weeks after I had started.
I was offered the job in June for a September start. I still went 8 weeks without one.
Contract was signed well before, so no they could not delay the start date as they would then need to pay me for not working.
I was however not allowed to be alone or be apart of any intimate care at all, the school were very strict with making sure all safegardig procedures and policies were followed with this.

The staff looking miserable and like they don’t want to be there would be such a red flag for me, I don’t think you’re being unreasonable at all, was just reading a horrid story in the news today of an abusive nursery worker who was jailed for 3 years. I agree with PP that childminders are much better if you can find one, the only drawback is, if they are sick or on holiday there is no one to cover.

Oh wow my ds's school trip was cancelled last year as there weren't enough dbs cleared volunteers and they didn't accept parents without dbs.

Schools must be different, the early years are so underfunded if the staff couldn't work while they are waiting for their DBS to clear and there was no staff to cover we would have to send children home as we would be out of ratio. They should at least speed the process up for people who have already have a DBS but have to get a new one due to starting a new job.

Find somewhere else, postpone returning to work if needs be (and doable).

Report to Ofsted - if her DBS hasn’t come through (should be enhanced) then she shouldn’t even be working on site yet.

It's normal for new staff's DBS checks to take a while to come through - nurseries work to tight legal ratios, so they can't be one member of staff down for 8 or 12 weeks while DBS is done. It's not an Ofsted issue.