Childminder not there at drop off

[Rockchick76]

Hi
My best friend uses a childminder 4 days a week for her 2 year old DD. Whilst I preferred a nursery for my 2 I get that it works for her. Anyway she called me yesterday upset because she turned up to drop off her DD and the childminder had left to walk 3 children to the nearby school and only the childminder's partner was at home. It's the same dropoff time every day, on her way to work, and she'd had no heads up from the childminder that she wouldn't be at home at the usual DD drop-off time. Childminder's partner reassured her that he is DBS cleared and that childminder would be back really soon, so she reluctantly left her DD with him as she had an important meeting to get to, but she said she felt really upset. I'm wondering if it's even legal for that to have happened? Obviously DD was fine but unless childminder's partner is officially employed as her assistant (which he isn't, he's a handyman, has his own business apparently) then surely he shouldn't have offered to take my friend's DD? My friend is really questioning her judgement and thinking should she have waited and missed the meeting. I'm wondering about the legalities of it and want to help advise her, can any of you help? thanks in advance

Presumably OP's friend had met the childmind before though, and spent time with her.

There's a huge difference in knowing someone with a DBS, and some random bloke with one and simply handing your child over...

I don't think the situation is that unusual but the communications seem a bit rubbish. We used childminders in the past and were told sometimes the husband would be present during minding times and we were shown the DBS. Were also told that occasionally the husband would watch the kids for a couple of minutes i.e. if they were all playing in the garden and the childminder had to walk one of them to the toilet or to be collected at the front door.

But in your friend's case ... it sounds like those conversations never happened at the outset which isn't great.

More to the point, did the childminder know your friend was dropping off early? You say normal drop off time but it can't have been because taking the other kids to school at that time would have been a daily occurrence. If friend told her she needed to drop off early then of course CM should have said she wouldn't be there. If friend hadn't told her she was coming early then it's on her.

Not a chance would I have left my daughter there. I cannot think of any situation where I would leave my child alone with someone I’d never met just because they tell me it’s fine. Just be late for work.

Are you sure your friend wasn't even a few minutes earlier or later than usual? The school run is a pretty rigid window - my mindees either arrive before hand and come with me, or have to wait 15 mins until I'm back. I don't think it's a legal issue, and your friend willingly left her DD with him. Ultimately, the DH will be around the kids, so she either trusts the childminder/him or she doesn't. Nobody else can make that call.

I wonder does she normally take your friends daughter on the school run or does she normally leave her with her husband.

Why had the CM left for the school run so much earlier than usual? Or was your friend late?

It’s a bit weird to say she had no time and had to leave her baby but then took 3 random kids to school instead.

Are you talking about the childminder or OP's friend? I can't make head nor tail of this!

Huh? My husband has his own full time job, my dc are at uni and school. Do you think they have time to be around everyone time I have a parent to visit? I don't know a single cm who has the whole family present for meetings. It's me and me alone doing the care here.

My DH would never have offered to take a child in.

And I would guess the parent was late or didn't realise how tight the cms schedule was. If she was only 10 mins late and thought that was still 'on time' then I imagine the cm can't wait around or the other mindees would be late for school.

She should have caught up with the cm on her school run rather than leave the child.

The poor bloke probably just thought he was being helpful if she had a meeting to go to.

The husband will have been DBS checked as part of the process of her getting clearance to become a child minder. However being there alone with a child would mean that he would be responsible for any accidents or emergencies.
If she uses this childminder four days a week is this is the first time she's not been present at drop off? So what was different on this particular day? Was your friend late dropping off her child which meant the child minder had to set off without her child with her or was it possibly that one of the children going to school was dropped off late which meant that she's normally set off and returned back by the time your friend drops off? She chose to leave the child with the husband so I think until she finds out what the usual situation is and gets more clarity on if her child is left with the husband on a regular basis, leaving is closing the stable door after the horse is already bolted.

My reason for using a nursery over a child minder is it the child minder is on their own whereas in a nursery there are more staff to see what is going on and make sure nothing untowards is happening.

Not great for the two year old either is it, mum rushes off, usual childminder not there and a random bloke in charge. Yes I know he was the childminder’s partner but the two year old wouldn’t know him well enough to be left with him.

I think it’s the kind of situation where you might go along with it but then question it after. Thinking about it she shouldn’t have left the child.

This kind of thing is exactly why I have never used a childminder. I'm sure there are some brilliant ones out there, but every one I spoke to either arranged their days around multiple school runs, so my kids would be spending lots of time in cars and/or bored hanging around playgrounds, or had lunchbreaks etc covered by family members (who yes, had DBS check, but no childcare interest or training - eg I witnessed a bored teenage son covering lunch by just sitting in the middle of a room, no interaction with the kids). Or both!

Give me a good nursery every time!

He would have had a DBS check as someone living over 16 in a Childminder's house would need to be checked.

Whether he had an enhanced DBS, registered with OFSTED as an assistant and had a paediatric first aid course to look after children alone is a different matter.

A childminder can leave children with an assistant for up to 2 hours a day as long as they are in ratio

Was your friend late for drop off? If CM takes children to school then it’s not ok to be late for school. Definitely not ok to leave with the husband but maybe she needs to be there a bit earlier.

This was so wrong! Anyone in her house will be vetted and have a DBS, BUT he isn’t an Ofsted registered assistant so there’s no way I’d leave my children with an unregistered assistant. My CM gets permission forms signed from beginning for parents to leave children in assistants care for up to 2 hours at a time which we’re fine with.

The husband should have an enhanced DBS, an up to date First Aid certificate and Safeguarding.He should also be registered with Ofsted as the childminders assistant. Lack of any of these invalidates the childminders public liability insurance.

For those saying you wouldn't have left your child , how do you know the childminder doesn't do this throughout the day? While she runs to the toilet the kids would be left with him etc. I think once he's police checked it should be fine. School run wouldn't take long. You have to trust your CM 100%, if you don't you need to find a new one.

According to the givt website, childminders can only leave minders with their assistants if they have parental permission to do so

That permission does not need to be given each and every time - it was likely granted in the contract.

I wonder if the cm even knew until she got home? He probably just thought he was being helpful and she wouldn't even have known the child had arrived.

The mother is the one who left her with him, not the childminder!

These responses have really surprised me! I have a different relationship with my childminder than I do with my kids’ teachers - the childminder isn’t an institution, she is an individual looking after my kids in her home, which includes her partner, her kids, and her pets. (This was a massive plus for me - I think it’s more appropriate for kids to not be in an institution all the time).

My daughter asked if she could give my childminder’s partner a gift for fathers’ day, because he doesn’t have any kids of his own - whether the partner is a ‘registered assistant’ or not doesn’t change the person they are or the relationship they have with the kids.

With childminders, I think you’ve got to place some trust in their judgement and abilities as a childcare professional and decent human (and usually as a mum themselves). Obviously she can’t be in two places at once, and she found a solution.

My daughter is with a childminder. I've met the husband a few times and would happily leaver her with him

A predator can be DBS checked but still commit crimes. Just means they simply haven’t been caught yet so all this focus on the DBS is pointless.

Its unprofessional unless the partner is registered with ofsted and a prior arrangement has been agreed. But if he’s registered, has carried out the other training e.g. First aid etc and the child is used to him then I don’t see the issue. But what is he? Her assistant or a handy man who just happens to be at home sometimes when she’s child minding?

This is personally why I would never use a childminder. IMO there’s no accountability. Prefer a nursery where there is cctv and multiple staff members to keep others accountable.

Ask the parents of Genevieve Meehan.

I think it very much depends on the child minders registration and the contract. Some
checks will have been done as part of the registration (same as with the childminder) but if he isn’t a co-childminder or assistant he probably wasn’t formally assessed but Ofsted would not have had any concerns about him or they wouldn’t have approved the registration. Knowing what k know about child minders and the approval process from both my personal and experience and professionally, as long as I knew of him I would have probably left my child but rang the child minder as I was leaving to make sure they were going to be back soon and I would speak to her about why this happened and make sure there is a clear expectation and plan moving forward. If the person is concerned they could report to OFSTED or the child care improvement officer for the local council who will be allocated. I would however suggest that she checks the contract first and any information she has about the child minders registration.