Is this unprofessional (childcare)

[Abcdanon]

I found a childcare setting through a recommendation from a friend. She originally found this setting online. A couple of years have passed and I’ve noticed that she’s built a relationship with the owner - started as going out for drinks, tagging each other on SM, now going on holiday together.
She does things for her kids (like still take them on days she’s closed, drop off to school) which she doesn’t offer to anyone else so it’s more of a private favour.

It doesn’t bother me in the sense that it happens - I don’t need anything extra from this setting so it’s not like it impacts me that she gets favours but it got me thinking - what’s the “code of conduct” for childcare settings? Have looked online a bit and as much as it’s not prohibited, the EYFS and safeguarding conduct expects employees not to form personal relationships because of things like favouritism (even perceived favouritism) and to ensure all families are treated equally.

In any other profession things like this would be frowned upon. Thoughts?

😂

You’re really making it in to something it isn’t. But fine, next time I wonder something, I’ll leave out the context and just post a blanket question.

That's a mature response.

I thought it was reasonably common for childcare workers to do babysitting in their own free time. For whoever they chose to.

(My DDs nursery teacher was her sisters best friends mum... and we did do quite a bit away from the nursery together, including her babysitting my children overnight once, at her house. And we were friends on SM.
Then a couple if years later, my friend (different person) became her Yr1 teacher... and again saw lots of her out of school!)

Childcare providers are allowed to make friends and can offer additional childcare to those friends. Weird you had to ask.

I don’t see any issue with this personally, wouldn’t occur to me that it’s a problem

To be fair I have heard from mums that use nurseries that this is something the ladies do on the side. I suppose this felt different because of the relationship as a whole, and doing other things like school drop offs during the setting’s opening hours that isn’t a service for everybody

Do you need the extra services? Did you ask and she declined?

The only reason I asked was because if I made friends with a client of mine, and then provided some services on the side I would be disciplined. however as someone upthread has said, it’s a very different type of business and through discussion I get that

No, I was told at the beginning what the scope was and took it as that, just noticed the difference over time

what profession are you?

OP - I’ll go against the grain to say I can see why this could be seen as crossing boundaries.

in my profession it’s not ok to befriend a client and relationships need to remain totally professional. No Facebook friends, sharing personal info, attending family parties, accepting/giving gifts.

So if you come from a profession that has strict boundaries I can see why you’d question it. But I can see others have replied to say it’s ok.

I guess my question would be if there was anything dodgy or complaints - how would this work with friends? I think that’s where it could get messy.

When my kids were little the nursery staff would offer childcare/babysitting to clients on a paid for basis outside nursery hours. If was good to have a trained babysitter who already knew the kids. This was up to then who they would do it for. I suspect they chose to do it for the parents/children they liked and maybe not for those that were difficult .....

enterprise sales

Hit the nail on the head

Don’t be so bloody daft.

I don’t really understand how this could be a safeguarding issue? Do you think something is more likely to happen because they are friends? I can’t work out what.

I can’t really work out how it’s unprofessional either, why would being friends with someone make them want to risk their professionalism and reputation?

People who work together go out for drinks together, go on holiday together, some even marry each other! I’ve not know it to raise an issue (apart from if it’s a niche job where the contract completely forbids it). I often go out with my colleagues (and clients and subcontractors) as we are genuinely friends (I even lived with one for years!). I’ve stayed friends with most of them too who have left.

Get another interest. FFS.