CM suspended... advice please!

[aliric]

Hi i need some advice as my CM has been suspended and i want to know where i stand.
My CM text me on monday this week to say that she had been suspended following an 'accusation', that she was too upset to call me and that she couldn't tell me any more. This is all i have had from her and i have had no letter from Ofsted confirming this and no explanation! Obviously this has left me in the lurch and i am considering giving her notice. (Not because of the suspension as i was considering leaving before but this has just pushed me to do it.)

I would like to know as my CM is suspended would i be able to serve her the usual 4 week notice? Obviously meaning my child would just not go back to her.

Also i would assume i am not expected to pay her within her suspension time??????

Any advice appreciated.

I would not expect that she can charge. Your contract is for a service that she cannot deliver. IME Ofsted do not suspend without good cause. Sadly, even If the allegation is false it is still very unfortunate as her reputation will be tarnished regardless. However, while the investigation is ongoing you will need to find alternative care with no idea of the timescale involved. It would perhaps be appropriate to give notice and find alternative care with a view to permanence. IF your Childminder is reinstated you can then consider whether to give your new provider notice and return your children or keep them with their new carer.

You should receive a letter from Ofsted if your childminder has been suspended. The inspectors get details of the parents the childminder provides care for when they deliver the suspension notice (which they should do by hand). I would expect you to get a letter within a couple of days - allowing for them to write and send them, then the royal mail to take a day or so to deliver them. If you have the Cm's registration number you should be able to ring the Ofsted contact centre and ask for confirmation - they probably can't tell you a lot about why it's happened, but with the name and reg number you should at least be told "yes she's suspended" or "no, she's still active according to our system". Try giving them a ring on 0300 1231231.

I can't be of much help with the alternative care/giving notice side of things, but I will say that Cm's can be suspended for anything from a few days or months - it really depends on what the situation is and how long it takes to investigate (ie whether the police are involved, if witness statements need to be taken, etc). It's really impossible to judge at this point how long it'll all be.

Thanks for the advice i will go home and see if there is a letter today. If not i will call Ofsted and find out for sure. I would be surprised if she's made up the story to get out of looking after my son as after all it would tarnish her reputation.
I have drafted my notice letter i just want to find somewhere else for him before i make it official.

Will see how it goes
Thanks

this may help ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Forms-and-guidance/Browse-all-by/Other/General/Suspension-information-for-providers-parents-and-carers-on-suspension-of-childcare/(language)/eng-GB

When my childminder was suspended, she was told on Friday at 2 p.m. and I had to leave work to collect my daughter as the suspension was effective immediately. I received a letter from OFSTED on the Saturday morning and this was two weeks before Christmas.

The suspension was for six weeks, OFSTED delayed things and generally handled it badly. They took about 15 days to tell me the suspension was lifted, after taking about 15 hours to tell me it was in place. She was cleared and when she was inspected five months later she was rated as outstanding.

Suspensions can be for a wide range of reasons - if someone makes an allegation of some sort of violence (say smacking a child) or abuse against the childminder or even a member of her household (partner, older teenage children?) then that obviously needs to be investigated properly and suspension is the usual way to "safeguard" minded children while that investigation takes place. But equally it could be for something seemingly unconnected with the childminder such as a police investigation into indecent images of children found on the family computer (downloaded by who - a member of the household, extended family, a one-time visitor?) or concerns being raised by other agencies about someone's alcohol use or mental health. Allegations can be made maliciously or mistakenly, and it's not always a case of "no smoke without fire", but they do have to be looked into.

Out of curiosity OP, have you heard anything more to reassure you about the situation with your childminder?

Hi thanks for all your comments I have just heard from my CM that the susension has been lifted just a couple of hours after I put my notice letter through her door. She's on holiday this week so I don't think she's seen it yet. I don't know what to do now as I have already sorted alternative care starting in 3 weeks. Obv I will have to pay her for 4 weeks now but technically she owes me 1 weeks pay as I had already paid her for the first week of her suspension. Also my partner doesn't want him to go back to her even now so its all a bit awkward.

I did get a letter from ofsted waiting for me at home the day I started this post.