Help! Where do I start................

[Jenum71]

when wanting to add DH as an assistant?

Who do I call? Need to fill out forms Im guessing!

Phone your local CIS they will send you the right form.

Then write a letter called a Variation request and tell Ofsted how you want to change your registration when you have an assistant present.

Thanks Xena! Will call them!

Just rang CIS and they said that he will have to go through the registration process. Is this right? And does he need to be first aid trained?

Once he is reg as my assistant, am I able to leave children with him?

Sorry to ask so many q's!

Bumping as interested myself.

Hi Helen!

I am having no joy whatsoever! I have given up!

So there!

Right, I have just phoned our CIS as I think you've been misinformed (says me who knows nothing!!! )

ANYWAY.....I've been told to either phone Ofsted direct or to contact the person who deals with all our training etc at the CIS. I'm going to email her as she's gone home now. Will let you know what she says!!

Oh brilliant!

Keep me informed!

Hi Jenum71 and Xena,

I'm registering at the moment. I'm going to have a co-childminder working with me as well as 2 assistants occassionally.

From my experience, assistants don't have to be registered. They don't, however, effect your numbers, they can;t be left to supervise and you're responsible for their actions.

If you want to leave your assistant to supervise the children, take on extra numbers etc they must become registered in their own right and become a co-childminder.

Hope this helps

Tina

Thanks for that!

On my certificate it says that I can leave the children with the assistant as long as I have written permission from the parent. And my numbers have been increased as I'm allowed 5 under 8's when my assistant is present and we have 5 under 8's of our own. Your assistant doesn't need to have any training inc first aid all they need to do is fill in a CM2?? form and complete a CRB check which presemable your DH already has.

Thanks Xena,

I am just looking on the OFSTED site under CM2 form. Looks like I can download the form there!?

Arrgghhhh thought it was going to well - can't open the bloomin file!

OFSTED merely added my dh's and dds' names to my registration certificate stating that they are my assistants - but they had to have enhanced CRB check done rather than the standard one (which they have to have anyway). CIS are not involved at all.

With an assistant present, I am still only allowed to have 6 children under 8 years, but they are all allowed to be under the age of 5 years (and can have 2 under the age of 12 months).

They can be left alone with children in certain circumstances or an emergency, but I have written permission from parents for this just to cover myself.

I have assured parents I mind for that my assistants are there for back-up only. They know some minders work with full-time assistants or co-childminders, and we are all in agreement that we prefer the small group setting that I currently offer (apart from school holidays when I look like a school playground!)

Cheers The Prisoner!

I dont know if I will pursue this - may leave it for a while and see how I feel!

The amount of time it took for hubby to get standard CRB, not sure about applying for an enhanced one - will be too old to c/m by then!

I'm too old to be childminding anyway, but the kids love pushing me around on my skateboard zimmer-frame.

I think it would be easier to start minding yourself and build up your business, before definitely deciding that you want to expand it. I find it daunting enough having my full quota of under fives, full quota of 5-8s, and a handful of over-eights!

We've all been told such different stuff by OFSTED, haven't we? There are obviously no hard and fast rules!

The most important thing seems to be getting written permission from parents.

The problem is that there are "set" rules, but different people at OFSTED interpret them in different ways. I've known childminders who have got themselves into trouble with OFSTED for doing something they shouldn't have (eg. being over numbers in certain circumstances) based on asking for advice, and being given wrong information.

That's just sooo annoying. You can only follow the guidelines you're given.

Maybe every time we want to know something we should speak to at least a couple of different people at OFSTED.

My OFSTED inspector had just got back from maternity leave and didn't seem to know anything -she kept having to speak to her manager and come back to me!

It doesn't necessarily help speaking to more than one person! I've been given registration variation to have extra children on a particular occasion, no problem. Another minder asked for same variation, they said no. She appealed, it went to panel, still said no - even though my own circumstances were brought into it to demonstrate that it is possible. Two identical requests, two different answers.

In a whispering voice I tell you that I wished I hadn't.

Hadn't what?

sorry. I wish I hadn't expanded life was alot simpler before. and its not worth the hassle.

Xena - is it not something you could sort out, or would it mean giving notice to children?