A threat to the future of childminding,parents and fellow childminders,please take note!

[tetti]

Childminders have launched a change.org petition against proposals
put forward by Elizabeth Truss MP to deregulate childminders. The
campaign has attracted support from registered childminders (past
& present), as well as respected professionals from the wider early
years sector and concerned parents.
These proposals threaten a two-tier system of childcare, where only some
children will be able to access care regulated by Ofsted.
Childminders have worked tirelessly to meet the standards set by Ofsted and
provide high quality care and education within a home setting. These proposals
would destroy much of this work
We want assurance from government that they will build upon the significant
progress that has been made in the childminding sector in recent years,
ensuring that this is a step forward with positive benefits to all, but especially
for children.

From what I can gather,parents would no longer be allowed to use childcare vouchers and tax credits towards childcare fees if using a childminder,so it is an issue that certainly would affect parents greatly.
I cannot post the link to the petition here,but further information can be found on the NCMA homepage.
You could really make a huge difference in supporting this cause.

Here's the link Tetti:
www.change.org/petitions/uk-government-reject-proposals-to-deregulate-childminders

This seems like a lowering of standards to me!Also a decrease in availability due to lack of funding! Have been and signed petition, thanks minderkinx for providing it.

Thank you for posting the link:) I was told that I could not post it (forum rules) so if it does vanish,please look it up on the NCMA site.

It really would be disastrous for the whole profession if this proposal was accepted,and the parents who would prefer using a childminder over a nursery may not be able to do so as they would not recieve any financial help towards the cost.
And I could see childminders in their thousands having to give up the livelihood that they love so much.
I am not in it for the money,I charge half of what the local nurseries charge,I do not charge parents for when I go on holiday,I do not ask for sick pay,I provide all the meals,I offer flexible hours.No nurseries could ever offer the same kind of service that we provide.
I also disagree with having to pay an agency 10% commission,that would be thousands of pounds in lost revenue for me,money that ,as a single parent,I cannot afford to lose !

Being inspected by Ofsted gives childminders the credibility that we deserve as fully trained childcare professionals,but also,it gives the parents a real peace of mind to know that their children are left in safe hands.

Oops! I thought you meant you had some sort of technical glitch. I can't see why Mumsnet would object to a petition to try to assure the continued availability of parental choice in childcare and the quality assurance of all childcare settings by OFSTED. They should be running their own campaign against these ridiculous proposals!

Oh no, when I first heard about this I naively hoped it leant ofsted were going to stop cms jumping through hoops to prove they can do their jobs, but what it will effectively do is put them out of business :(

I agree Minderjinx,it would really make a HUGE difference,should Mumsnet running their own campaign as this proposal affects hundreds of thousands of parents across the country,and every single chiildminder who risk losing their livelihood.
It really makes no sense whatsoever.This "scheme" (that the proposal is isnpred by) has already failed in The Netherlands and in Canada,so why should it work here?
And I cannot understand that this proposal was presented without consulting those who it really affects,the childminders and the parents.

Yet another idea which just seems to be designed to save money and offend as many people as possible.

This will affect parents nationwide should it go ahead. Please DO sign this petition!!!

I have been in communications with E Truss and do not believe she understands what a childminder does on a day to day basis. If she did she would not put such a proposal forward. She has no idea that many childminders are more qualified than nursery managers for eg.

Childminders would be expected to give up their professional and self employed status, no longer have individual inspections or gradings etc. etc. They will have no say in their fees, contracts etc., working under an umbrella 'agency', which would likely be their local nursery (who are our direct competition.. so doubt they'd refer children to CMs!?).

Currently, there are far more childminders that have Good/Outstanding gradings than nurseries... this in itself speaks VOLUMES about the standard of care and education that the children receive.

I am all for excellent nurseries and excellent childminders... they both offer a valuable service... but this proposal will only downgrade childminders... and many will stop childminding.

this is grim, but round here so many parents just use unregistered people anyway. it really doesn't seem to bother them!

As a parent who prefers using a childminder than any other kind of childcare, I would be furious if childcare vouchers could not be used to pay for this kind of service.

If they're taking this away would they also take away the vOCR for nannies, meaning no vouchers and tax credits for them?

It's not just about CMs in that case, it's about all home based care.

Equally concerning is that the scheme for free provision for two year olds can only be offered by providers who have a good or outstanding Ofsted rating. Does this effectively mean that childminders will be excluded from providing this service? Many of the most vulnerable two year olds would benefit more from being cared for in a home environment than a nursery.

At the same time, many nurseries locally are closing their baby rooms to provide more spaces for two-year-olds as the free provision pays so well and is guaranteed income. This, together with the decrease in childminders, could lead to a massive increase in the shortage of places for children under two - seriously effecting parents ability to return to work.

I have just signed the petition; please everyone who uses a childminder do likewise.

I really do wish Tory politicians would research their 'big ideas' before inflicting them on us; have they learned nothing from attempts to destroy the forests, or the granny tax, or the pie tax, or the current farce around environmental legislation? The arrogance of Elizabeth Truss at el is astonishing. There's nothing wrong with change; there is a lot wrong with thinking you know best.

FWIW, I am not a childminder but have used one for the past 5 years. And yes, she is marvellous and provides the kind of loving, professional environment that is very sadly lacking in any of the nurseries local to us. My son and daughter and I would be devastated if this legislation forced her out of business.

Agree this is silly. E Truss had a nanny for her two and probably still does. So I guess these changes wouldn't affect her personally. In which case who cares? We're not all in this together

I did post the link to the e-petition on 2 June in another blog in this forum..hope you all sign it and spread it amongst anyone you know

If they're taking this away would they also take away the vOCR for nannies, meaning no vouchers and tax credits for them?

There has been no mention of this, although it would be illogical for Ofsted to continue to regulate Nannies directly but not childminders. The logical consequence is that in order to use vouchers you would have to use an agency nanny (a thing that hardly exists these days).

Note however that this is just a think tank proposal directed specifically at childminders, it doesn't deal with any of the consequences or implications of actually implementing it. No responsible agency of government would introduce this without proper consultation, would they?

Ofsted does not regulate nannies, they register to provide the opportunity to parents to use childcare vounchers... they do not deliver the EYFS and all they need to do is First Aid
If c/ms are deregulated the 'agency' they come under will collect the vouchers as they will be ofsted registered and fees from parents and then pay c/ms..this means that our fees will be set by the agency and we lose independence to run our businesses.

Ofsted and the DfE would have to consult and this they know as they state it clearly in the letters we are receiving from them...it looks like from their replies they are looking at the early years workforce as a whole...c/ms are just the start....worrying times ahead..join us and write to MPs as this is the best way to be heard.

There is another thread on this with more links, eg to the actual proposals. It'd be helpful to have links to any response or consultation from ofsted, DfE etc.

The process has not reached consultation stage as yet because discussions are still going on between No 10, Ofsted and the DfE...any developments will be posted here

Whilst OFSTED don't regulate all mammies they can bar them from the register and the requirements are a bit more stringent than first aid (although nowhere hear as bad for childminders on the compulsory part).

It just means you potentially have a wider market to attract of nannies and employers who will lose their jobs/vouchers.

Does anybody actually agree with or take Ofsted seriously. It means that a certain grade that they determine was met on a certain day. I would say that childcare services would improve if parents were calling the shot.
Sounds like a way for gov to stop paying childcare as minders have to be registered.

Please forgive but may I ask an ignorant question?

I looked into childminding a couple of years ago because I am at home with my school age children anyway, have lots of toys for children of all ages and love spending time with children.
I gave up the thought of being a childminder because of all the paperwork, the rules and regulations, the hoops I needed to jump through. I didnt want to take photos of a mindee doing whatever just so I could stick it in a book and reference it to the EYFS (or whatever its called). Perfectly happy to do any training required but not to filling a shed with equipment and shelves full of paperwork.

I just wanted to look after other peoples children for a few hours a week and think I could do a perfectly good job doing that.

If childminding was deregulated maybe my hope of being useful to other parents for a few hours per week would be possible?

I understand why those of you who are happy with the current arrangement are upset of course I do!

I am happy not to jump through hoops ... but I personally find Ofsted easier to deal with than when we were regulated by our local authority.

I also do not relish the idea of telling parents they can no longer use childcare vouchers to get tax free childcare and they can no longer get the government funded 15 hours for their 2 or 3 yr olds.

I can understand why a childminder would not like to give an agency 10% of their earnings. I can predict childminders jumping ship soon if this idea were to go ahead.

Especially if the local day nursery is the agent!