childminders- if a child in your care needed an ambulance, what happens?

[TiredFeet]

Just that really. Would you go with the ill child? (But then who would look after the other children?). Or do you send the ill child on their own with the paramedics?

I chose a nursery for ds as he has life threatening allergies and his nursery were very experienced in dealing with them but also because I worried about what would happen if he needed an ambulance, I didn't like the thought it just being him and the paramedics. I am weighing up options for dd but this question is still bugging me. Will obviously ask any childminders I go and visit but wondered what most people have as their plan?

I have a couple of back up CMs. Also my husband is a shift worker. They would stay with the other children and call parents to collect.

i have an assistant, we had to call an ambulance not long ago and she went with the child and I stayed home. If I was on my own I would get my back up in to mind others kids and I would go with ill child. All childminders will have a policy in place to cover emergencies.

Child was fine just very high temperature.

As others have said all CMs will have an emergency policy and will acconpany the child in question to the hospital. Have the nursery told you what they would do?

If it's that much of an emergency that an ambulance was needed then how would your back up childminders get there in time for you to travel with the child to hospital?

What if they were out or were already full up that day?

I am a childminder and I have been told if a child needs and ambulance and you have other children in your care, you have to send the child alone with paramedics.

Mine are all in the village (so would probably be there before the ambulance!) and I have more than one to call upon.

Who told you that you have to leave a child to go alone? It's not statutory and I wouldn't do it if at all possible. All my parents would want that for their child so understand that I would do it for the other mindees too.

I have back up minders and friends who parents have signed to say it's fine to leave kids with in an emergency , but I have been told in an emergency anyone I deem suitable to stay with kids would be fine (even if parents haven't signed ) as it's an emergency and they would only be staying with kids till parents arrived . I was also told that in the event of an emergency of this sort where I had to leave children with another minder or care for children from another childminder then I would not get in trouble for going over my numbers as I have a justified reason and would only be over numbers for a short time as normal procedure is to call parents of each child to collect ASAP

I'm a cm and would definitely go over my numbers if another cm (or friend) phoned me with this type of emergency. I would never let a child go in an ambulance by themselves, they would be terrified. I have a couple of back up childminder friends and also a couple of non childminder friends who I would trust to look after my mindees in this kind of situation. It would be very rare that all of the options were out and not able to help me out. None of my parents would mind me leaving their child with any of my suitable people in these circumstances.

This has happened to me. Usually my DH works with me but, on this occasion, I was working alone when my DS had a severe allergic reaction.

I did have a backup minder and there is no way she would have got to me before the ambulance arrived - it was there in minutes. DS had breathing difficulties because his airways had swollen up.

In an emergency, you're allowed to leave the children with someone who is unregistered, although you obviously need to trust them. I left them with my MIL, who waited with them until their parents arrived. At the time, she was a teacher with a full CRB check so they were in safe hands.

This is something that every childminder will have considered carefully and they will have a policy.

Surely in some situations you would have to let a child go alone in an ambulance? If a child wasn't breathing you couldn't ask the paramedics to wait until a friend arrived, or leave the rest of the children alone so you could go in the ambulance.

I think that's what worries me, thescience. I can see that in some situations there would be time to ring for back up, but what if it is a real emergency, you would presumably be administering first aid till the ambulance arrives and then the paramedics wouldn't want to hang around while you sorted cover

Same as if a parent has more than one child at home though.

Yes, true, that thought has crossed my mind as well. I had to get an ambulance with my two shortly before christmas and I could take them both but there wouldn't have been scope to take any more.

I also know that despite ds's anaphylaxis (cows milk) he has never had a reaction at his nursery as they have had such robust policies and procedures, so there's no reason he or dd would with a similarly thorough childminder, but that first ambulance ride was so scary that it weighs heavilu on my mind.

I work with DH, so there's usually someone here. If he was out with some of the children (which does happen), then I would text or call my emergency back up (one is the next door neighbour).

If no one arrived before the ambulance, then the child would go alone in the ambulance, with me in hot pursuit very soon afterwards.

I have the retired couple who live next door as my emergency backup. They are home most of the time so I would leave the other children there and go with the ill child to hospital. When I'm out and about at parks/playgroups/etc. I almost always meet up with other childminders so again they would be my emergency backup. If I really desperately had to send a child alone in the ambulance then I could always follow in my car along with all the other children. I think this would be quite unlikely to happen though, as I know so many people in my local area that there is almost always someone around to help.

Like Tanith said, in a dire emergency (like calling an ambulance), you can leave your minded children with another trusted, responsible adult until your back up arrives. (Rule of common sense, for a change!). Once the paramedics have arrived and are treating a child, I would have the time to make a 1 minute call for backup.

Fortunately for me, I have a retired next door neighbour on one side, and sometimes the mum from the family next door on the other, plus my mum (who is registered as my assistant) works about a 5 minute drive away.

If I had to call an ambulance for a child, I would call my assistant if possible, leave the other children with a neighbour until my assistant arrived if I had to, and accompany the child in the ambulance. Apart from the poor child being terrified in the ambulance, I also know the circumstances of the incident and their medical history, both of which are vital for the paramedics and the attending doctors at A&E, so in order for the child to get proper treatment I would have to go with them.

Don't forget there is often a delay between the paramedics arriving and leaving for the hospital as they administer drugs and stabilise etc before travel.
My ds has had to go from his childcare in an ambulance under blue lights. His nursery rang me at work after phoning 999. I work 35mins away so immediately phoned my MIL who lives around the corner, then phoned my work reception to get cover (I am a teacher and needed an adult in the classroom) before even getting in the car. I got to the nursery to see the ambulance leave and was able to follow them to the hospital so a good 45mins after the original 999 call.

He is now with a CM. Obviously I would hope she could go in the ambulance but if she had other children with her then I would trust the paramedics to care for him - they have been amazing in the past, very caring. As a baby he travelled with the CATS team and I preferred for him to sit on the nurse's lap because the severity of his condition made me quite nervous.

I have retired neighbours, 2 childminders and someone who works from home all on my street as my back ups, so I would be very confident I would get one of them to my house before the paramedics where ready to leave, ask round different childminders and find out what their back up plans are, I wouldn't let it be something to put you off choosing a childminder.

The best situation I think is in a complete emergency the childminder and other children follow the ambulance in their car like a parent with other children would. As soon as possible, the CM rings everyone and all the parents and the back up person meet at the hospital!