Quick question

[scottishlass92]

Hi all,

I currently work as a Childminding assistant, we regularly look after a child who is sometimes Monday/Tuesday & sometimes Thursday Friday. We have been asked to care for him for an extra day tomorrow due to one of the parents being on a course. We already are caring for 6 children tomorrow so adding this child would take us to 7, could we still do it as a continuity of care or is that for siblings only?

Any help would be appreciated!

Are you allowed three children each? I'm not sure how it works with an assistant but as a sole childminder I am not allowed to go over six regardless of siblings etc. six is the maximum number a childminder can care under 8. It used to be allowed but under the eyfs not a chance.

Yeah we're allowed 3 each as far as I am aware.

Can't do more than 6 under 8's.

Are you allowed 6 under 8 or 6 under 5? If it's the latter, with 12 under 8 allowed, then you might be ok?

HSMM wouldn't that only be the case if they were a co-childminder?

I'm pretty sure some assistants get allocated numbers too. Depends on the registration etc.

I assumed an assistant could have the same numbers or else what would be the point in having them?

So could a cm and assisant have 6 under 5 and 12 under 8?

The legislation specifies 6 children maximum. EYFS does not overrule that. So if they are an assistant rather than a co-minder then max is 6. If a co-childminder (both are registered childminders in their own right but choose to work together) then theoretical max is 12 though often is 10 in reality due to planning permission.

An assistant is useful for doing school run.

Ofsted has a factsheet on use of assistants I think, anyone have a link.

Not alway the case nannynick I have in the past employed an assistant and I was registered to care for 6 under 5s when the assistant was in attendance and this was clearly written on my certificate.

Maybe under EYFS2014 you can do it, subject to space. Having trouble finding something which specifically says so. Anyone found anything?

But you were not registered for more than 6 under 5s with assistant. Isn't that what OP is wanting to do, have 7?

I work with an assistant. We can have 3 under 5 each. No more than 6 under 8 allowed for any reason. Some of our under 5s go home at 3 and are swapped for schoolers. Still max of 6 under 8. Over 8s at our discretion as long as doesn't compromise care of other children.

So no you can't have the extra child on this occasion

I was planning to take my DH on as my assistant while we waited for his registration to come through. When working together we could have 6 under 5, 12 under 8, so would have been able to have 7 for continuity. As it happened, his registration came through before he was approved as an assistant .

Anyway OP ... You need to check your registration, because none of us can tell you .

I think this would be okay as long as you risk assessed and consulted all parents first (practically speaking this might be where you struggle given the timescale). When I had an assistant we could have 6 children each, of whom only 3 under 5 each, but under a continuity of care variation in exceptional circumstances we could have an extra one under 5 (again each in theory) as long as the total was still under twelve. But you do also need to have the space and the equipment/resources.

Scottishlass - are you in Scotland? If so, completely different rules will apply there.

What ages are all the children? Their ages could well be very important as you can see from what others have put, in England there are constraints on number of under 5's and under 8's.

Well spotted Cindy. I always assume everyone on here lives within a few miles of me .

Hi all,

Thanks for the answers, we got it sorted in the end. The mum was able to go in to work later so we could have him in the afternoon after one of the other children left.

No I live in England, thanks