Re : Attendance Registar

[africanprincess]

Well spoke to the chief "blah blah" inspector yesterday from Bristol following my complaint about dreadful inspection/inspector and about what seems to be the inconsistency between inspectors. The first thing is the attendance registers are law, apparently they never used to be 4 years ago when I was first inspected but now it is REGULATION, so please make sure your parents sign weekly. When you get an action (like I did) you automatically get downgraded. All the other stuff she told me were apparently recommendations (advice). The classic response from her when I complained about inconsistency was "I cant comment about other providers, anyway people dont always tell the truth", well, after that there was no point in me carrying on(grin)!

Did they tell you where to find the Regulation?

I expect they mean Childminding Guidance 2004 - HMI 2089 which says under Standard 14
"a daily record of the names of the children looked after on the premises, their hours of attendance and the names of the persons who looked after them"

It does not state in the above that such a record needs to be signed by the parents.
Did the chief inspector actually say it has to be signed? If so, where in the regulations is that mentioned?

HMI 2089 - Childminding: Guidance to the National Standards Revisions to certain criteria: version 2 - Dated February 2004

yes nannynick, she said it needs to be signed to protect the childminder as well as the children..she gave an example senario about parent making an allegation against a childminder and if there is no signed record then that leaves childminder vunerable

What I don't understand is how we can be downgraded for something that is to cover our own backs?? Surely it's a matter of if we don't get it signed and parents cause trouble then tough luck to us??? Don't see why it should be something we get done for by Ofsted??

I do get mine signed but just hate all this confusion OFSTED cause!!

i had same chat with a person high up at ofsted and was told yes we do need a registar that doesnt have to be signed by parents but it needs to be a solid registar and not a loose one where pages can be taken out
i said that NCMA registar could have their pages taken out and she said she wouldnt recommend the NCMA one

not recommend NCMA one does the NCMA know this grrrr

My last inspection was over 2 years ago, and I realise that everything has changed - however, my inspector was more than happy with my normal, week-to-a-page diary. I write down the contracted hours and the actual hours. She read through it very closely - a bit embarrassing as it is also my personal, social diary!

I would have thought that the fact the parents pay the bills I give them would indicate that they are happy with the hours I've charged them for! Silly me, really must start getting my paperwork in order.

I have a page to a day diary

The children names are listed

The parents write the time they arrive & initial , then the time they leave & initial

They can also write about alternative colections/medication etc

I can write in trips out & messages

It works great - wanna bet OFSTED don't like it?

Oh dear Katymac ... that means that all the parents can see what all the other children/parents have done ... complete lack of confidentiality ... and discussions about medication ... they'll HATE it!!

They liked it last time

Yep, they liked mine last time too - but I strongly suspect that they won't like mine this time. After all, everything else I do is perfect, and they will have to find fault with something!

Ofsted