CM CLUB - Help needed with variation letter for Overnight Care

[looneytune]

I phoned OFSTED yesterday to see what I need to do if I want to try and register for overnight care. They said I need to write a variation request and they would look at it.

I've done variation requests before but only for 4 under 5's or 2 under 1's, not for overnight care. I know I need to show I've thought of everything and I wondered if you lovely people could help me. The sort of things I can think of so far are:

• Seperate bedroom for the mindee (only have 1 spare room so will be requesting 1 mindee at a time overnight)

• Travel Cot Available for babies

• Bed available for older mindees (still unsure what would be acceptable? I have a ready bed but was thinking of getting a fold up bed if that's not acceptable)

• Clean bedding

• Fire Evacuation Plan

• Smoke alarms fitted (but unsure about this as I think someone mentioned fire alarms???)

• Privacy when using bathroom

Anything else?

ready beds are fine/phrase it 'guest'bed, i showed inspector my computer room friday and toldh her what we do(move bookcases out and put ready bed in)and she had no probs with it..and i 'think' you can only norm get reg for one over night at a time anyway??may be wrong but i got reg all together initially and im only reg for one?..maybe cos only one spare room

oh and i have bed guard, even tho it low ready bed and she seemed happy that i had one

• baby monitor?

upstairs stair gate

safe windows/window locks/vents

Oh yeah, thanks. I do have stair gates and monitors of course, I'll make sure I put them on my letter Great about the bed PinkChick, I'll like the phrasing! And I have window locks etc. so fine.

Does anyone know about this smoke/fire alarm business? What's required?

Cheers

Have a policy for overnight care which includes all of your points, and give Ofsted a copy.

Wear suitable clothing yourself to sleep in - so that you can respond warmly and not half-naked to any disturbances.

No alcohol on evenings when minded children are present.

Whether you provide clean towels/flannels/toiletries and what is expected of parents to provide for their child.

Suggestions for parents to allow their child to bring their own favourite toys/books to help them settle.

Add a separate risk assessment of sleeping room ie windows close safely and are locked if necessary with keys hanging out of reach, heavy furniture is securely fastened to the wall, flooring is safe, no trailing wires, accesible light or lamp sockets, good ventilation/lighting etc etc

Thanks Gooseegg - VERY helpful

i personally thought sopme people call the smoke, some call them fire alarms??? same difference???

Oh, I thought people had said they were 2 difference things. If not then great as I have smoke alarms already as we have to.

I did refer to fire alarms in an earlier post but I meant smoke alarms.

Does anyone know if you can register for overnight if you don't have a spare bedroom? Ie if your own children were at grandmas or my own children like to "camp" in the playroom sometimes. Which would mean mindies would have my own kids bedrooms (with clean bedding of course).

i dont remember if it has to be thier own bed or own bedroom?, youd have to speak to them to find out? ie: maybe they could sleep in same room as same sex child?