Ad - hoc childminder...have never used a CM before!

[lulumama]

Afternoon

I was running a mums & tot group up until the end of March, thorugh that group i met a CM..she has 2 full time mindees, and she is lovely...we chatted and I told her about my doula work, and that i was just starting out. She said she would be able to look after my DD on an ad hoc basis....

I have never used a CM.. how do I find out if she is Ofsted registered? Will she have a certificate....? And what sort of questions should i ask her?

She is a lovely young girl, married, no kids of her own, seems really sweet , but is essentially a stranger...how do i make sure she is a registered CM, CRB checked etc....

any advice would be gratefully received

thanks

have to do school run soon, so I will check later for replies x

you should go for an interview with her at her home, during which she will (should) show you her portfolio, including certificates for courses completed (first aid, food hygiene, ICP or units from the new DHC). her ofsted registration certificate should be displayed within her home. she will have a registration number. she will have a CRB certificate, liability insurance certificate, copy of ofsted inspection report. any questions, just ask her. you need to be sure!!

thanks nally ! i am meeting her wednesday...if she doesn;t have those things, can i presume she is not registered, OFSTEDed minder?

if she hasn't got the Ofsted registration certificate then she is not registered. Ofsted don't register people who haven't been CRB checked either, so she should definitely have that as well. the first aid and units of the childminding qualifications can be done within 6 months of registering so if she is brand new at it, she may not have done those yet.
good luck x

right...would not be comfortable leaving DD wit h a non registered/ CRB checked minder, however lovely ! is being a non registered minder bad?

sorry, am in the dark here !!

Being unregistered is illegal

Being a non reg cm means you are not insured so if something were to happen to your dd whilst in her care there would be no one to complain to, no insurance people to pay out etc

yes LT that's right there is also that.

Yes, bad Registered means the criminal check has been done, first aid certified that is required is done, a course in home child care course has been completed.

Chances are she's done all this, just ask to see her certificates and her Ofsted registration certificate.

ok then ! thanks very much....

so OFSTED registered or don;t go there !!

Assuming you are in England and that she is offering to care for your child at her home (rather than in your home), then if she is NOT registered with OFSTED, don't touch it with a barge pole.

As you have met her via a toddler group, have chatted with her and got along, then you are part of the way there already. Visit her home, see what is like, go through paperwork/certificates, look at contract (make sure you can agree to the terms of that contract), see how your daughter gets on with her. If all seems above board, then arrange for some taster sessions, to get DD used to being left.

thank you Nannynick..i am in england

i will certainly be making sure she has the appropriate registration, however lovely she seems, DD is too precious to take a chance with

very very hard to find ad hoc care, so if she can do it, will be great !!

thanks for all advice thus far...

she has NCMA on her business card....what is that ? at my ignorance

It's the National Childminding Association. Being a member just means that we've paid our annual membership, it certainly does not mean that a member is any better than any other childminder who isn't.

However, I have no idea if anyone can be a member, or just registered childminders??

If you know her name, you can see if she is listed with your local Childrens Information Service here - some childminders can elect not to be on the list, so ring them up and ask if she is registered.

whats an ad hoc cm?

NCMA = National Childminding Association
It is a Membership Organisation which provides childminders with advice and support. It is a Registered Charity - Charity Details .

Certainly in the past anyone could be a member of the NCMA, as I used to be a member. However Social Services (no Ofsted back then) felt that it was potentially misleading, for me to say that I was a member of the NCMA (although of course it was true), but to keep the peace I did remove the line "member of NCMA" from marketing material.

Being an NCMA member is not sufficient - Registered Childminders (in England) will have a Registration Certificate from Ofsted, which you must see. It contains a reference number which once you have that, you can verify the childminders registration status via the Ofsted Helpline.

ad hoc childminder... hmm, I suppose it would be someone who cared for children at their [the minders] home, on an irregular basis, as and when required.

I would expect that the parents would be on a Zero hour contract, so they do not have to pay for any hours they do not actually use. Also the childminder would not guarantee any hours being available. Perhaps a childminder who provides ad-hoc care will be able to explain how it works better.

thanks !

she is ad hoc in as much as she will not be caring for DD on a regular basis for set hours, but on an as and when basis when i am doula-ing !

will check out those links

xx

thanks for all the help

I have been to see CM this morning

Am very impressed, she had showed me her OFSTED report which was 'good' in all areas , her First aid cert, her insurance, her registration cert, certificates from various courses she has done, references from the mums of her mindees....

house is immaculate, absolutely immaculate, but obviously geared to children, toys are clean, look new, well maintained, lots of variety...

showed me all the rooms which are registered for her minding, and showed me all her policies and her weekly plans, her menus etc

Gave DD a snack of fresh fruit and milk, there were lovely pics up her mindees had done, and as she has worked in a nursery previously , she is really aware of birth to 3, and is really keen on encouraging talking, counting, recognising colours etc..

does baking, water play, painting, walks, a little TV as a wind down

i am really pleased, she is happy to take DD as and when, as she does not intend to take on any more mindees , so when i am on call, she will be on call! will also babysit at my house in the evenings

so am going to arrange for DD to go there for a trial session

BUT - I am being really silly, and worrying about leaving her !! sooo ridicolous ! this CM is clearly doing a great job, is OFSTED registered, is passionate about what she does and doing it well, and yet.....?!?!?! i think it is me, as i would not worry about leaving her at nursery as that is what i did with DS....

thanks for reading!!