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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Thinking of childminding. Do I need to fit all children in my car?

28 replies

LivininaBox · 07/03/2018 20:40

I am thinking of starting childminding, just taking children before and after school. I live near the school in a village. The play park, shop etc are all within walking distance, so I would not plan to use the car at all with the minded children.

However if there was an emergency I might need to drive say to A and E. I can only fit 4 children in my car. I already have two of my own, so this would limit me to two minded children. It isn't worth me buying a larger car for the amount I would earn.

How do other people deal with this sort of situation? I should add that public transport is not great where I live and taxis are few and far between.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

OP posts:

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childmindingmumof3 · 07/03/2018 20:42

If there is an emergency that needs A&E you call an ambulance.
I don't drive at all.

MsAwesomeDragon · 07/03/2018 20:49

My cm very very rarely uses a car with the minded children. She walks them everywhere they need to go. Her policy states that in case of accident or illness she will contact the parents, and in case of immediate emergency she will call an ambulance. She's been childminding for 20+ years and has never had an emergency where she wished she had a car (and she's never needed to ring an ambulance either)

LynetteScavo · 07/03/2018 20:49

Lots of childminders don't have a car.

From a parents perspective it's probably better that their child won't have to spend hours in a car each week while you collect from school.

If there is an emergency you'll call an ambulance.

PrincessScarlett · 07/03/2018 22:45

If there's an emergency you have a back up person, normally another childminder or suitable person, who can take charge of the children.

Justgivemesomepeace · 07/03/2018 22:49

My child minder doesn't have a car.

HSMMaCM · 08/03/2018 08:50

I can fit all the children in my car, but I wouldn't take them all to A&E, I would leave them with my trusted neighbour. This is in my policies and my neighbour would call their parents to let them know.

I work with my DH now, so this will almost certainly not need to happen. I have taken one child to A&E in 20 years, so it shouldn't be a regular occurrence.

childmindingmumof3 · 08/03/2018 09:09

You really shouldn't be driving a child to a&e on your own anyway.

Original poster

LivininaBox · 08/03/2018 11:54

Many thanks for your replies. My concern isn't so much about a serious emergency, when obviously I would just call an ambulance. It is more say if someone had a cut that needed stitches. I suppose my policy could be to call parents, and if it cant wait until parents arrive call an ambulance.
Does that sound reasonable?

That's a good point about having a trusted neighbour, although I couldn't guarantee they would be in. There are no childminders in my village so no one to have a sharing arrangement with.

And yes, perhaps I shouldn't be driving an injured child anyway without an adult in the back, in case they got worse and I wouldn't know.

OP posts:

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 08/03/2018 11:56

You’d call the parents in that situation.

NoSquirrels · 08/03/2018 12:00

You need an emergency back-up policy. It can be a trusted neighbour or your mum or anyone really - the understanding is that it wouldn't be used unless it was a genuine emergency, and you'd call parents to come collect ASAP anyway.

One of my childminders had no car, so didn't need a policy or permission. Another would only take DC by car if she was under her numbers and could safely transport all DC i.e. full complement of car seats etc.

Maryann1975 · 11/03/2018 16:26

I’ve got a 7 seater car and quite often can’t fit everyone in it! I can’t buy a minibus though. We walk to a lot of places, including school every day, rain or shine. More tricky in the holidays, but we make do with local places, only branching out to further afield when there are less children here. It works for us.
With regard to the emergency contact neighbour. It’s inportant that you have someone. Obviously they might not be in when you need them, but in my head I’ve then got another back up should I need it in an absolute real emergency. when I did need to send a child to hospital his family took him, which is what I would suggest if a child needed to go to hospital for stitches, you’d phone the parent, who would then collect and take them.

DangerEgg · 29/03/2018 23:49

In an emergency, you call an ambulance and you have a policy which states you cannot accompany ill children to hospital as you have other children to care for.
Rare a back-up would have spaces for many children.

I only do before and after school and I don't drive - happy to advise further!

BackforGood · 30/03/2018 00:12

Agree with everyone else. You have back up plans, in case of emergency - you wouldn't want to be trying to take a large number of children to hospital anyway. You have a plan and risk assess any situation that occurs..... usually you have named people you could call upon.... you also obviously might have the option of getting the parents to take them (or one parent waiting with the others until other parents can get there if you have to take a child yourself. You certainly don't need a car 'just for emergencies'.

hibbledibble · 14/04/2018 18:48

If you are planning to walk everywhere then the size of your car is of no consequence. If there is an emergency, call an ambulance, of not a true emergency then it can probably wait for parents to arrive. If not then a minicab (which do 7seaters etc).

Lots of childminders don't have cars, especially in London.

Starlight2345 · 14/04/2018 18:56

Another childminder . Only called ambulance once . Was only child at my house along with my Dc . I cancelled another parent who was due to arrive 30 minutes later who also then took my dc to school. If I had children . I have childminder local who would of taken them or kids would of been late for school .

As it happened we got rapid response and it was 45 minutes before ambulance and parent arrived by that time.

GraceLeeper · 16/04/2018 06:18

Usually Childminders don't have cars. You can call an ambulance if there's an emergency

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 16/04/2018 06:32

Usually Childminders don't have cars

I know in excess of 40 childminders. Every single one has a car. I’m not saying they could fit all mindees in all of the time but certainly it is not unusual for a childminder to have a car.

MaverickSnoopy · 16/04/2018 06:51

I'm just about to start training to become a childminder. I don't drive and having read through the EYFS documentation it's not an issue. As others have said you just need to have plans in place.

Although in my case I'm struggling to think what my back up plan would be because I'll have my 3 children plus either 2 or 3 mindees. I think I'll need to talk to my my children's current childminder and see if she can help - I know she's currently in a circle of childminders who help one another. Failing that I'll have to call on my husband which isn't ideal as he works but they're pretty flexible and especially good about emergencies. Unfortunately I don't really know anyone in the area and my neighbour works the hours I would be minding.

insancerre · 16/04/2018 06:57

You would not need to drive to a and e in an emergency
You would ring an ambulance and then the parents
In a non emergency you would ring the parents and they would take to hospital
If it was your own child then you would have to ring your partner or a family member and let them deal with it

Mrsx79 · 16/04/2018 07:10

I do think you'd need cover... if you were minding my child and it was serious enough to merit ambulance then I would expect you to stay with them until I could get there... I wouldn't expect a distressed child to be sent off to hospital on their own.

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 16/04/2018 07:32

An ambulance won’t hang around whilst a back up adult turns up.

jannier · 16/04/2018 13:10

In a genuine emergency you are allowed to leave children with trusted adults - they do not need to be registered. Personally I would accompany the sick child as their likely to be more distressed. If my cm friends were not close by it would be other friends, emergency contacts of mindees etc. I would go in the ambulance. Non emergencies would be call parents they arrange child going to hospital.

jannier · 16/04/2018 13:12

GraceLeeper.....don't know where you live maybe central London? But most have cars around me,

Mrsx79 · 16/04/2018 17:06

Even if you couldn't get into the ambulance I would expect you to get the other children somewhere asap and then get to hospital straight away. My work means I can sometimes be a few hours away so I would think the cm needs to be at the hospital to comfort and act as I have given permission for medical procedures etc

moofolk · 16/04/2018 17:10

None of the childminders I know drive. You would not only need a car big enough, but special insurance.
In an emergency-but-not-ambulance-emergency you could get a taxi.

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