Childminder leaving kids in car

[alied321]

There is a lady who I've been told is a childminder leaves young children in her minibus outside a nursery while she picks up other kids from inside. You cannot see the vehicle from the nursery as the entrance is round the other side of the building. By the time she walks round to the door, waits to get in, gets whoever she is picking up ready she must be at least 5 minutes. On one hand it's none of my business but on the other if she was meant to be watching my kids and was leaving them unattended in a minibus on their own parked on a road I'd be raging. WWYD?

How old are the kids - is there anyone in the bus who is 12 or 13 ish? If they are all younger, I would report it - Im not sure who too though, maybe the school she is picking up from could help

I wouldn't be happy with this. It would be ok if she could see the minibus at all times but as she can't I don't think this is acceptable.

I think I would report her to fisted

Ofsted!!

You've been told she is a childminder, so it sounds as if you don't know for sure.

And if she is a childminder then you have no idea of what she has agreed with the parents.

It is between her and the parents of the children she is looking after.

Presumably they’re all strapped into car seats. When was the last time a minibus spontaneously burst into flames or was stolen with lots of children in it in your area?

Well it doesn't sound great but it's a balancing act between which risk is higher.

She may have two or three young children on board, all needing carried or hand held to cross the road and what does she do with them while helping get the one she's collecting ready? Shoes coat bag etc?

There's probably a higher risk in taking them in than there is in leaving them secure nearby (providing of course it's not left on a main road, with keys in ignition, and in full sun on a hot day etc.

It's really for the parents to discuss with her how she manages her day, she will have risk assessments in place.

What do you think will happen while she's in the nursery that concerns you so much?

A childminder shouldn't be out of either sight or hearing of children in her care.
However, you don't actually know she's a chilminder. Could she be a mum collecting her and a friends children? Could she be a nanny and parents are fine with it?
If she's a chilminder perhaps there is an assistant on the minibus too, perhaps it is just her own children in the bus at that time.
There's a lot you need to clarify here before you go rushing off to report her.

She has a minibus? Are you sure she is a childminder and not a driver with escort? Most adults don't drive minibuses, even child-minders, because the ratios mean it's not necessary to have so many seats.

Children must be under 5 as it's during school hours, definitely nobody on board with them.

If this lady is a registered childminder, she is absolutely, categorically not allowed to leave children for whom she's responsible in the car! It's not a matter between her and the parents, it's a matter between her and Ofsted - and Ofsted will regard it as negligence.

Well if she is a childminder and no one else is with her she can only have 3 children under age 5 in her care at any one time. Possibly in some circumstances 4.
It sounds to me like this might be organised transport or something along those lines.

I used to leave three toddler minders in the car when I picked my DD up from school. I could see car from where I stood and it was easier and safer to leave them there than have them all out on the roadside. I did it for 2.5 years with no issue. Kids were fine and never had any problems.

Oh and if anyone cares I was graded as outstanding by Ofsted and always had a massive waiting list..

@Cherryonthetop2019 there is the difference right there you could see your car, this lady cannot

There is a childminder who does this at DD school, she had 3 school age children in the car while she goes to pick up another child, she says that the parents know and have no issues with her doing this, she is away for a mac of 2-3 minutes.

It's probably safer to leave them in the minibus than getting them all out and then taking them with her then getting them all strapped back in their seats.

I agree with @CallMeRachel - on balance there's every chance us safer to leave the kids in the minibus than to traipse them in and out. Also you don't know she hasn't cleared with all the parents that she is leaving them there for 5 minutes.

People sometimes forget that just because one parent/person responsible for a child does something they wouldn't do, it doesn't mean that person has not on some level made a risk assessment and come to a reasoned decision. I have left older awake kids and younger asleep kids in a car in a busy area for a few minutes because honestly, I reckoned they were statistically safer in the car than walking twice across a carpark/road (especially if it involved waking up a small, tired child who might therefore act unpredictably and be uncooperative)

Doesn't matter if she has permission from parents or not- she cannot leave the children unattended in the minibus,especially if she goes out of sight and sound if it. Ofsted state that children must be in sight or sound of the childminder at all times, and this minder isn't. If anything happened to the children whilst they were left alone, she may not be covered by her public liability insurance. I'm a childminder, and I drive a minibus. Sometimes I can get parked right outside the school gates. But even then I wouldn't leave the children in the vehicle alone.

I wouldn’t be happy with this, another vehicle could hit the minibus or with summer coming it could get really hot. I wouldn’t leave my own child unattended so I would be really pissed off if someone I was paying to care for my child was.

Also to the pp who said the minibus wasn’t going to burst into flames, this isn’t completely far fetched. Vauxhall Merivas had this problem a few years ago:

As others have mentioned, childminders must have their mindees within sight or hearing at all times. It is definitely something that ofsted would log as a concern if you raised it with them. If you do then you'll need the childminders name, unique reference number or address so that they can locate their registration details. Try and be specific of times you've seen it happen, if possible try to count how many children there are in her care and the ages of the children.

I would not be happy with this situation at all.
My ds age 4 can get out of his car seat and has been able to do so since before he was three.
Anything could happen, even if it is not possible for them to leave the vehicle the children could begin to climb or argue.
I’d raise your concern with the nursery she is collecting from.

I know of a childminder a few years ago who was struck off for doing this.

It was on a Saturday, she wasn’t working - just looking after a friend’s child as a favour. She popped to the shops, left the child in the car outside the shop, and was reported to the police for neglect. She lost her registration, despite arguing all the above mitigating circumstances.

So, unless Ofsted have drastically relaxed their policy on this, it doesn’t matter whether or not she’s being paid, or whose children they are.

@veryboredtoday... Very interesting predective text.... 😂

That’s harsh Tanith. I leave my (older) children alone all the time. Shame if it’s such a blanket rule. Having said that I won’t be changing, it’s not good for children to never be trusted to be alone and independent as they get older.