CM's asked to do too much paperwork etc? Your thoughts please

[DisasterZone]

I've been inspired to write this by reading my CM's recent Ofsted report.

Our CM is brilliant. She is dedicated and everything you would want in the person minding your child. She has passed on skills, manners, taught safety issues and kept my DD safe and happy for the past 13 months. My DD has NEVER said she doesn't want to go to her and sometimes asks to go to the CMs on the weekend when she is plainly bored of her parents!

The Ofsted report graded her as GOOD in all areas and I congratulated her on this when I dropped DD of this morning. However, to improve on this GOOD grading, all of the OFSTED recommendations were about increased paper based communication with the parents - about the children's activities and progress and nothing about the actual care given to the children.

I have chosen a child minder over any other form of care as I like the personal relationship you develop with them. I think it is my responsibility to ask her the questions I want to about my DDs day with her. I usually only ask her if DD's had a nap or how good she has been at staying dry today. I don't really ask about every meal etc as I feel that I know CM provides a varied, nutritious meal & snacks but I don't need to know every detail. I feel like the time she spends with my DD is her time with her, she doesn't need me asking endless questions! It's a sense of I trust her to look after my DD and therefore I hand her over to her for the day, I don't need a report on what went on. If I want to know of course I feel like I can ask and she always mentions anything important that comes up.

My point is, that I feel that the current policy is for CMs to behave more like nurseries than CMs with respect to the level of info given to parents. I feel this is unfair given that most of her time is taken up with providing a higher ratio of care to her mindees, without the support of a cleaner, a kitchen doing the meals, and office staff writing up these endless menus and day reports.

When I mentioned this to my CM she responded that it was all set to get worse in September with some new measures that are coming in . I assume these are the new Keystage targets she will have to satisfy she is 'teaching' our children.

Does anyone else find this worrying? I would rather she got on with the undisputed great job she was doing for our kids and was recognised for that. If I wanted DD to go to a nursery and have structured learning I'd send her to one. I welcome the registering of CMs, and all of the checks and safety issues that are covered by this, but I think we are in danger of making her job totally prescribed. There is little opportunity for the greater flexibility that a CMs care should be able to offer.

Your thoughts?

Who can I lobby about this?

I feel the same way. My dd's childminder is fantastic. Because she used to work in a nursery she doesn't seem to mind doing the paperwork but it does seem over the top, and the worst part is thinking that she goes to all that trouble and actually, I'm not that interested in looking at any of it.

Yes, it is nice to see photos of the children displayed in the entrance of her home but it seems a bit ridiculous that she has to put these up and down everyday just to comply with some Ofsted regulations. It seems a bit ott that she writes out a diary of my dd's 4 hours in her care I stand and have a 5 minute conversation with the CM when I collect dd, and she often tells me most of the details then.

When I chose a cm I was looking for someone that would keep my dd safe and give her lots of cuddles - that is it.

I'm a CM and believe me the things you have mentioned are the tip of the iceberg! Many of us in the CM staff room have tried and tried to bring attention to this. There was even a peice on London News about it, with the lovely Smee airing our views.

Sadly, the response from Ofsted was that all the paper work is to safeguard us and the children we care for. I don't do half the paperwork I should and it has resulted in me getting a Good report too. However, its only a bit of paper and the fact that my mindees and their families show their appreciation, is Outstanding enough for me! I have also been full for 12 years and every one of those families has come to me by word of mouth.

I do understand to a certain extent, because for every 10 lovely families I have had, there's always a nightmare one. Having every peice of paperwork in place, certainly helps to solve disputes. We really don't want to be put in the same catagory as nurseries. The whole point of CM's is to give parents choice. Some parents want home from home, some don't.

You could try to send a letter to Ofsted, but I fear, you will get the same response as us. If you look around the CM topic on here, you will see umpteen threads on this subject!

Thanks for caring though! Its people like you that make our job worthwhile!

Firstly thanks to both parents, its ones like you who make our job worthwhile. OFSTED should really have stayed with sorting schools out(and they can't do that properly either) and let us childminders do our job.

All this endless paper - what is the parents supposed to do with it anyway? Its a waste of paper when it just gets put in the bin by some (and recycle bin by others)Do parents read the daily diaires of their children or like you said get all the info just by talking to the cm?

I sometimes wonder whether all this training is worth it? We spend our own valuable family time doing courses after a long day caring for the children when all we want to do is flake out on the sofa and we don't get paid for doing them either, some nurseries and after schools pay their staff. I am seriusly thinking of doing the Foundation Degree in September and going to work in a Children's centre.

Don't get me started!

Step away from the thread, woman!

Yes the paperwork is onerous, and seems set to increase with the introduction of the new system in September.

Sigh

(lol at Mo and Looney)

God if only Ofsted and the Care Commission were as sensible and clever as you parents!!!!

I have been working since 7am this morning and my last mindee doesn't go home till 7pm. I have a workshop/training thingy at 7pm.

I have had to get permission from mindees dad so that my DH can supervise him because i have to leave at 6.30pm.

I also won't get home till 9.30pm by which time my 2 dd's are in bed asleep and ds2 is also asleep and ds1 is out tonight working till 10pm.

I don't get paid for any training that i do and it just means i get to spend little to no time with my family too often.

I spend too much time on paperwork as it is and my training tonight means even more sadly. I am planning to do my paperwork during the day so my mindees will spend less time doing syuff but i am fed up putting my job 1st all day then 1st evenings and weekends too!!

I love my job but the paperwork and extra stuff i have to do gets me down