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Paid childcare

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

Original poster

Childminder Revenge?

60 replies

MoonlitTeardrop · 09/07/2023 21:23

Hi everyone

Complete newbie here. Hoping you can help me figure out what is going on 😣

I have told my childminder on Friday that our little one will be going to nursery as of September giving her almost 2 months notice instead of the required one month to be nice and give her more time to find another child.

No reaction from her until 9pm that same night giving me notice that she will be closed Mondays and Fridays for August - we need full time childcare as both of us work full time and all this time my girl has been with her she has always been Mon to Fri.

I cannot fathom why she did this as this has put us into a very difficult situation. (Her excuse was to spend more time with her son as she has only taken time off with him when he was ill due to the other kids bringing illness into the setting making him ill which is not true.)She already knows that my OH and I have very little holiday left as we used up most of it to cover for her, she has taken 8 days in the last 2 months alone for holiday and moving house, and she knows that we have no one around us to help out with childcare. We have always been so understanding and supportive 😔 Even when we lost the tax free childcare as she had a beef with the ofsted inspector and meant she was no longer ofsted registered we stayed and paid the extra money.

I am going to be calling the nursery tomorrow with the hope that they can take my girl sooner.

Am I unreasonably worrying about this? I am worried if this is revenge she will also somehow take it out on my little girl.

Any advice? 😅

OP posts:
NuffSaidSam · 09/07/2023 22:00

snoozingbaby1476 · 09/07/2023 21:58

@NuffSaidSam not if you are paying them. You can get paid to look after children for a max of 2 hours in your home without being ofsted registered.

True. But the OP is talking about full-time care as she specifies in her OP.

You also don't need to be Ofsted registered to care for children over 8 years old in your own home, but again not relevant to the OP.

snoozingbaby1476 · 09/07/2023 22:01

Sorry my response above was for @SecretVictoria

SkinnyMalinkyLankyLegs · 09/07/2023 22:09

Try and get her in ASAP, doesn't need to be a months time, next week if possible! She must be done (or not done) something pretty serious to be deregister by ofsted.

I wouldn't think you legally had a contract with her anymore. You employed an ofsted registered childminder. She is no longer able to offer her services as an ofsted registered childminder and hasn't been since the day she was struck off.

SkinnyMalinkyLankyLegs · 09/07/2023 22:10

*must have done

SkinnyMalinkyLankyLegs · 09/07/2023 22:11

*deregistered, ffs! @MNHQ when will we get an edit function??

MaverickSnoopy · 09/07/2023 22:12

Speaking as a former Childminder I can say with absolute certainty that Childminders have a habit of putting their own needs aside for minded families. The amount of childminders across my groups who have hung on working hours they don't want to work because they dont want to let down families. She probably jumped at the chance to be able to do what she's been wanting to do.

That being said if you work in your own home, you are a Childminder and not a Nanny and to be a Childminder you need to be registered. Was she definitely deregistered or did she loose her funding due to an inadequate grading?

Madrid67 · 09/07/2023 22:14

I left daughter in her care as we genuinely thought that was best for her as she was happy and well looked after
If* *she is operating as a childminder and she isn't Ofsted registered she is breaking the law.

MariaVT65 · 09/07/2023 22:14

Take DC out of there asap and take whatever nursery place you can get. I’ve had 2 shit childminders before sending my DC to nursery so I know how it feels.

drpet49 · 09/07/2023 22:15

NuffSaidSam · 09/07/2023 21:38

It sounds like she's a registered bullshitter tbh.

It sounds like you're better off out of there. She doesn't sound very professional, who knows if that will impact how she cares for your child.

Show quote history

This. Very dodgy and unprofessional.

Starlightstarbright2 · 09/07/2023 22:21

Any childminder would know you can’t operate without been registered .

deregistered is a big concern for me . A fall out with Ofsted no idea how this cannot be no concern . In 10 years of child minding . Other than inspections I only ever contacted them twice - once as I had had to report a parent for safe guarding , once when I had a child becoming very Il - requiring hospital admission . .. I am not sure how else you can fall out with Ofsted about except inspection

Yellowflower47 · 09/07/2023 22:22

MoonlitTeardrop · 09/07/2023 21:31

She is now a registered nanny 🤷‍♀️ didn’t think it was illegal

She can only be registered as a nanny if she works from YOUR home and you employ her. She isn’t a nanny if she looks after your child, with others, in her own home.

Sounds like she’s decided she doesn’t care to keep you happy anymore… but I’d also personally have issue with the fact she’s no longer Ofsted registered due to issues with Ofsted inspector. Doesn’t sound like she’s very professional and I’d be concerned what exactly they didn’t like about her!

SleepingStandingUp · 09/07/2023 23:01

Are you her only client?

CandyLeBonBon · 09/07/2023 23:03

MoonlitTeardrop · 09/07/2023 21:37

Nope at her house. I guess it may have been our naivity about the whole unregistered thing didn’t think a childminder being ofsted registered was a legal thing - anyway that’s not what I asked advice on so please don’t judge me on that - I left daughter in her care as we genuinely thought that was best for her as she was happy and well looked after 😊

What? You didn't think to check her credentials at all?

Eve171 · 10/07/2023 03:33
  1. You risked this when you gave her notice early.
  2. You don't lose your OFSTED for "falling out with the inspector". Confused as to why you left your child with someone unregistered??? Do you not like your kid?
Original poster
MoonlitTeardrop · 10/07/2023 07:40

Thanks all for the advice. As I said before I wasn’t aware not being ofsted registered is breaking the law and asking Me “do you not like your child” is unnecessary- I love her to the moon and back and don’t have to defend my decision to anyone - grateful people pointed out though that this obviously has been a huge mistake.

OP posts:
snoozingbaby1476 · 10/07/2023 10:39

You live & learn. Hope you get nursery sorted today xx

jannier · 10/07/2023 19:24

MoonlitTeardrop · 09/07/2023 21:31

She is now a registered nanny 🤷‍♀️ didn’t think it was illegal

So that means she comes to your home and you employ her she can't be a nanny from her home

jannier · 10/07/2023 19:27

MoonlitTeardrop · 09/07/2023 21:37

Nope at her house. I guess it may have been our naivity about the whole unregistered thing didn’t think a childminder being ofsted registered was a legal thing - anyway that’s not what I asked advice on so please don’t judge me on that - I left daughter in her care as we genuinely thought that was best for her as she was happy and well looked after 😊

As she's breaking the law taking EYFS children into her home for more than 2 hours a day you can end the contract immediately. Did you ever see a new Ofsted registered nanny certificate?
Please report her to Ofsted.

jannier · 10/07/2023 19:29

The issues with her Ofsted Inspector will be she has been graded inadequate....have a look at her inspection report under her address

Watchthedoormat · 10/07/2023 19:34

I'd be very concerned with what Ofstead had to say about her.
As soon as she told me she wasn't registered anymore I'd of wanted to know exactly why and made it my business to find out before I'd dream of leaving my child with her again.

User68253 · 10/07/2023 19:43

I believe you don't have to register with Ofsted anymore as a childminder, you can register with a Childminders agency instead as an alternative. The place I work has a Childminders group, and they have told me about this. Apparently Ofsted is expensive and has longer wait times than inspections from private agencies. It is registering that is the legal requirement. I don't know the ins and outs of this or if this is really legit.

Just recently I heard Childminders speaking about when they know children in their care have places for nursery in September, but the parents haven't told them, and how frustrating this is for them. You may have given 2 months notice, but it is right at the end of term and hard to find new places then as most people have already secured them. When were you offered the nursery place, and did you tell your childminder straight away? The Childminders said they often know long in advance by hearing it from other people/mutual friends the parents don't know they have etc but they aren't told until much later than places are offered. Naturally this affects their income. I'm wondering if this is one of those situations.

bugaboo218 · 10/07/2023 19:53

people like your so called childminder and you not doing your due diligence beforehand properly is why many people still think that childcare is a job anyone can do, is just mostly playing all day and is why it still continues to be low paid!

Alarm bells should have rung when she lost her registration! Obviously they didn't ! You continuing to use unregistered childcare once you knew is disgraceful!

I truly despair at some parents who are still misguided in the belief that high quality regulated child care can be done on the cheap ! It can't and nor should it be.

mrsbitaly · 10/07/2023 19:54

MoonlitTeardrop · 10/07/2023 07:40

Thanks all for the advice. As I said before I wasn’t aware not being ofsted registered is breaking the law and asking Me “do you not like your child” is unnecessary- I love her to the moon and back and don’t have to defend my decision to anyone - grateful people pointed out though that this obviously has been a huge mistake.

I really hope you get cover it's such a stressful situation to be in if you don't have any support outside of childcare. It's not clear how old your DD is but our childminder only works term-time so I also have a childminder in the holidays. Do you have a local FB group that you can use to see if anyone has availability Mon & Fri in August? Or if a little older a playscheme/ activity camp?
I'm glad your finding a new childcare source as that tax free childcare can help hugely especially if your DD is going every day mon-fri that's a huge chunk your missing out on

mrsbitaly · 10/07/2023 19:56

bugaboo218 · 10/07/2023 19:53

people like your so called childminder and you not doing your due diligence beforehand properly is why many people still think that childcare is a job anyone can do, is just mostly playing all day and is why it still continues to be low paid!

Alarm bells should have rung when she lost her registration! Obviously they didn't ! You continuing to use unregistered childcare once you knew is disgraceful!

I truly despair at some parents who are still misguided in the belief that high quality regulated child care can be done on the cheap ! It can't and nor should it be.

I don't think she was doing it on the cheap considering she wasn't even able to use the discounted childcare element. Give her a break she wasn't aware of the importance and she hasn't said that it's a job anyone can do. You can put your claws back now, hope you feel better about making another mum feel like shit.

bugaboo218 · 10/07/2023 20:31

Oh come on!

Nobody is trying to make anyone else feel like shit!

However, as a parent you do your research and due diligence on childcare before you place your child with either a childminder, nursery or nanny! That includes or should include asking to see registration documents, DBS, qualifications et.al and settling in visits.

None of the above are a pre-cursor to something not going wrong with childcare, but initially they do (should) give you peace of mind that everything is legal and above board at that point.

As soon as OP knew that her so called childminder lost her registration she should have asked questions in the best interests of her child and removed her there and then!

I am assuming that didn't happen because it suited the OP's interests rather than her child's.

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