CM Club: Been appopriached by SS to CM, few quick questions.

[KaySamuels]

Hi

I have been asked to mind a schooly, paid for by social services, the lady from ss is coming to meet me tomorrow but i have a few quick Qs I want the answers to now so I don't appear completely clueless!

Do I need to get out my file with certs, references, etc in it for her?

What do I do about a contract?? Does the ss lady fill it out?

I usually give parents a handbook with policies and things in what do I do about that?

Lady said they will give me a time sheet to fill out, and then pay into my bank so that's alright.

Anyone had experience of minding paid for by social services? how did it go?

have they told you how much they will pay Kay?..i had a phone call a while back and they wanted respite care overnight and wanted to pay me something like £2.50 per hour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just treat them as prospective parent ie ofsted report, available/certificate on display, first aid etc..and plenty of toys age/ability appropriate if theyre bringing child..ask lots of Q too, you want to know background and what parents are like(you dont know if you'll have problems with one or the other??)..think shosh, maybe Mo has done this before, hope theyll be around for you soon.x

oh and yes get THEm to sign contract and ENFORCE payments IN ADVANCE before the first day of care that week/month

I charge £2.50 per hour rose!!
harrumph!

That's during day though, and it's all I can get away with charging! I just assumed they would pay the same rate as a parent would, I charge everyone the same hourly fee, and definately wouldn't go lower!

Hmm... might give my co-ordinator a ring later.

Child won't be coming tomorrow will be at school, and will be coming here from school in a taxi paid for by ss, possibly picked up in one too.

Kay, I think its time you put your fees up to £3.50/£4 per hour, thats very cheap for childminding if you don't mind me saying so.

Whereabiouts are you in UK? I live in Greater Manchester and I charge £3.50 per hour (OFSTED said I should be charging £4 and that was 3 yrs ago).

I do respite care sometimes and Tameside MB Council pay me £4.50 per hour by BACS. I could do with a couple of kids permanently for that rate! I have a short term contract I use with them.

I would also show all your policies, insurance etc to SS just like you would to anyone else. Tell them you want at least 3.50 per hour to mind a schooly, food etc is going up, we have to reflect our prices as a result.

I have a child paid for by SS - you need to treat the meeting just like you would any other parent.

SS (it was a man!) filled in contract, and all permission forms, (child is under a care order) and they pay me my normal hourly rate.

I send them an invoice and it is paid each month in advance, very easy and very simple.

However, I am in the south east!

I live in Hull.
Wish I could put my prices up, I think it is terrbile but it a reflection on attitudes to childcare, and the social deprivation in my area. Other areas of Hull have slightly higher rates than mine, depends where you live. It is ridiculous really that there is such variation considering the national minimum wage. Anyway I digress....

Thanks for all your advice I haven't had chance to ring my co-ordinator, so I will go with what you have all said of doing a contract, showing policies, charging hourly rate (may increase rate slightly for this job not decided yet). Schoolies do tend to have higher expenses, my mindee who has just left has gone through several drnks (hot and cold), an after school snack, a meal (same size as mine), and a pud, and an apple! Oh and an ELC craft pack!

I have had placements from Social Services and, horror of horrors, the children have been deposited here without anything in writing, and the only details given (verbally) about the children have been their names, ages and the reason why they need care.

There has never been time for any visits beforehand. I have obviously always ensured that I have contact details (social worker), but that is basically it.

I send an invoice to Social Services - I charge my normal rate - and get a cheque relatively soon afterwards. I don't think it would be possible to be paid in advance, and strongly suspect that they'd ring another childminder if I insisted on it!

I can imagine that all this breaks every rule in the book!

I usually get paid in arrears anyway TP so not too fussed, think they do need someone quick so may be in similar situation, but will try to get what I can in writing.

"I can imagine that all this breaks every rule in the book! "
I bet you are losing soo much sleep over it TP!

Kay i meant £2.50 for over night i charge £3 perhour normally, £4 if part time and £5.50-£6 overnight..they wanted adhoc respite overnight care at £2.50 per hour!!!

i cant believe the poor kid is not even going to get to meet you first before they arrive in taxi

Kay, SS pay us a retainer fee of £4 an hour and expect us to top it up to our usual fee and invoice them for it. They do pay by BACS or cheque if you haven't set up BACS with them.

Very rarley get to meet the child first, so no settling in. You may have very little information abput the child and the family, which is hard, but sometimes that is how it works for various reasons.

I have had a little boy on and off for three years, he is fine,it is the parents with the (big) problems

I too do work for social services as I am and 'inclusive' childminder which means I am 'pre-approved' by social services so they have seen all my details and I am on a kind of register for them, but if this does not happen in your area then yes I would show them your cert, ins etc.
I charge normal hourly rate unless they need evening/one to one/weekend care.
Beware of one thing though, in my area if the invoice I send to local ss office is for more than £50 it has to go to the main county office and this can take up 4 weeks before I get paid so I would double check with them (I now invoice them just before it reaches £50 and don't wait til the end of the month).

Hi there, just had my meeting, mindee is starting next week, will be popping round with social worker for five mins to meet me at some point between now and then which I am glad of for the mindee.

Have charged my usual fee (£2.50 p.h plus £1 for each meal, social worker had paperwork for me which is very similar to the information on our paperwork and I am happy with that. Will be paid weekly in arrears by BACS.

Thanks for all your advice, I'm sure mindee will be fine, and am quite looking forward to seeing a fresh face around here.

Thanks for that tip feelingold, I will find out about that as in the school hols I will go over that on my weekly invoice, so would rather be prepared if I am going to have a wait.