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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

I'm not sure I'm happy with my CM for doing this?!

42 replies

grumblinalong · 02/06/2009 12:22

I need advice from those of you who are childminders and any parents who use CM's for childcare.

What are your views on leaving your mindees with other people e.g your partner/members of your family whilst you run errands which will take you approx 30-40 mins. Is this common, accepted practice?

I'm asking because a situation arose this morning where our childminder was not there at drop off and I had to leave my DS2 (18 months) with her DH and I'm trying to work out if I'm being precious because it felt weird and DS2 was upset. The other mindee was there also. Any thoughts?

OP posts:

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nooka · 03/06/2009 08:29

My CM would only do this on the rare occasion of me being late to pickup and had specifically said it was OK. Not that I actually would have worried, as her dh was lovely, and my children were much older in any case (and busy playing with her older girls in any case).

Sensitivechildminder · 03/06/2009 08:33

I'm a cm and wouldnt do that unless I have the permission to do it as an exception, it will be arranged and signed for by the parents ! At the end of the day, the cm should be here to greet the parents, the parents may want to say something about the cm reg the routine etc...and be here when the child is going to talk quickly about the day the child had..well that's what I do.. If I have an emergency, the children will be left with another cm (parents agreed on it) and my husband as a very last ressort !(He's also listed in my emergency list, crb checked and the parents knows him well)

leo69 · 03/06/2009 08:34

Just wondered did the childminder take her child to school because you were late? this has happened to me so many times.My daughter ends up being late for school because Iam waiting for mindees to turn up

Tanith · 03/06/2009 09:11

I think that's very unfair, otherMary! We don't know the full story and, from what she says, it was the parent who left her child with an unregistered carer, not the childminder. The childminder wasn't there at the time.

It sounds to me like there was some sort of crisis if this wasn't something that would normally happen.

Stayingsunnygirl · 03/06/2009 09:56

Well if it was a crisis, why didn't the cm's dh explain to the OP (am running out of initials here). If he was unexpectedly unable to walk the children to school (which he usually does do), why didn't he say so -

"so sorry my wife isn't here Mrs Grumblinalong - unfortunately I sprained my ankle/lost all my shoes this morning and can't walk the children to school so she has had to. Will you be happy to leave littlegrumblingalong with me, or would you prefer to wait for my wife?"

nickschick · 03/06/2009 10:03

When we lived in the country all the local childminders used to use me in case of an emergency-as a qualified NNEB I was already CRB checked through school and usually it was arranged I would care for the mindees in the childminders home whilst she went to the dr or hospital or other urgent place or I would help with pick ups and drop offs.

I think this was in the days before the rules became stringent but all the mums knew and the kids quite enjoyed having me for a change - the only thing that was cause for concern was that some of the cms were initially worried id take their mindees away from them.

Illhavethisinsize12 · 03/06/2009 13:42

can only be left with a named, registered assistand

TheOtherMaryPoppinsDiets · 03/06/2009 17:12

Not unfair at all Tanith, it's the law, wether you like it/agree with it or not, these are the rules that we have to follow.

plimple · 03/06/2009 20:37

It's pretty cut and dry really. Unless he's a named assistant and you've agreed to him caring for her in writing she is breaking her registration and her contract with you.
She should have someone named and agreed to help out in emergencies, to not have this also goes against her registration! The situation doesn't actually sound like an emergency, it sounds like poor planning.

Tanith · 04/06/2009 09:15

Yes, but we don't know that this is what the childminder did, OtherMary. The childminder didn't leave this child with her husband. SHE WASN'T THERE. The OP made the decision to leave her child with the husband. She had the choice of waiting until the childminder returned, or taking her other child to school and returning, but she decided not to do that.
She says the other mindee was there, but we don't know whether the childminder left the child with her OH or, again, wasn't around to make the decision.

I don't think we've heard the whole story. It's being drip-fed to us. First the childminder was on an errand, then, when asked what the errand was, the OP tells us it was the school run. When asked about that, she says the husband usually does the school run.
Sunnygirl asks why the CM's DH didn't explain. Well, again, we don't know whether he did or not. The OP hasn't told us. We still don't know why, in spite of saying that she didn't do the school run, the CM did it on this occasion.

I'd prefer to know the whole story before I condemn the childminder's actions and label her as unprofessional. You may be right, but I don't think we've heard enough to be able to judge.

JenniPenni · 04/06/2009 09:24

'I'd prefer to know the whole story before I condemn the childminder's actions and label her as unprofessional. You may be right, but I don't think we've heard enough to be able to judge.'

Agreed.

chandellina · 05/06/2009 08:30

the CM I am considering putting DS with regularly goes to pick up one of her mindees while her DH stays and looks after the others.

I don't think he is a named assistant, but they present themselves as a bit of a package deal, both playing with the kids, doing meals, etc.

They've been doing CMing a long time, and I felt comfortable with the set up in theory - but maybe I am being stupid??

chandellina · 05/06/2009 08:31

but - how do i know if he is a named assistant? I'm looking at the Ofsted report online, so it doesn't even say her name.

SimpleAsABC · 05/06/2009 11:28

I think that perhaps the CM had to discuss something with the school / nursery of her dc and that was the emergency?

Perhaps dh was unable to approach it and she did so thinking you wouldn't mind?

Agree that it would have been nice to be asked though.

plimple · 05/06/2009 13:15

Chandelina, you ask. You see his CRB which will name him as assistant, her registration which will say she can leave with an assistant and she can only leave children with him with your written permission. Once those tiny formalities are done it can be very informal. He probably is, Ofsted wouldn't allow it otherwise.

chandellina · 05/06/2009 14:48

thanks, i'll check it out when we do the contract.

looneytune · 05/06/2009 15:33

It's not the CRB that will show it, it's the Ofsted Registration cert that will but yes, his name would definitely be on if he was registered.

Tbh, if you can't see it, just phone 08456 404040 and give them the Reg number and they can tell you on the phone

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