CM Club: NCMA Contracts and statutory public holidays

[sofewbraincellsleft]

Does anyone else use the NCMA Contracts?

Have you noticed on the new ones section 16 where it states that you cannot charge fees for sph if the service is not available?

I am absolutely livid. Was doing a new contract for a parent and noticed this; I do not remember being informed of this change by NCMA, anyone else been informed or noticed this change in their NCMA handbook?

I am not sure if I can write in the 'additional notes section' that I do charge for sph even though the service is not available. As NCMA state the above in section 16, just not sure.

Any ideas how I can get around this apart from not using their contracts?

So pippin, let me just get this straight; are you saying that you didn't do this before?

• Observe child
• Plan for child
• Chart childs progress whether mentally or otherwise??

What was wrong with B23 - we had great guidelines to follow but we did not have to write it all down.

I have always taken photos of special moments, photos of mindees doing all the activities I write about in their diaries as evidence but this is for mindees parents benefit and for mindees to look back on.

All I am saying is that I begrudge having to write everything down over and above what I used to do before EYFS.

That does not make me any less of a childminder because I have this opinion on paperwork, in fact I am a fantastic childminder.

As a mother myself and a childminder for about 5 years, I have always mentally 'observed', 'planned' and 'charted' my child / mindees progress. Imagine as a mother, if you had to write everything down.

Before EYFS I would spend 15-30 mins of an evening mentally planning for the next day, still following childrens interests, (surely thats what you would do naturally isn't it?) browsing internet/books for ideas on craft, perhaps printing printouts, download the days photos onto computer, sort into childrens files, I could on and on ... Anything over and above that is just way too much for me, ie writing everything down.

In your example that you gave re. the 'bright child'; perhaps the 'bright child' doesn't perform in the same way at nursery as she does at yours, maybe alot more children, certainly alot more competition, different routine etc etc., therefore, nursery just giving opinion as they see it. I would think though that they too would have 'concrete evidence' as they too are governed by EYFS.

It is a sad state of affairs if I thought that I could only get the best out of a child if I recorded everything as evidence on paper.

My family do not come after parents/mindees, that is outside of my core working hour 8am -6.15pm, I always put my family first. I am 100% sure that neither of my six sets of parents would ever expect me to put them first outside of these hours.

Incentally, if you are not spending hours and hours on your paperwork, maybe you would like to share your secret with me seriously!

My secret - finding a method that works for me (and www.childmindinghelp.co.uk) - secret shared

Yes I mentally observed/planned etc before hand (before EYFS). Yes I took pictures before and yes I wrote lots of things down. And re the 'bright child' - I had concrete evidence = the paperwork to show that this child was achieving what the nursery said she wasn't. Whilst I agree that not every setting is 'right' for every child I do believe - especially when its a school nursery that that setting needed to re-evaluate why they weren't getting the best out of this child. Why they weren't engaging her. EYFS has forced bigger provisions to look at the individual child rather than a class. EYFS has also forced other settings to start accepting minders as the professionals we are.

I just want to clarify that I have never sai that not liking or wanting to do the paperwork etc makes anyone any less good. I know an outstanding minder who does very minimal paperwork - so its attainable.

No - my family do not ever come second to my work - that is the reason I became a minder BUT I have chosen to throw my heart and soul into what I do and I have grabbed opportunites that have come my way - and currently (the nature of) my work does take me 'away' from my family and where I am headed. I am also very passionate about my work and am a support minder because I believe that I can offer something to new reg'ing minders. Perhaps I have explained myself badly somewhere along the line.