childminding and fostering

[jibbs]

I am in the process of becoming a childminder having worked in the childcare industry for nearly 20 years.

My 3 children are all at full time school and I have been wondering about fostering babies for some time.

I love working and wouldn't want to give up but would I be able to childmind and foster babies?

As I understand it, any fostered children have to be allowed for in your childminding ratios, therefore if your fostered one baby then you would only be allowed to childmind 2 other children under 5 year's old. What you do need to bear in mind is the social work & contact visit's etc that your fostered child will have which can take up most days of a week in a lot of cases & how you can provide quality care for childminded children with all this going on. Also will the childminded children's parents be happy for you to combine the two, some will, some won't.
BTW I'm a childminder who has thought about fostering, who has a neighbour & friend who is a foster parent & therefore hear about what's involved from her.

In my area you cannot do the two simultaneously. Before you go through the rigamarole of becoming a CM I'd check what's what in your area first.

thank you for your help

Same for our area, that you can't do both at the same time.

From what friends who foster have told me (not from personal experience) I think it's a matter of the possibilty the foster children may need more attention than you can give whilst childminding. Also that sometimes it may be upsetting to see or hear what the foster children can say (being explicit about drugs or sex or difficult family life) and this can be dealt with more easily with your own children who live with you and can talk to you about it and have it explained before a foster child arrives, but a child who is with you for a few hours a day may not be able to have it explained enough.

i only want to foster babies so I'm not concerned that the foster child will say or act inapropriately, I just thought that since babies come up so infrequently (so I am told), that I would be able to work before and after school as a childminder so that I can be at home for the foster babies should the need arise.