Experience of sports centre creches run by parent users?

[crechesaver]

Hi - sorry if this isn't exactly the right place for this. My local authority are proposing closing all the creches at their leisure centres, due to cost pressures. One solution on the table is to make the space and equipment available to groups of parent users for us to run the creches on a voluntary basis. This seems an unusual arrangement to me, but does anyone have any experience of this? If so, would be really grateful for some idea of what's involved! Also, if anyone else has any views on the practicality of it, would be really interested, too.

Ooo - parent run but who is responsible for paying wages? registering with OFSTED? recruiting staff etc?

A committee, a co-op, a charity?

I think the idea is that there aren't any staff, so no recruiting and no wages. As for registering with OFSTED (Care Commission, actually, because it's Scotland), don't know. Feels like a very tricky one to me, which is why I'm keen to know if anyone has ever seen anything like it. They'd have to be some pretty dedicated volunteers to take on that admin...

Want to give me a quick run through of the committee, co-op, charity distinction, if you've time?

committee - buys in expertise pays for staff to do stuff
Charity same but with fund raising ability
Co-op people only get out what they put in

co-op might work - but it would be tricky

Let me think about it

Co-op sounds like the option that the powers that be have in mind. There won't be any money to buy in expertise, so committee is out. I don't think that charity fundraising would go down too well, either.

People generally use the creches for a couple of hours a week while they have one or two swims, gym sessions, or exercise classes. I'm thinking that giving an hour of care to get an hour of care would be a pretty big overhead for people who maybe only have a morning a week that they can give to exercise, but I'm trying to keep an open mind here...

How would you deal with CRB checks/child protection etc

who decides when everyone works (you will have 5 people for 9am & no-one at 12)

I think that the leisure company are willing to bear the cost (if not the organisation) of Disclosure Scotland checks.

Good point about rotas. Other things I'm thinking

1. What if a volunteer has more than one child?

1. What if a volunteer / their child is suddenly ill and there's no cover?

Well 1 hour of work looks after 3 children (assuming a basic ratio)

So for every hour worked would you get 3 hours of care?

Absence is an issue, as is suitability of caring for children plus who looks after your own children while working?

What about people with 3 children?

What about health issues - people maybe unsuitable to work with children

You need to be looking at community nurseries/playgroups - but generally they have employed staff in addition to parent/carers