Will my daughter get her childcare placement from college

[mooog]

My 16yr old daughter has not been given a placement from college yet even though all other students have due to the fact when she was 15yrs old she stole a lip balm and got caught. She was cautioned by the police and it is now showing on her CRB check. She cannot complete the childcare course without a placement as it is part of the Diploma. Anyone out there with any advice and info for me.

Tell her to have a word with her course tutor and student services (possibly named learner services) they should have someone who is able to advise her on what the procedures are and what support there is there for someone in her position. It seems harsh to ruin her career prospects just for one mistake she did as a naive child ...

Unfort this will continue to show for the next couple of years - which will make it hard to get a job in the childcare field.

Tbh I can see why she will have problems getting a placement - it was only a year ago - can you honestly say she is mature enough to work with children if only last year she was caught stealing.

You could ask to see the college's Policy on assisting students with a criminal record to find work placements. I work in the health and social care sector and there are Policies in place whereby employee's with criminal records, such as your daughter, have a risk assessment carried out (which they are involved in) to weigh up the actual risk they pose to the client group. You could check with the college whether they have such risk assessment templates in place. I work with some care homes for elderly and know of a number of staff who have been employed, with the risk assessment in placed, despite having convictions such as theft. I would have thought the rules relating to employing such people in the childcare field would be pretty similar.

I just checked www.crb.gov.uk for further info, they offer a number to call for more advice:

"Where can I find advice about employing someone with a criminal record?
The Nacro Resettlement Plus Helpline 020 7840 6464 can provide you with information and advice about:

Information included on a Disclosure: what it means and its relevance to a particular job.
Drafting policy and procedures in relation to Disclosures and the employment of people with criminal records."

to twims ... this is,mooogs 16 year old daughter ... i have already worked in placement in high school with children and have been given high recomendation,i have also voluntarily worked in a reception class and have been offered to work there as a practitioner full time after finishing my course ... que my issue ...i was caught stealling a LIP BALM ... first time i ever tried to steal and obviously the last ... working with children is my life and i could never consider another carrer choice. this mistake which was ...for your information ...nearly two years ago now, has gave me major set back and that is why we are seeking advice .. not negative critsism but thanks for your comments, i will put it down to a learning experience,...there is always going to be somebody there to kick you when you are down.

As someone working in the childcare industry I was just voicing what potential employers will say.

It doesn't matter if it was the first time you stole or the first time you were caught.

wjhy are the college not being more supportive? they should be advising

yes its essential to get a crb check for workign with chidren

but the offense was stealing

i dotn know where you stand sorry - talk to the college is what i adivise

good luck

mooog - how did you get on with this?

Ginni. thanx so much for the advice , it really has helped.., yes the college do have a risk assessment carried out... and to answer your question about the college, yes she has been trying to talk to the college. By "trying" I mean she was told two weeks ago that she would have to attend a meeting with some of the tutors and head of her year the following week. Well, after waiting for over eleven days she had to get back in touch with the head again as everyone has now been placed with a nursery and she had been told nothing. Anyway after she spoke to the head the meeting was scheduled for the next day.....makes you wonder how long they would have kept her hanging on.....and at the meeting all the "mature" adults were joking around and saying she must have been a crap shoplifter if she got caught just robbing a lip balm!!!!! By all accounts they were highly amused, and then eventually after all the "fun", got her to sign some forms saying that she understands even though she will be offered a placement, the college cannot guarantee she will be accepted for employment in the childcare industry in the future (she wants to be a child psychotherapist) Can anyone be guaranteed a job after leaving training???
Now she just has to wait for a placement to come through..god I hope its not to long away..they said it can be anywhere from a days wait to a month,so fingers crossed its sooner rather than later. The phone number you gave me really has made us both feel better as they said as long as she is upfront with any future employer and tells them what to expect on the CRB they cannot imagine her having any trouble. So thanx again Ginni for the great advice!!!!

Twimms:.. If we measure maturity by the reaction of her tutors, then god help her!!!! As for your comments, they sound more like critisism than advice or info, I would have thought someone working in the childcare industry themselves would have a little more encouragement. Just shows how wrong one can be!!!

mooog and dd, hope your luck gets better. I'm disgusted by that account of the college's attitude, as any FE college is likely to have students enrolled who've made mistakes and are hopefully trying to move on from those.