adhoc an variation,

[mushpea]

I have an adhoc child who comes as an when I'm needed an pays only when they come an not for me to hold the days open so if filled my spaces then the adhoc wanted hours can I do a variation for this as its continity of care and do I do one each time or is it better to do one that will cover me for when they ring, sometimes its the same morning they need care as they ring

[blue bear]

I Have just had a permanent child change to ad hoc, I've given myself a variation for all the days of the week she might need me on a permanent basis but have written in the variation it will be as and when required.
I did this after another member on here shared when they previously called ofsted for an emergency variation for an ad hoc chikd and they were advised by ofsted to have a permanent variation in place in case of future incidents.

[LauraS]

Ooooooh, interesting. Personally, I think it could go either way on this one - on the one hand, you would be providing continuity of care for your ad hoc mindee, so all good. On the other, you would be taking on new business in the full knowledge that there would no longer be a space for ad-hoc should they need one, but still keeping ad-hoc on. So even though ad-hoc child is not the new business, it is new business which has created the need for an exception.

I think, in this situation, the correct thing to do is to either offer parents of ad-hoc the chance to neotiate a more permanent spot, or let them know that ad-hocs space was now taken. Anything else would seem like having your cake and eating it.

I don't think I would want to risk my registration and grading over it so soon into the EYFS2012 - although we have some clarification in writing re these situations we don't really have much proof of the pudding yet. I have been reading some 2012 style Ofsted reports over the last few days in preparation for my inspection and there was one where the inspector found someone to be overminding and it was really very very negative, despite stating that the overlap had been well risk assessed and was only for a very short period - the CM was in contravention of the rules and was downgraded. Having read that, I'm wishing I hadn't had my (I beleive perfectly legal) exception now :laughing:. I certainly wouldn't risk contriving one.


Edited to say: I see blue bear disagrees - interesting! Perhaps I am too cautious in my thinking :o

[blue bear]

I hadn't read it properly and didnt notice the bit about filling places in the future, mine is slightly different because I would have been granting myself a variation anyway as I have two parents wanting to increase hours and one parent who has asked for baby of a sibling I already care for to come to me. I rang ofsted and talked it through with a lovely man on the help line (I know you can't always count on what they say)

[mushpea]

Well adhoc will just loose out then, wasn't about the money but more about helping them out as minders round here won't do ahdoc, oh well can't help them all

[LauraS]

The parents can't have it all ways - you have to make a living for your own familys sake.

Anyway, I could well be barking up the wrong tree - I'm just a bit leery of exceptions after reading that report. The tone of it was that the intentions of the woman were genuine and she's prepared well, and the standard of care wasn't an issue - just that it breached the rules. It made me think about the CMs I have heard talking about the 'new' ratios and how we can mind as many children as we like now - I worry that quite a few are going to be in for a shock.