formal complaint to ofsted against me

[taiwallis]

Hi guys,
Was on a while ago about wierd client asking for me to recover all her expenses for work, lunch and childcare while i was actively being sick. Some of you may remember! Things have got worse and worse. The last point being that i was away last week in cornwall - i had given her 6 mths written notice of the dates and then again in april. I also verbally told like a trizillion times and also left a message on her answermachine the night before i went away just before last week.

So....

These are afterschool kids (adopted) that come to me by taxi each evening - 4pm = 6pm.

On monday night the kids didnt turn up - i immediately called the taxi company - they said they had dropped the kids to their grandmothers as apparently i was sick. HOWEVER - they had not waited to see that the children went into the house - they left them on the street. Naturally the taxi company was beside themselves and asked me to call the mother.

She has asked in the past not to call her at work unless it is an emergency. I felt this was an emergency.

The reaction was unreal -being told i was going over the top and i should make clear when on holiday or not (other 11 clients all fully understood and had same notification).

Then answer machine message next day to tell me never to call work place unless a 'life or death' situation - to me it was if kids are left on the street.

So then, gave her her notice last night. My priority is the safety of the children in my care, if this comes to compromise then i feel i cannot work with them. I am the one who would be punished if anything happened.

While the kids were inside getting thier shoes on i went out, closing the front door and just gave her an envelope, saying it was self explanatory but that it was notice, and that we shouldnt discuss in front of kids.

The abuse was incredible that came out of her - half laughing and half screaming at me. she then went in and grabbed her kids and demanded they tell me when they were expecting me back - by this point my daughter was in tears.

She would not take notification envelope off me and told me to post it to her.

Tonight she sent a letter through the door saying i was liable for damages and she was making a formal complaint against OFSTED>

What to do now.......

[berkschick]

Oh poor you, what a nasty woman.

Do you know what the complaint is about?

Try not to worry too much, OFSTED can be very fair in these situations.

[mummyroysof3]

hi, im new and havent posted a reply before but i just read this and coulnt not reply.

Thats awful im so sorry you going through this and wanted to send you hugs even though i dont know you, i hope someone who can give you some advise sees this soon take care

charlotte x:angry: (at that horrible woman)

[Pipsqueak]

What a nightmare situation.

First and foremost - write down EVERYTHING from beginning to end and in chronological order in a factual manner.

Next pick up the phone tomorrow morning and
a) tell Ofsted you are expecting a malicious complaint from a parent - don't need to go into too much detail

b) phone NCMA (if you are with them) and take advice.

I would write a letter to the mother stating termination of contract and end date.
I would also say that you have taken on board her comments. At the same time you do not appreciate being verbally abused in your own home and in front of your or any child. Put in there that her behaviour distressed your child. This alone is grounds for immediate termination.

[taiwallis]

complaint is .....

they do afterschool care term time only....

i took a weeks holiday during term time - ( i thought if notified this was allowed to take holiday).

she is saying i have breached contract for taking a holiday during term time.

also - when she was dragging her children out of the house to inform me of when they thought i was coming back (i never speak to my mindees about my hols)... i said " dont be silly , dont get them involved.

she is saying that it is defermation (wrong spelling) of character to call her a silly woman in front of the children.

[flora]

Easy said than done, but try not to worry.

Keep records of what was said and what you did etc etc. As said Ofsted can be surprisingly fair when this sort of thing kicks off.

Good luck and you know where we are if you need us :thumbsup:

[taiwallis]

ooh - you all replied so quickly. as i have been concerned about her i have been speaking to Vincents Solicitors about her, the NCMA legal team. I wanted to make sure i was fully inline with thing before i gave notice- so i have sent notice recorded and through snail mail. i think i am ok with the legal side - but just concerned about the ofsted side. my last ofsted inspection i had i was given 30 mins notice - they were in the area. i would love to have more time, to get a better score. i am happy if they turn up, i have nothing to hide - my point is if there is a complaint - do they just turn up on the doorstep? xxxx

ps.... thank you so much for the support. xxx

[taiwallis]

also should have said my ofsted report was amazing - 3 out of 5 outstanding last time without notice... but i want better...

[chubbymummy]

What a nightmare situation.

First and foremost - write down EVERYTHING from beginning to end and in chronological order in a factual manner.

Next pick up the phone tomorrow morning and
a) tell Ofsted you are expecting a malicious complaint from a parent - don't need to go into too much detail

b) phone NCMA (if you are with them) and take advice.

I would write a letter to the mother stating termination of contract and end date.
I would also say that you have taken on board her comments. At the same time you do not appreciate being verbally abused in your own home and in front of your or any child. Put in there that her behaviour distressed your child. This alone is grounds for immediate termination.


i agree with this action

[sarah707]

Poor you ... it's very hard to know what to do for the best because it's all so personal.

What you must try and do is take the hurt you are feeling out of the situation now.

Cover your back, make sure everything is written down, print off copies of the letters you have sent confirming dates of holidays and put them in a file with everything else that's been said - transcripts of emails or phone messages, as much about her ranting as you can remember etc.

Even if she does put in a complaint ... which is unlikely tbh, I think she's probably blowing off steam there's not much she can really complain about from what you've said ... it won't go through the system for a while, by which time you'll have forgotten some of the things that have happened...

So be strong and be ready to fight if needs be.

Sending supportive vibes xx

[Pipsqueak]

ooh - you all replied so quickly. as i have been concerned about her i have been speaking to Vincents Solicitors about her, the NCMA legal team. I wanted to make sure i was fully inline with thing before i gave notice- so i have sent notice recorded and through snail mail. i think i am ok with the legal side - but just concerned about the ofsted side. my last ofsted inspection i had i was given 30 mins notice - they were in the area. i would love to have more time, to get a better score. i am happy if they turn up, i have nothing to hide - my point is if there is a complaint - do they just turn up on the doorstep? xxxx

ps.... thank you so much for the support. xxx

And as you have done nothing wrong in all of this you have nothing to worry about. You will be fine.xxx

[angeldelight]

I feel that you have done nothing wrong here

On what grounds is she actually going to base her complaint about ?

The reasons she gave you are pathetic to be honest

She is angry and is trying to scare you by the sounds of things

Do what Pip suggested and make a note of EVERYTHING

You never know she might not really complain but if she does at least you are well prepared

Cant really understand what she could complain about though

Hope you are ok try not to worry and at least you did the right thing and informed NCMA so at least they are aware of your situation which will come in handy if you have to deal with Ofsted

Keep us posted

Angel xx

[wendywu]

I dont think Ofsted will be to concerned about her complaint. They are not bothered about contracts, and to be honest you have done noting wrong in taking holiday in term time!!!

As for the calling her silly, you didnt even do that DID YOU!!!! I dont think even if you did that Ofsted could find it abuse:eek:

You may get a letter as a matter of course asking for you version of events.

To be honest i am suprised you still have her after the last claim she made against you.:panic:

I thought Pip gave very good advice.

[taiwallis]

Thanks everyone! x

[katickles]

I wouldn't have thought that she would be able to take the complaint on those grounds very far.

I agree with the others, document everything & wait & see if you even hear from Ofsted.

Sounds to me like your doing a fab job & you just have a very unpreictable (sp) & hot headed parent.

Don't let her get you down

:)

[devoncm]

sorry to hear shes being a pain, ofsted might just send you a letter for your version of events or they may come out if they feel the need to, when i had a complaint about me they came out to me unannounced -but she had said she couldnt get me on the phone,dont know why-she took my version and didnt see much of a problem with it tbh, that was about 2 months ago and ive heard nothing back and was about a month or so between the parent leaving and ofsted coming, they do have to check every complaint though.

[berkschick]

But you didnt call her a silly woman, you just told her not to be silly, totally differant IMO!

Have you got the children tonight?

[taiwallis]

no idea if i have them tonight - i would doubt it. i think this letter is meaning they wont come again. I called ofsted thismorning - they werent very interested, but i asked them to put it on file that i had called and i had nothing to hide. I have written up each incident with her and filed everything. If ofsted come, do they give notice, do they do a full inspection - i am due one at the end of this year. xx

[wendywu]

No they will not do a inspection if they come out for a complaint. I would think if they do come out at all for this complaint they may phone you first. As they are not trying to catch you out. As the complaint has nothing to do with over numbers or abuse.

But to be honest i think you will get a letter.:)

[Pauline]

complaint is .....

they do afterschool care term time only....

i took a weeks holiday during term time - ( i thought if notified this was allowed to take holiday).

she is saying i have breached contract for taking a holiday during term time.

Of course you can take holidays, it is your business you do what you like and by providing notice then she cannot complain. Unless you stated in the contract that you would not take holidays in term time I cannot see how you can be in breach of contract.

You have had loads of good advice, I'm sure everything will be ok. :)

[tetti]

So sorry to hear about what you're going through.
I once also had a parent making a complain to Ofsted about me(I'd give her the notice as she's take days off without telling me and just not turn up,and she'd never pay me on time).
She claimed that I had no buggy(doh!),no medical records(doh!She's actually signed the form giving her daughter's gp's details ect).
Ofsted sent me a letter which I had to resspond to,giving my version of events.
The parents of the other child also rung Ofsted to back me up,and as I could prove that it was a false allegation it was thrown out basically.

I know how very frustrating it must feel for you,but from reading your posts,I def don't think that Ofsted will take her complaint seriously.
As some other childminders has mentioned on this thread,Ofsted can be very fair:-)

It is just a shame that some people have to behave this way though.
I really hope it all goes well for you,and I am sure it will:)

[Tily Bud]

Sorry I cant really add anything as you've been given good advice x but i didnt want to read and run x

[wendywu]

Look at it at from Ofsteds point of view. Every silly futile complaint of this sort wastes their time and stops them looking doing their job of looking into serious complaints. So i should not think they will be too pleased with this parent. :angry:

[Wendy Woo]

What a nightmare situation.

First and foremost - write down EVERYTHING from beginning to end and in chronological order in a factual manner.

Next pick up the phone tomorrow morning and
a) tell Ofsted you are expecting a malicious complaint from a parent - don't need to go into too much detail

b) phone NCMA (if you are with them) and take advice.

I would write a letter to the mother stating termination of contract and end date.
I would also say that you have taken on board her comments. At the same time you do not appreciate being verbally abused in your own home and in front of your or any child. Put in there that her behaviour distressed your child. This alone is grounds for immediate termination.

I agree with this to but should u send the termination by recorded so at least u can garentee (sp!) that she gets it and doesnt try to claim that she hasnt!!1

She is a nasty nasty lady hope this gets sorted quick 4 u

:group hug: make u feel betta hug

[mum22]

Hope you're feeling a bit better - you know you;ve done nothing wrong - your inspection report was amazing - try and stay positive.

x helen

[Monkey1]

Woman sounds unhinged! Perhaps you ought to notify the safeguarding children board and ask for advice!

[Banana]

Hope you are ok!

She sounds like a nightmare parent!

Ofsted wont be interested in a contract dispute - I've looked into this after an incident I had with a parent last month and TBH they couldnt have cared less about the call I made to them.

Write everything down, do it in a factual manner and try to keep emotion out of it so it sounds 100% professional.

Give her her notice through the post - if I was you I would be terminating with immediate effect, if this woman has been abusive to you in your home then that is good enough grounds for you to withdraw care.

As for your holidays - you take them when you want to, if this is the only complaint she has then you have nothing at all to even think about. But its good to make sure you have covered all angles.

good luck
x

[Tiisku]

Well, as some other people have replied, it is YOUR BUSINESS she is not the one stating the rules and she clearly thinks she does ! I would emphasise this in the notice letter, or complaint response, that it is your business and by your contract you can take holiday whenever you like as long as a sufficient notice is given. I would also say that you will not tolerate further verbal or written abuse from her and your legal team will consider appropriate action if she does. :D A few strong words may put her back in her place.

As for Ofsted I would do as every one else has said and write evertying down in detail for them. I am confident the are on your side as they are there to make sure children are safe and very likely this woman is going to speak to them the same way as she spoke to you, when she doesn't get the response she wants from them. Don't worry it will OK.

[Heaven Scent]

I am sorry you are having to go through all this but as some of the others have said Ofsted are not interested in contractual issues of this sort their only concern is for the children and so long as you haven't said anything in your contract about not taking holidays in term time then you have nothing to worry about legally. Ofsted will probably write to you or call you to tell you that they have received a complaint but they will be mad with her for wasting their time.

She is just a nark and is causing a fuss because she can all attention seeking if you ask me - sad woman!!!!!!!!!!

[wendywu]

Ofsted would not be happy with her for not letting you contact her at work. I think they would consider two children being left on the street by a taxi driver quite serious. SHE is not working in partership with you.:panic:

What high profile and very important job does she do any way?

[Lottie]

Sounds like if anyone should be making a complaint it's you. What a horror!

[ruby]

sorry you are having this trouble can't add anything else but just wanted to say don't worry i can't see that you have done anything wrong


cathy

[tulip0803]

I am sorry that you are having this stress and trouble:group hug:

I think that you have been given good advice by the others but wanted to show my support.

[Pudding Girl]

Goodness what a nightmare, sounds like you will be well rid of this person!!

ANy further developments today? Did you have the children?

[miffy]

Sorry I've only just seen this

The woman sounds unbalanced and I don't think it would take Ofsted long to realise that if she kicks off verbally or in writing to them like she did to you.

Hope you are OK

miffy xx

[kindredspirits]

yikes, it must be stressful for you - but try not to worry she hasn't got a leg to stand on, and i really doubt that unless she is unhinged that she will even bother with ofsted, probabaly just wanted to get your back up!

[chelle]

OMG some people:( , can't really add anything else as you have already been given some great advice, just keep your chin up you have done nothing wrong at all :D xx

:group hug:

[brillminder]

some people :) thinking of you

[taiwallis]

Thanks so much for support - its quite overwhelming!! Thanks helen!! x No, not seen them, nor heard anymore - i have everything written up, notice posted in snail mail and recorded delivery. Will just wait and see - do i have to respond to a complaint?? Or do i jsut stay out of it now, until a notice period is finished?
xx

[wendywu]

I would not respond, best not to rattle her cage, you may find your house would go up in flames. :panic: Just put it in you complaints book and you have written records of it as well, and sit back and wait. It MAY NOT happen. I cannot believe she is that stupid (or silly) to think she has a valid complaint.:eek:

[cloud9]

Thanks so much for support - its quite overwhelming!! Thanks helen!! x No, not seen them, nor heard anymore - i have everything written up, notice posted in snail mail and recorded delivery. Will just wait and see - do i have to respond to a complaint?? Or do i jsut stay out of it now, until a notice period is finished?
xx


I just wanted to wish you luck with this (not that you will need it) i think ofsted are very good at distinguishing between genuine and malicious complaints and in all fairness they dont care about contract disputes. Unless she has a complaint about the care you gave they would have already told her to politely ****** off. As for the notice even if she isn't bringing the kids make sure she pays you for the notice period and insist on it, she sounds like a right cow!

[Pedagog]

Obviously I have no experience in this but from everything I have read about ofsted, and my experience of them from being a school governor, they are normally very sensible about these things.