Feeling very insulted today...

[sarah707]

As you all know I sent our www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/mgc analysis of the 'More Great Childcare' plan to the Department for Education...

And I have been eagerly awaiting their response.

Hundreds of you input into the analysis and it was sent on behalf of ALL childminders who wanted to share their concerns about the plan.

Well, today I received a reply.

The Dept for Education thank me for my letter and advise me that the Govt are planning to make changes to ratios and introduce agencies for childminders - and recommend I read 'More Great Childcare' for more information. :ohdear:

To say I feel insulted right now is an understatement :(

..................

However, their letter has backfired on them! It has simply given me renewed energy to fight their plans! :cheerleader:

I have responded to the BBC article asking them to remember childminders - BBC News - Cut nursery staff to child ratio, urges minister (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20950899)

I have Tweeted the latest info from CYPNow - Pressure mounts over changes to childcare ratios | Children & Young People Now (http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1076707/pressure-mounts-changes-childcare-ratios)

I have talked to MPs and other early years professionals who are supporting our plans - Shaking the Foundations of Quality (Nutbrown) 18th March 2013 (http://www.scribd.com/doc/131109473/Shaking-the-Foundations-of-Quality-Nutbrown-18th-March-2013)

I have written a list of things I want clarifying so I can stay independent - http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/independent-childminding-chat/116501-finding-out-more-about-what-will-mean-stay-independent.html

I am putting a link to our Forum petition all over Twitter again - www.keepratiosdown.co.uk. If others can remind their FB friends I would be very grateful.

AND I have a surprise for you all later if you are VERY good :cheerleader::cheerleader:

[Rick]

As you all know I sent our www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/mgc analysis of the 'More Great Childcare' plan to the Department for Education...

And I have been eagerly awaiting their response.

Hundreds of you input into the analysis and it was sent on behalf of ALL childminders who wanted to share their concerns about the plan.

Well, today I received a reply.

The Dept for Education thank me for my letter and advise me that the Govt are planning to make changes to ratios and introduce agencies for childminders - and recommend I read 'More Great Childcare' for more information. :ohdear:

To say I feel insulted right now is an understatement :(

..................

However, their letter has backfired on them! It has simply given me renewed energy to fight their plans! :cheerleader:

I have responded to the BBC article asking them to remember childminders - BBC News - Cut nursery staff to child ratio, urges minister (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20950899)

I have Tweeted the latest info from CYPNow - Pressure mounts over changes to childcare ratios | Children & Young People Now (http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1076707/pressure-mounts-changes-childcare-ratios)

I have talked to MPs and other early years professionals who are supporting our plans - Pressure mounts over changes to childcare ratios | Children & Young People Now (http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1076707/pressure-mounts-changes-childcare-ratios)

I have produced a list of things I want clarifying so I can stay independent - http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/independent-childminding-chat/116501-finding-out-more-about-what-will-mean-stay-independent.html

I am putting a link to our Forum petition all over Twitter again - www.keepratiosdown.co.uk. If others can remind their FB friends I would be very grateful.

AND I have a surprise for you all later if you are VERY good :cheerleader::cheerleader:

Ooh the suspense. Yes how insulting Sarah :mad:

[SYLVIA]

Sarah, I really admire your strength. I have not done anywhere near the amount of campaigning that you have and i'm losing the will to try, very fast now. I won't though, simply because of people like you who do so much work on our behalf. Thank you again. Emails and letters going out again this week end

[WibbleWobble]

very insulting....how very dare they! :thumbsup:


Now this surprise......have you borrowed my nipple tassels? i havent seen them for a while........


wibble in suspense x

[sarah707]

very insulting....how very dare they! :thumbsup:


Now this surprise......have you borrowed my nipple tassels? i havent seen them for a while........


wibble in suspense x

Ohhhhh ouch! :panic: :laughing:

No, it's not that :cheerleader:

[desiderata]

I would be insulted too x Just proves they dont read things doesnt it !!

[Ripeberry]

Nipple tassels and hairy balls! Now that would be a surprising sight! :D

But seriously. I really admire what you are doing :)

[phoenix2010]

oh WOW...proof that they really dont care what we think if we really needed it

it makes an absolute joke of the word democracy , doesnt it ?

Keep up the fight , it is very muchly appreciated and although I dont have nearly the knowledge , guts or way with words that you have , just know that we will all be there to back you when needed, Ive never signed as many petitions or written to my MP before now :thumbsup:

[The Juggler]

they suggested you read more great childcare!!!!! do they think we are complete idiots - where do they think we got the information from - it's certainly not from any LA advisors - not round here anyway :rolleyes:

looking forward to the surprise xx

[phoenix2010]

are you setting up an agency ?

[rickysmiths]

I wonder how all the Self Employed Electricians, Plumbers, Gardeners etc would feel if the government took thier Self Employment away from them and made them register with agencies for work longer be self employed and have someone else tell them what to charge and decide what they will earn?

Oh is that called employment????

[sarah707]

are you setting up an agency ?

:ROFL1: So funny! :ROFL1:

[The Juggler]

are you setting up an agency ?


I am going to. I'm gonna charge parents £200 to register PER YEAR, charge them a higher hourly rate than childminders currently do, take a commission so the childminder gets less than she does at present, charge new childminders a fortune to register with me, to do the training courses and to use my services, because that's what Miss Truss wants me to do so that we have lots of new childminders registering, none leaving the profession and so that we reduce childcare costs to parents.

I know this will work because ms Truss says so and I'll do anything I can to support such a well thought out initiative :p

[AgentTink]

I believe I made my concerns clear on Twitter......"When will Truss and her letter writing Elf's learn to read" :angry:

I have had no joy from my local MP so i am now harassing another local one who oversees another borough however he is on the Children and Families bill committee. I have gone a bit twitter mad today and kept copying him into tweets in all things to do with ratios and agencies :blush:

There is definitely hope out there though ... what with Cathy Nutbrowns comments, Busy Bee's retracting their support, feedback from the DfE meetings with people who were helping them to build their agencies model. As each day passes somebody else comes out in support of us. I truly believe that each little thing that each one of us is doing is slowly helping the cause. :clapping:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE if you are reading this and have not acted yet please do so... simply sign the petition, get your parents to sign the petition, send a Tweet/Facebook msg to a MP, send a email letter to your MP, or DfE, sign up to be part of the DfE consultation on agencies, talk to other CM's in your area, complete a consultation, there really is so many ways to get our voice heard... please please do one of them :)

[sarah707]

I believe I made my concerns clear on Twitter......"When will Truss and her letter writing Elf's learn to read" :angry:


Oh It was you! Hello Twitter friend :waving:

I am trying really hard to get to grips with it.... :D

[shortstuff]

Is it time to involve the opposition MP's? They like to have something to moan about and it would hopefully then get some coverage in the main commons debates?

Or am i just dreaming?

[hectors house]

I'm sorry they didn't read your letter properly - you may have just as well written

RE: ratios and agencies

bla bla bla bla

Yours sincerely

instead of spending hours writing specific, detailed letters to people who are supposed to be listening.

Can you give us an idea of when you may spill the beans about your "surprise" - as I am out this evening and wouldn't want to get news third hand tomorrow?

[chriss]

whats your twitter names please ?

[AgentTink]

whats your twitter names please ?

staceygreen06 is my twitter name :thumbsup:

[sarah707]

whats your twitter names please ?

knutsfordchildmin

[sarah707]

Is it time to involve the opposition MP's? They like to have something to moan about and it would hopefully then get some coverage in the main commons debates?

Or am i just dreaming?

We have had a very positive response from Labour!

http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/campaigns-petitions/115622-labour-response-more-great-childcare.html

And a number of Labour MPs including Sharon Hodgson are right behind us :clapping:

If you are on twitter it's @sharonhodgsonMP she's being really supportive - TwitLonger — When you talk too much for Twitter (http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1rjc7hh)

:D

[FussyElmo]

Yes but Sarah you didn't agree with it so you must reread and agree :rolleyes:

Just catching up - I have been really good and just having a break from decorating so looking forward to a surprise later :clapping::clapping::clapping:

Just having a bit of a retweet on twitter too

[sarah707]

Whoooooooo! :clapping:

http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/independent-childminding-chat/116517-new-website-support-independent-childminders.html#post1228899

I hope you are as thrilled with it as we are! :D




... and off we go on the school run in our alternate universe :laughing:

[shortstuff]

Very nice, will have a proper read later :-)

[Simona]

Mine is @signoramac...yes we did well this morning on Twitter...got me stuck in front of my computer for 3 hours as news kept coming in that ratios affected nurseries but no mention of cms .....especially after the thoughtful report by Nutbrown and what she said about us!

On another note what has happened to the petition against agencies?

[mazza58]

I have received a letter this week from my local mp who I wrote to with my concern over agencies etc and he forwarded this on to trus and she has sent a reply back through him to me answering the questions I asked, she is so sure that this is going to work. My mp has said if I still have concerns then to write back to him, so this weekend I am going to look at her response and then write back again

[SammySplodger]

whats your twitter names please ?

@SamRLoughran

[bunyip]

Sarah, have you considered contacting the media about the Dept For Education response?

The BBC or similar might well be interested in the fact that the letter typifies the Department's current approach of ignoring all opposition/criticism, especially as the wording of the letter is so blatant (of course you've read More Great Childcare or otherwise you'd not be responding to it.:angry:)

The timing would be perfect, on the day Truss decided to shout down the criticism of her own expert advisor, Prof Nutbrown. :huh:

[sarah707]

Sarah, have you considered contacting the media about the Dept For Education response?

The BBC or similar might well be interested in the fact that the letter typifies the Department's current approach of ignoring all opposition/criticism, especially as the wording of the letter is so blatant (of course you've read More Great Childcare or otherwise you'd not be responding to it.:angry:)

The timing would be perfect, on the day Truss decided to shout down the criticism of her own expert advisor, Prof Nutbrown. :huh:

We have made the www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/mgc document available to the news agencies - we have sent news reports into the main newspapers - we have had some coverage from Nursery World and CYPNow - but nothing from the nationals.

We are not sure how to 'break' them to be honest. We send an update every so often but no responses.

I am thinking about trying Twitter, seeing if any of the news agencies pick up on the stories. What do you think? :D

[bunyip]

Try your local BBC radio station's newsdesk. See if they can raise it to national level.