LA's own Networks and agencies

[Simona]

I understand from one LA that Networks can be turned into an agency but they have to have 2 things in place:
they have to be the LA's own model and not the Pacey Children Come First model and they must be open to ALL cms.


Recently many LAs have abandoned the CCF model and started their own and all of a sudden the network became accessible to all cms.....has your done just so? and has your network suddenly become accessible to ALL cms where before it was for the selected few??
is there a connection there that we cms should investigate?

Are these LAs likely to want to set up agencies and have they actually shown an interests? ..I know of 2 who have: they both set up their own network and it is now open to all cms and both are asking for info from the DfE

I hope that cms realise that an agency 'could' be setting up near them and that it could be their own LA...what we need to do is find out

Please can ALL cms who are worried about this issue join and become proactive...we all need to do our little bit, however, small
Write or call you EY team and ask them

as you know pacey have asked cms to email them if cms know of any LAs setting up agencies ...
I also think pacey should start asking questions not just issue briefings to LAs about the dangers of agencies
Pacey should be in a very good position because they would know if thei CCF networork has suddenly been abandoned by any LA..
I have posted this question on pacey local

Please support this action:
The right to know if our LA is considering setting up an agency

[hectors house]

In my area the development officer is about to be made redundant and even after attending a LA "cluster" meeting I am still baffled as to who I contact for support. Will try to find a phone number of someone at County Hall who can answer question about networks and agencies. I don't belong to a network or know anyone who does - but some childminders have arranged a meeting about setting up our own network, the DO has e-mailed details to all childminders in the area.

Up til now if parents rang up individual childminders trying to get care and struggled to find anyone who could help, we would give them the DO phone number and she would e-mail everyone with the enquiry - rather than the parent trying to contact us individually - minders who could take on the work, then contacted the DO, who would pass on the phone numbers. The plan is to set up our own network and try to replicate this way of working as it seems to work - the Family information service is worse than useless these days.

[Wheelybug]

Yes and Yes!!! Interesting it must have been about a year or so ago our network in Hampshire suddenly became open to everyone. The official line was that Hampshire wanted PACEY who receive funding to run the network in our area, to support all childminders and not just those on the network, so everyone became an 'associate member' (I think that was what they called them) and childminders actually on the network were called something else (can't remember what!!). And I've just checked on their blog, the network used to be a Children Come First network, hence why I have the logo on my website, but now it appears to be called Hampshire Childminding Support.

Cathy.

[Simona]

I posted this question in pacey local and got no reply...it simply got ignored but pacey insist on emailing them if our LA is turning into an agency and pacey will contact them 'to understand what their plans are'!!!

Elementary Dr Watson...they want to become an agency!!!