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lilliuspillius
23-01-2008, 07:04 PM
hello, i have been completing the portfolio over the past few months for the Quality First Accreditation for Childminders. My portfolio is now finished and I have an assessor visiting me next week to see me 'in action'. Has anyone else completed this Award?, could you give me any tips on what the assessors are looking for? I think it is probably similar to an OFsted Inspection - but not really too sure?
Any help or advice greatly appreciated - thanks in advance .........

sarah707
23-01-2008, 07:32 PM
I had a lovely lady come from NCMA - it was a nice afternoon and we sat in the garden. She watched how I interacted with the children and made loads of notes about what we said and did together.

I had a planting activity planned for the afternoon and decided not to do anything special, just keep it to what the children were expecting to do... so we planted up their little pots, went through the house looking for places to put them which were in sunlight, played with measuring jugs etc and the soil, then added water to the soil. It was all stuff I normally do, so the children were totally happy with it all...

She stayed less than the hour she'd booked as she said she'd got enough information... and gave me loads of great feedback in a letter a few weeks later.

She wasn't here to see my file, just watching me with the children. The file went off to someone in London.

Good luck! :D

lilliuspillius
24-01-2008, 06:39 PM
thanks for that Sarah. i'll let you know how i get on. How long did it take from sending your portfolio away, to getting some feedback and accreditation?

Pipsqueak
24-01-2008, 07:45 PM
Let me know how you get on. Wishing you all the luck xxxx

I am about 3/4 way through mine and they are now sending me letters to remind me I am due to hand in May.:eek: :eek:

sarah707
24-01-2008, 09:23 PM
thanks for that Sarah. i'll let you know how i get on. How long did it take from sending your portfolio away, to getting some feedback and accreditation?

It took about 3/4 weeks... :D

Pipsqueak
24-01-2008, 09:32 PM
Don't know if anyone can help or suggest.

on QF standard 2 2.19 my mind is drawing a blank

Suitable strategies for responding to children whose behaviour causes particular concern or whose emotional development is impeded include:
Not entirely sure I understand the question tbh (perhaps I am just tired and reading it wrong) to start with!!!!

Ok for strategies - first of all work with the parents and any relevant experts if any. Observations (for trigger/cause and effect).
Patience and an understanding of the concern/condition.

And now I am stuck.... Help please

Pipsqueak
24-01-2008, 09:36 PM
And then onto standard 3 3.21

children sometimes behave in discrimatory ways such as:
I have - not wanting to play with/be near beacuse they make funny noises, someone is different to them (colour of skin, way they speak, language etc)

and next question:
Children sometimes express prejudice such as
I have - repeating what they have heard elsewhere (ie, my mum says....)

assumption (because of being a certain gender that something is suitable to that person)

and again I am stuck

My brain is just slowing down down down...

sarah707
24-01-2008, 09:43 PM
2.19 :D
- keep records of specific incidents
- seek advice from professionals (taking confidentiality into consideration)
- work closely with parents to ensure a cohesive approach
- deal with the aggression/incidents as they occur
- use advice forums to get advice on specific behaviours, to best care for the child
- talk and listen to the child
- give the child special and individual attention to support him to overcome his behaviour in a safe, loving, calm and caring environment
- offer safe physical releases eg football and outside play or quiet room for sitting and reading
- use role play, books, puppets etc to challenge the situation for the child and encourage him to act out his worries
- visit the library and use on-line resources to update my knowledge
- remembering to offer praise for the good
With help and support from outside agencies and with parental back-up, it is possible for me, as a Childminder, to support children by using -
- behaviour modification techniques - a systematic use of the strategies of encouraging acceptable behaviour through rewards and praise and discouraging unacceptable behaviour through ignoring it or using sanctions (depending on the child's stage of development)
- play as therapy - helping children work through strong emotions by acting out those emotions in a safe, caring environment
- parents are the primary caregiver of the child
- parents may be under stress which will affect the way they deal with issues
- parents may need support from outside agencies to cope with issues eg Parent line
- parents may not be ready to accept their child has difficulties
- not being judgemental or making them feel guilty or to blame
- treating all concerned with respect, keeping them informed at all times
- deciding jointly on a 'plan of action' to manage the behaviour
- accepting some parents may be under a great deal of stress and unable to cope at this time
- understanding some parents may deny the problem and feel angry or resentful at the suggestion
- needing to be sensitive to parents' feelings and listen to their concerns, suggestions and opinions as they know their child best
- accept that parents are the child's main care-givers and that, should they not wish to back up any plan I implement, then that is their right as parents

sarah707
24-01-2008, 09:45 PM
3.21 :D
- a child at a school I used to work in who said to me, 'he's in a wheelchair and can't hit back so I hit him and ran away'. I asked why he had run away, 'because I can' was the answer
- a child who said to me 'I'm not going to be her friend because she's black'
- name calling is a particular favourite of uneducated adults and children tend to copy. Anyone can be the victim - me because I wear glasses, the new child who speaks with a different accent, the boy with the pudding bowl haircut or the child from the children's home who's clothes are tatty. Name calling does not have boundaries put upon it by race, religion, culture or disability, but is used by anyone who feels the need to be superior to others, who wants to cause hurt and pain to others. Sometimes, the name-caller may not realise what they have said hurts, as in the case of a small child who asks, quite innocently, 'why has that woman got a big nose?' in the loudest possible voice in a quiet environment. Often, however, children are copying an adult view - I can't play with cars because I'm a girl, that girl shouldn't be in this singing group because all she does is screams etc
- a child recently expressed a wish to be a refuse collector (after watching them through the window) and we had great fun playing at pretending to empty the bins in the house, extending the activity to looking at how we recycle our paper, tins, clothes etc. The next day, I had prepared more recycling information to carry on her interest, but she said 'dad said girls can't do that so I just want to play with my dolls today'. I did not push the topic as I feel strongly that I should support the parents' views, but I did challenge the attitude - 'girls can do anything they want to do'
In all these examples, I feel it is my responsibility to show that there are alternative ways of looking at things - yes, the person you are referring to is different from you, but is that such a bad thing? We are all different from each other - our hair, clothes, skin colour, choice of toys etc all show we are different - wouldn't it be a very boring world if we were all the same?
- Everyone has prejudice and operates on pre-judgments and discriminating distinctions every day. We come from different backgrounds, life-styles, religions, schools and regions of the world, yet we might eg. prefer our own area, house type, car model etc. Problems manifest when the prejudice is used in cases such as disliking a group of people because of their skin colour, racial grouping or religion eg the local Catholic school children being bullied by the Anglicans or a group of black children being banned from a shopping centre simply because they are black and, in the eyes of the security guard, more likely to cause trouble than the whites
Children hear these views often from parents and relatives and pick up on them, often voicing them quite innocently eg 'that black boy looks like trouble' or 'if they're in wheelchairs they're stupid'. By pre-judging in these ways, adults teach children that it is ok to dislike a whole section of society simply because of their defining feature, without looking at the individual

Pipsqueak
24-01-2008, 10:04 PM
Thank you Sarah - that is wonderful and has given me a boost. I won't copy word for word I shall adapt but that is fantastic (would you like me to send my folder to you and you can finish it for me:idea: :idea: :)

sarah707
24-01-2008, 10:20 PM
Thank you Sarah - that is wonderful and has given me a boost. I won't copy word for word I shall adapt but that is fantastic (would you like me to send my folder to you and you can finish it for me:idea: :idea: :)

You are very welcome!

Do you think they'd notice a sudden change in writing style??? :p

manjay
24-01-2008, 10:22 PM
You are very welcome!

Do you think they'd notice a sudden change in writing style??? :p

Do you take orders? If you did all of mine there wouldn't be any change of style

amanda xx

sarah707
25-01-2008, 08:02 AM
Do you take orders? If you did all of mine there wouldn't be any change of style, amanda xx

Naughty!! :laughing:

Blaze
25-01-2008, 01:03 PM
Yes, but she took the words out of my mouth!
Tasha:laughing:

wendywu
04-02-2008, 06:50 PM
Mine runs out in May has any one updated yet. I suppose i had better get onto NCMA and ask what i have to do.

Due an inspection before march at least it will still be valid.:panic:

sarah707
04-02-2008, 06:55 PM
A friend had to renew recently - it cost her £100 and she had to show how she'd improved her practice since she did the original, then someone came out and watched her again from NCMA :D

Pipsqueak
04-02-2008, 07:23 PM
It cost how much ?


Think thats a ruddy cheek/

wildthing
28-11-2010, 05:42 PM
I had a lovely lady come from NCMA - it was a nice afternoon and we sat in the garden. She watched how I interacted with the children and made loads of notes about what we said and did together.

I had a planting activity planned for the afternoon and decided not to do anything special, just keep it to what the children were expecting to do... so we planted up their little pots, went through the house looking for places to put them which were in sunlight, played with measuring jugs etc and the soil, then added water to the soil. It was all stuff I normally do, so the children were totally happy with it all...

She stayed less than the hour she'd booked as she said she'd got enough information... and gave me loads of great feedback in a letter a few weeks later.

She wasn't here to see my file, just watching me with the children. The file went off to someone in London.

Good luck! :D

hi i am new to this forum but i desperatly need help with coursework, i wish i had worked with someone doing childminging before i did it so i could see all the paperwork involved, im ok on the hands on but no good on paper. my question explain how to implement childrens rights in the home based setting -a full 750 word essay in detail can u please help me xxx

Pipsqueak
28-11-2010, 07:48 PM
hi i am new to this forum but i desperatly need help with coursework, i wish i had worked with someone doing childminging before i did it so i could see all the paperwork involved, im ok on the hands on but no good on paper. my question explain how to implement childrens rights in the home based setting -a full 750 word essay in detail can u please help me xxx

hun you might want to post a thread of your own for this - you would get more responses.

implementing childrens rights:
you do this via the welfare requirements of EYFS (assuming you are England)
you gather information from the parents and act upon it - such as routines, likes/dislikes
you ensure all children are included, plan accordingly by being aware of their unique needs

for examples

Penny1959
29-11-2010, 04:49 AM
hello, i have been completing the portfolio over the past few months for the Quality First Accreditation for Childminders. My portfolio is now finished and I have an assessor visiting me next week to see me 'in action'. Has anyone else completed this Award?, could you give me any tips on what the assessors are looking for? I think it is probably similar to an OFsted Inspection - but not really too sure?
Any help or advice greatly appreciated - thanks in advance .........

As someone who has assessed for Quality First - i can comfirm that assessor only looking for your interaction with children (and if opportunity with parents) as this is the one bit you can not demonstrate / give evidence for very well in the portfolio.

So just be yourself and do whatever you usually do.

One lady I assessed had planned an activity but because I got lost and was late - the children had already completed the activity by the time I got there.

She was a bit upset / cross with me until I explained was not about activites.

I observed snack time and nappy changing, and supervising free play - more than enough opportunity to observe interaction.

Hopes this gives some reassurance.


Penny :)