what would you do??

[uf353432]

I live in a small place, everyone knows everyone etc. I have a concern about another childminder, she is long in the tooth, money for old rope anti ofsted, EYFS. We are very different in our attitudes. I have also been a parent who used a childminder so I know how agonising it can be to leave your child.

Anyway I witness her at a toddler group, leaving crawling babies and babies who can sit unsupported strapped in their pushchairs with no opportunity to play on the floor. She doesn't engage in them for the full 1 and a half hour - she just chats drinking coffee, if the child is lucky she positions the pushchair facing the action so they can see whats happening in the room. It makes me sad and a little angry.

This lady does a school pickup from the same school as me, this week when walking past her car to go to mine, I spotted that she had left her infant charge in the car alone, while she went and collected from the school. The infant was asleep, strapped in the car seat - but alone non the less. The car was parked on road parking, she has to walk to the other side of the school to collect the other child, and wait in a q for her turn. I hung around the car for a while to make sure infant was ok....but again i'm sad and a little angry.

Not sure what to do with this info in my own head. Clearly I won't recommend her to others, but should I report her? alert someone to this? as a mum myself if I thought a childminder I was using was acting this way to my child/ren I would be devastated - and my feeling is she does it because noone pulls her up on it

advice? please?

[vickie83]

Do you feel comfortable pulling her up on it? I think leaving a baby in a car is a big safety issue and I personally wouldn't be able to bite my tongue. Failing that maybe speak to your development worker (without mentioning other minders name) and see what she suggests. It would make me sad and angry too :(

[sallybrooke]

REPORT REPORT REPORT!!

How would you feel if there was an accident while the baby was alone in the car?
How would you feel if you were the parent and had no idea their child was being neglected?!

Sorry, but you KNOW IT'S WRONG, so do something about it!

[LittleMissSparkles]

I'm no tsorry to say in these circumstances I would report her without a shadow of a doubt, what if she left the child in the car and god forbid someone crashed into it whilst parked up or even worse took the child ! I personally couldnt live knwoing i might have been able to prevent it if I'd done something xxx

[huggableshelly]

call ofsted as anominous.

it is your duty as an adult to ensure protection to all children regardless of how well everyone knows eachother. she will never know who tipped ofsted off unless you talk to others who then gossip.

I would want someone to make a report if they felt my children were left in the care of a cm but not providing a safe enviroment and inclusive enviroment for them.

[jacky]

leaving any children alone in an unattended car is illegal. i know this because a friend of mine got pulled up by the police for doing exactly the same - leaving a sleeping child in a car whilst she went to collect others from school.she was lucky it was niot taken any further by the police officer. when iheard about this i checked with ofsted about what their view was and they said - Wait for it NO NO NO. MINDED CHILDREN MUST NOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED AT ANY TIMe. do you feel able to approach her to let her know she she shouldnt leave them unattended and warn her that if you see it again you will report both to ofsted and the police. if you dont feel able to do this then i would report to ofsted annonamously:eek:

[uf353432]

I couldn't approach her directly - i'm actually a bit scared of her!!

I have phoned Ofsted - but I don't have enough information on who she is for them........

[mandy moo]

I personally would have to do it anonomosley (how do you spell it?)
as Im not to good with confrontations
Or
you could say (white lie here) someone mentioned they saw a LO left in the car to you, and you thought you best tell/warn her that they spoke about reporting it, it make make her think twiceaboutdoing it again.
Not a lot of help, Just a thought

[mandy moo]

sorry wrong post

[uf353432]

Mandy that might be a way round it....as I have no idea how to get Ofsted more information without making it obvious I am getting information iyswim!

[uf353432]

copy and paste?

[FizzysFriends]

If there a comminity officer around there, you could have a quiet word and they could happen to be going past the car? If she does it regulary that is. We have one that comes to the school to make sure the parents are parking in the correct places.

[uf353432]

no its a village school - we don't get such resources in the village.......

even though we pay the same level of taxes lol!

[HomefromHome]

if you know her first name and roughly where she lives that should be enough for ofsted - and yes i would report her - neglect.:mad:

[uf353432]

I gave him both of those - but he didn't seem confident that he would be able to locate - even though I know there is noone else with her first name operating. SO frustrating. I could call upon the support of someone at the school to confirm details - but don't want to put her in an awkward position. The fewer people who know who reported her the better. Not that I am worried about reporting - as kids come first - but as I am pre reg and yet to get my business off the ground she is the 'type' to retaliate if that makes sense.

[vix84]

Id follow her home one day to get her house number and road name, surely thats all they need

[~Chelle~]

Look on the children information services website for childminders on your area with her first name and from there you should be able to see what school she covers.

I would have no hesitation in reporting her to Ofsted, she is not doing her job properly.

I have had at this at my local childminding group and stopped going. The other childminders used to just sit and ***** about EYFS and Ofsted saying that they dont have the time for EYFS and why should they do what Ofsted says, all the while letting the children that they are paid to look after just wondering around doing whatever and not being supervised.

Good luck x

[Zoomie]

If I saw a child sleeping in a car, I would call 999 immediately.

Afterwards, you could ask for the report number, and use that to report it to Ofsted. Surely Ofsted have the power to get info from the police ??

[LOOPYLISA]

You have done the right thing :thumbsup:

[childmind04]

Or check ofsted website and do a search for cm's and try and match her report its usually not hard as we all are different and you can search within 5 mile so in a small village it should be easy :)

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I think for my own peace of mind I would report this. It isn't illegal to report a parent but a childminder cannot leave a child.

I have reported someone for exactly the same reason and they were only left for 2 minutes.

You obviously care and would be gutted if there was an accident

[vickie83]

My network co-ordinator told us today that the police are hot on people leaving kiddies in cars and that they're doing spot checks around local schools and supermarket car parks.
Could you maybe mention to the head teacher that you're concerned "a few parents" are doing this and see if they have any powers to stop it.
FWIW I think you've done the right thing reporting her and with any luck the powers that be will be able to trace her from the details you have provided.

[donnagwynne]

It also makes you wonder what she is getting up to at home if she can be so blatantly clueless when out and about!!!!


Donna

[wendywu]

If you take the car reg then Ofsted can trace it through the DVLA.:)

[sammy]

a few parents leave their kids in the car too when they collect their kids from school, its a small residential road, a letter was sent out by the nursery to all parents to not leave kids in the car, now they still leave them in the car but they get a mum to watch about 2 cars and take it in turns to take the kids into school.

[buildingblocks]

a few parents leave their kids in the car too when they collect their kids from school, its a small residential road, a letter was sent out by the nursery to all parents to not leave kids in the car, now they still leave them in the car but they get a mum to watch about 2 cars and take it in turns to take the kids into school.

The difference is though they are the paretns aof the children and no matter how wrong it is it is their child. This woman is a childminder leaving someone's child in that car I would be fuming as a parent if I knew that was going on with my child. She is being paid to look after that child and getting childminders a bad name - some people may think all childminders behave liek that