Opinions please!

[babyandchild]

Hello
I haven't posted for a while and need some opinions!
I am in the unique position of being a registered childminder and a nursery owner.
A little boy attends our nursery and a childminder brings him into the setting every day. Yesterday the childminder had an accident (her car door blew off in the wind) before she collected him from us. Another childminder who is known to us turned up with a scrap of paper as a note and said she had come to collect the little boy. I asked if the parent had been contacted and why we hadn't received a call from the childminder or parent. The reply was no parent had not been contacted and the childminder did not have the setting telephone number. I said that befor I released the child I would have to check with his mum that it was ok to do so. I called the child's mum who was very upset that she had not had a call from her childminder and that she was reluctant to allow her child to leave with the other childminder as she didn't know her.
I reassured her that her son knew the other childminder because they frequently spent time together, and eventually she gave her consent for her son to leave with him.
I called the parent that evening to see if all was ok, and she said she was very cross with her childminder for not contacting her directly and not contacting us. I said that the easiest thing would have been for her childminder to contact the parent who could have then telephoned us to give her consent for her child to leave with someone else.
I also asked the parent if she could ask her childminder to pop in and see us at some stage as we need to share learning journeys and information about this child to comply with the EYFS. The parent has already signed a consent form allowing this to happen, but the childminder just drops the child at the door and leaves before we can speak to her!!
Well, all hell let lose this morning when the childminder came bursting into the setting shouting the odds at me. I calmly explained our safeguarding procedure and that we could not just release a child without parental permission. The child minder feels that I have stirred things up for her, but I don't think I have. I just want what is best for this child.
My staff have noticed on more than one occasion that she is leaving other minded children in the car on the opposite side of the road when she comes to collect the child at the end of the session. She won't speak to anyone and its just a nightmare!!

Was I wrong to speak to mum about her son's collection arrangements and aske her to ask the childminder to pop in to see us about sharing information???

[Bex1]

I dont think you did anything wrong. I would've wanted you to contact me and would also have wanted the childminder I ws paying to care for my child to contact me too! I am also disturbed that the other mindees are being left in the car whilst she pop across the road! Thats my mummy hat off and in my childminding hat I would have contacted parent if I was not able to pick up the child and I would not leave mindees in the car whilst I run across the road!

Anyway just my opinion but hope it helps!

[michellethegooner]

No you were not wrong to speak to parent, as a parent I would be furious if my c/m got another c/m to collect my child without my permission.

But there seems to be more than just this issue, i.e sharing information, leaving mindees unattended in car.

I would complain to Ofsted to be honest, as she had no right to ask another c/m note or no note to collect child without clearing it with parent first as for leaving kids in car..:angry:

[Pipsqueak]

I am sure the c/m had a very stressful and upsetting day yesterday and by the sounds of it she has tried to do things a bit right (sending another minder with a note) BUT you done exactly the right thing yesterday in phoning the mum.

I would send a letter to the childminder asking her to refrain from behaving like that in the future where there are children present and in your setting. Again explain (or enclose a copy of ) your safeguarding and acknowledge her stressful day and her attempts at doing things right but under safeguarding procedures you had to follow them for the welfare of the child.
Go on to make it clear to her that you are more than happy to talk with her and would be more than happy to share the learning journey information etc etc
(I would cc this to mum as well).

[mumof1]

You done just right, look at it this way, if you didnt fone the parent to ask for her permission then you would be the one in the wrong. You acted like any other responsible person would. And for the childminder, if there were problems with her car she should have found another way of getting there, its up to her to collect the child and not some other childminder (wat if something happened to him in the other childminders care!). If i was the parent of this child i would take him out of her care.

hope you get something sorted, and try not to worry to much abt it.:thumbsup:

[emler]

I think you did the right thing. The childminder was wrong to send someone else for the child without informing the parent or yourself. I can understand why the mum wasn't impressed.

[Andrea08]

yes the cm did things wrong but im sure she was under a lot of stress at the time,, but may it be a lesson to us all ,,,
tell parents in advance eg when sign contracts that you have an emergence back up childminder and if need you will call upon such person to collect chidren or stay with children if there was an emergence,,

i was in an emergency when a double pram broke in the street close to a friends ,, i had to leave the babies and toddler with her to take one child home as mum was waiting and to collect my car to fetch the mindees from my friends.

i wrote the day up for file and told parents what had happened and tehy were happy the children were left with some1 safe and some1 they knew,,

but you did the right thing as the cm should have your contact details but at least she did try with the note??? put in her shoes i think she has learned a lot and may make changes for the future to better her practice.

[Blue Boy]

Totally agree with everything that has been said. We unfortunately live in a world where childcarerers are being looked at very closely. This sort of incident gives us a bad name and can only put parents off form using our services.

You did the right thing and I am sure that 99.9% of childminders would have done the same.

Keep up the good work

Love
Mick xx

[Daddy Day Care]

Anyone could turn up with a scrap of paper and claim to be picking someone up, you had to contact the parent and well doen for doing it.

Saying that the nursery my daughter goes to wouldnt do that, quite often you see parents friends, picknig children up with no form of ID all you need there is the childs first name and they let you have them.

Gareth
xx

[FussyElmo]

Anyone could turn up with a scrap of paper and claim to be picking someone up, you had to contact the parent and well doen for doing it.

Saying that the nursery my daughter goes to wouldnt do that, quite often you see parents friends, picknig children up with no form of ID all you need there is the childs first name and they let you have them.

Gareth
xx

Our old nursery teacher (retired now) was terrible wouldn't release children if she did not know the person. Once I saw her ask Dad for id as she didn't know him.

You did exactly the right thing, the cm should have known that you would have queried it and rang the mum. I would if someone turned up here wanting to pick a child up and it hadn't been authorised.

She probably went off at you because the mum wasn't happy and needs someone to blame. Plus if she is leaving children in the car while she is collecting then she does need talking too about it:)

[Daftbat]

I agree that you totally did the right thing. If you had just let the child go with the other minder then the parent would be ranting at you and making a complaint against your nursery.

Isn't it always the case that the person in the wrong shouts the loudest?

[sarah707]

You did absolutely the right thing.

The childminder was in the wrong. Yes she was probably very stressed and upset about what had happened but she failed to put the needs of the child first and she failed to safeguard the child by informing parents of what was happening.

One of the first points in any childminder's emergency procedure should be to make every effort to contact parents / emergency contacts and keep them informed about what is happening. She did not do that.

I suggest you write it up in case of come-back.

[katickles]

I think you did the right thing definatly. Thats what we have our P&P's for.

This may sound daft, but what if this had been the mothers way of "testing" the nursery in some way?? I know it wasn't but you would have been in a heck of a lot of bother if it had been.