Help please

[sfox2003]

Hi

Im new on here, I am currently on maternity leave (ends the end of Dec 09). Rather than going back to work I have decided to become a childminder. Im booked onto all the workshops & finish on the 22nd Oct. Just reading through your messages I notice that many of you have trouble getting your certificates from Ofsted. I was hoping to be all done & dusted and ready to go by November. Now im worried I wont be.

I need to be looking after children by December, because after this time I wont be earning & have no savings to fall back on.

I was going to start advertising in a few weeks to get some interest coming in. Do you think this is still ok to do?

Thank You for your help

Sarah

[little daisies]

you can advertise to get your name out there but you can`t take anyone on untill you get your certificate. my partners just registered he only waited a couple of weeks for his

[sarah707]

Hi Sarah welcome to the forum!

Depending on where you live, some people are not allowed to apply to Ofsted until they have finished their courses - I know that is the case in Cheshire.

Then you have to get on a 1st aid course unless it's part of your ICP.

Then you wait for Ofsted to come out... they go off with your CRB and CRBs for all your family over 16... they can take up to 3 months... plus doctor's checks which can take a while... then Ofsted have to get everything together, lose a few things, find them again and do your certificate which can take a week or 2... then you need insurance certificate in your hand.

You'll be pushing it for December to be honest although sometimes things go quickly.

Oh and just to note, some childminders have recently been told that they must not advertise until they are registered.

Hope this helps and you are enjoying the forum :D

[candy cat]

hi! i will probably sound negative,but i am still waiting for my crb and it was sent beginning of july and they reckon it will be back in a few weeks....on a positive note i know people have had it back really quickly! Good luck!!!

[sfox2003]

Thanks everyone. Im quite worried now. Christmas is a bad time to be without money!!!!!

Sounds like it will just be a case of fingers crossed. I cannot have my ofsted check until Ive completed my workshop so that will be w/c 19th Oct. I will have done my first aid by then too & got my doctors checks done myself.

But Ofsted will need to do my CRB checks & that sounds like it can take a while. I thought about starting to advertise end Oct/beginning of Nov.

Its a grey area, basically im in the hands of Ofsted arent I (arent we all)?

Do you think it may be worth phoning Ofsted & asking them what their waiting times are like at the moment? Or does it change all the time?

Did you all keep contacting them to keep pushing it along?

The lady from the Local Authority said to us last week at the briefing session if we are in a rush to get registered it could be done within 3 months, Im starting to wonder if she was exaggerating though.

Thanks again

Sarah

[singlera]

The inspector who did my pre-reg visit said that all registrations have to be completed within 12 weeks, but most are a lot quicker. She also said that this time of year is better for getting registered as most people go through it over the summer holidays!
As for CRB checks, some come back really quickly and some take a while depending on your address history and whether you have had one before!
Things can take longer if you need to get clearances from abroad too. My partner lived in New Zealand for 9 months so we have to get a criminal records check from there too!!
Good luck and hope you are up and running by Dec.
Ria

[legtc01]

Hi, Im also pre-reg and got toldthat it is illegal to advertise before you actually become registered, although word of mouth is not and telling people you are pre-reg isnt illegal, putting up flyers etc is. Hope you get things sorted, Im hoping to have completed my pre-reg, paediatric first aid and food hygeine all by the 1st week of november.
Hope you get things sorted :-)

[Lainey Lou]

Hiya, sounds like everyone is different with regard to the time it all takes, I was one of the lucky ones and things went thru quite quickly, did workshop course in the Jan, think Ofsted came out in Feb (I hadn't done first aid course but was booked on one in the Mar which they were ok about), CRB checks and medical checks seemed to go okay and was registered by April. Hope it all goes okay for you x

[Vickie]

Thanks everyone. Im quite worried now. Christmas is a bad time to be without money!!!!!

Sounds like it will just be a case of fingers crossed. I cannot have my ofsted check until Ive completed my workshop so that will be w/c 19th Oct. I will have done my first aid by then too & got my doctors checks done myself.

But Ofsted will need to do my CRB checks & that sounds like it can take a while. I thought about starting to advertise end Oct/beginning of Nov.

Its a grey area, basically im in the hands of Ofsted arent I (arent we all)?

Do you think it may be worth phoning Ofsted & asking them what their waiting times are like at the moment? Or does it change all the time?

Did you all keep contacting them to keep pushing it along?

The lady from the Local Authority said to us last week at the briefing session if we are in a rush to get registered it could be done within 3 months, Im starting to wonder if she was exaggerating though.

Thanks again

Sarah

Hi Sarah, I started the briefing sessions with my local authority back in April, like you I asked how quick I could move things along, and they more or less laughed at me. I'm sure everyone is different, but at the moment I am still waiting for my CRB checks everything else they have received. Like you I need to start earning like several months ago, and things are tight! And I still haven't advertised yet for mindies!! Good luck, every area is different!:thumbsup:

[nikkia77]

I thought the same thing, having worked in nursery/pre-school for 5 years I thought it would be a breeze, maternity leave started april 08, courses done between may 08 & nov 08 (all earliest I could get on), started advertising feb 09, ofsted reg as of 16th march 09, finally got some mindees & started childminding last monday (28/09/09):eek: :eek: , not to put you off but it's been a b****y hard 18 months from start to finish, we really tightened our belts at the begining but we've still used all our savings, gone into the overdraft & had no end of rows & i'm not even in a position at the moment to say whether it was all worth it or not :huh: :huh: