New & A Bit Confused!?!

[Beachbum]

Hi All!

I'm new to the forum, and also to childminding. I have a 14 month old son and since I have just been made redundant I have decided to start something fresh and childminding sounds ideal :clapping:

Anyway, I went to an information session my local council was running, got lots of bumpf and was told I needed to complete and ICP course, first aid, and food hygiene course. Sent off all applications but the courses are all booked until October! So, I've arranged to do the ICP course privately, which is costing me £200 (the council arranged courses are free in my area), if I do the online food hygiene course will that be sufficient or do I still need to attend a course? And also, the first aid, can I arrange to do this myself too? I didn't really want to pay out all this money for it but I can't wait til October to start earning.

Another thing, the police check, do I have to arrange that or should someone at the council be doing that or do OfSted? It's all so confusing!

Sorry to throw lots of questions out, I'm hoping someone can shed some light and stop me from worrying!

Beachbum xxx

[katickles]

I had to do a first aid that was arranged, couldn't have done any i wanted.

CRB checks - ofsted send you the forms & they check them on your inspection before you are registered.

There is a link somewhere on here about an on-line food hygine course to

Hope this helps in some way :)

[jmoff]

You can do icp and first aid within 6 months of registering...so if I were you I would wait until October . I had to wait for mine for ages as well.


You can do food hygiene whenever you want, dont think it is compulsory until september.

Hope this helps

Jana x

[Fifi]

Hi,
£200 for something you can get for free?
My advice would be to book your places on all the relevant FREE courses. Ofsted allow you time to do all these courses. I believe it's 6 months from the time you get your registration certificate. Also there is no guarantee that you will start earning as soon as you are registered. Depending on your area, sometimes you have to wait a while to get your first mindee

Ofsted will sort out the CRB checks which is free at the moment. Just send them all the forms and wait...patiently :)

useful info http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/assets/Internet_Content/Early_Years/childminding_guide.pdf

Good luck

[Banana]

I agree with Jana.

I would get your Ofsted registration completed and get booked onto the icp for october - you have 6 months from registering as c childminder to complete this aswell as the first aid. You will probabably be looking at a minimum of 8 weeks for the registration process to be completed and thats a very minimum - some people have taken 3,6,9, even 12 months tobecome registered!! (not trying to scare you) :)

Your first aid course has to be a paediatric one and usually arranged through your council but some people have done it through other organisations.


Your CRB checks are filled out by you and given to your inspector at your pre registration visit - Ofsted will then deral with this and pass it to thr CRB.

If you can book on a course for october - do it and save yourself £200! But you will have to make sure you pass the multiple choice exam within the timescale or your registration could be suspended.

Hope that helps

Good luck on your new business

xx

[chelle]

Hi thats good advice that everyone else has given you, i know it seems along way off but it will be here before you know it, good luck. :) :)

[sarah707]

From EYFS in September, you must have a first aid certificate ... 'at the point of registration'... and it must be a paediatric 12 hour course.


Hope this helps :D

[Beachbum]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate you replies.

I have been told by the training unit that I can't apply for a course until June and if I want to wait then I can't start any of the registration process until after June, hence why I have booked onto the private course.
I will wait for the first aid one and food hygiene until September, as I don't want to pay out if I don't have to have it straight away.

I know September won't take long to arrive but I can't afford to leave it really, especially since there is a lot of demand for childminders in my area at the moment and my friend is a minder waiting to send some children my way!

Thanks for helping clear a few things up though, I appreciate the support and advice, also, thanks for making me feel welcome, its a fab forum :thumbsup:

Beachbum x

[miffy]

I'm confused too now reading your last reply - I don't understand why you can't start the registration process as the others have said and then do the training

I think i'd make further enquiries if I were you - like Ofsted

Good luck

Miffy xx

[Beachbum]

I have no idea, they told me that OfSted would not allow me to start the process if I wasn't booked onto a course, which I can't do until at least June.

It's too late now anyway, as I've already applied and paid for the private course :mad:

Beachbum x

[Tatia]

Beachbum, I'd phone OFSTED cos that just doesn't sound right. You're supposed to have 6 months after reg to complete ICP. Maybe it's individual local authorities who make that decision? As Sarah mentioned, first aid will be manadatory from September so I think if I was gonna shell out for any course, it'd be the first aid and not ICP. If you do, just make sure it's a 12 hour paediatric first aid course.

How confusing!

Sorry, just read your last post. I'd ask if there's any way you can claim that money back from local authority. if not, then at least keep the recipt and put it through your books as an expense!

[chels55]

My local icp course was full when i enquired, so i went to mine on Saturdays18 miles away, otherwise i would have had to wait 4 months. Why dont you call NCMA and ask them about the icp corses futher afield. there was three people who didnt live in that area on my course and it was free

[Beachbum]

Now I'm even more confused! I've been told OfSted won't register anyone who has not completed or at least booked onto the ICP course, I can't book onto a course until June, and they don't run until September/October. All of the courses throughout the county are fully booked prior to the new release of courses.

Tatia, if I put it through the books do you mean that I won't pay tax on it or something? I've never been self employed so don't quite understand the accounts side of things yet!

I'm now starting to wonder what I've taken on, and if I'm doing the right thing :blush:

[Pauline]

You can do icp and first aid within 6 months of registering...so if I were you I would wait until October . I had to wait for mine for ages as well.


You can do food hygiene whenever you want, dont think it is compulsory until september.

Hope this helps

Jana x

ICP (or to be picky - the first unit of the Home Based Childcare course as it is now, must be completed :)), and also First Aid must be completed BEFORE registration once the EYFS comes into force in Sept.

Minders in our area who are registering now are being told they must do them first, not sure about other areas.

[Pauline]

Now I'm even more confused! I've been told OfSted won't register anyone who has not completed or at least booked onto the ICP course, I can't book onto a course until June, and they don't run until September/October. All of the courses throughout the county are fully booked prior to the new release of courses.

Tatia, if I put it through the books do you mean that I won't pay tax on it or something? I've never been self employed so don't quite understand the accounts side of things yet!

I'm now starting to wonder what I've taken on, and if I'm doing the right thing :blush:

We were posting at the same time, my reply above would probably explain why Ofsted won't start the registration process.

Don't worry that you are taking on too much, it will all become clearer later, and of course we are all here to help you, so don't worry!!!! :)

[Tatia]

Thanks for that info, Pauline. I'm going to call my network coordinator to find out what's going in this area.

[deeb66]

ICP (or to be picky - the first unit of the Home Based Childcare course as it is now, must be completed :)), and also First Aid must be completed BEFORE registration once the EYFS comes into force in Sept.

Minders in our area who are registering now are being told they must do them first, not sure about other areas.

Yes Pauline

Surrey is now the same.

Because of the many different problems of trying to get on courses etc our Early Years Team have developed a new system.

It is called CHiP.....CHildminding Introduction Programme.

It is basically replacing the ICP, the briefing meeting and First Aid.

What is happening now is people are attending a briefing meeting and booking straight onto the CHiP and could start that within a few weeks.

This new system has been approved by Ofsted, NCMA and will be endorsed by Cache.

Support Minders attended a brifing meeting about it a couple of weeks ago.....have to say it sounds fab as it cuts out having to book different courses and wait for an available space.

[Pauline]

Yes Pauline

Surrey is now the same.

Because of the many different problems of trying to get on courses etc our Early Years Team have developed a new system.

It is called CHiP.....CHildminding Introduction Programme.

It is basically replacing the ICP, the briefing meeting and First Aid.

What is happening now is people are attending a briefing meeting and booking straight onto the CHiP and could start that within a few weeks.

This new system has been approved by Ofsted, NCMA and will be endorsed by Cache.

Support Minders attended a brifing meeting about it a couple of weeks ago.....have to say it sounds fab as it cuts out having to book different courses and wait for an available space.

Thanks Dee, just goes to show that areas are differing doesn't it! Which just adds to the confusion. :rolleyes:

Sarah (sarahnev707) pointed out to me that the standards state training within 6 months, and it does, but it's definitely how they are doing it here. I know two prospective minders and Ofsted won't even visit them until they have completed First Aid and DHC/1

The only think I can think is that some areas are taking the guidance (the box below the specific legal requirements) which state: "Wherever possible, childminders should have attended a training course prior to or shortly after registration". and making "prior to" their statutory requirement.

Who knows? :o

[Pauline]

I think the title Beachbum chose for this thread could be changed to "old and a bit confused!!" for me! :panic:

[deeb66]

I think the title Beachbum chose for this thread could be changed to "old and a bit confused!!" for me! :panic:

You and me both!

It's a full time job trying to keep up with it all isn't it? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: