Parents visiting whilst I am minding??

[shelly03]

Hi please can you help me, I have a parent urgently looking for a full time place. The lady phoned me on wednesday and needs somebody as of next week I tried to arrange an appointment with her but she couldnt make it (due to work) Therefore the only time she can call is tomorrow however I will have my daughter and one mindee. I have been thinking about this all night with regards to child protection. I will get the lady to sign visitors book, but not sure if I should let her come. Do you guys let parents visit whilst minding? I used to work in a nursery and of course parents came for a show around all the time. This just feels different as I am on my own and it is inviting a stranger in to my own home really.
Am i just being overly cautious?

Fact of the matter is, if she doesnt come I will lose business. I usually have visits in the evening and child free. I will not be going through contracts or any paper work as I will be caring for the children. Its more of a chat and an insight to my setting.

What would you do?

[Merry-Minder]

I think thats totally fine. As long as you never leave your mindees alone with this parent, I would also get them to sign your visitor book.

Good luck - hope you get them.xxx

[moogster1a]

yes, I think you're being over cautious.
I really dislike this culture that's grown up over the last few years that everyone should be treated with suspicion.
believe me, you'd have to be very unlucky to have found a paedophile or child murderer who wants to come to your house, and is prepared to assault young children whilst you're in the same room!
By the way, what good does a visitor book actually do? Unless you're going to ask people for passport or biometric evidence to back it up, people just sign any name they want.
Let's get back to assuming most people aren't kiddy fiddlers.

[BlondeMoment]

I always get parents to visit when I've got mindees. Think it lets them see how I am with the other children and see that they are happy etc. Evenings are mine LOL! But I always arrange a "calm" free play session so I am free to chat to the parent.

I don't think we need them to sign a visitors book unless they stay more than 2 hours?

[Playmate]

As others have said we have parents come to see us when we have midees. It lets them se how we operate and how we interact with them. We also get them to sign the visitors book ad ensure that they are not left alone with the mindees, which is easier for us as there is two of us.

Good luck let us know how it goes:thumbsup:

[angiemog]

Hello,
For the first visit I generally request for them to come in a evening. I then invite them back for a short visit when I have mindees. Obviosly this is a differenr situation, I would let her come if it was me. x

[AliceK]

I've always had them come during minding hours. I think as a parent I would want to see what the environment and atmosphere was like during a normal day. They can come and sign contracts and do all the paperwork in the evenings or weekends as it's easier and quieter :laughing:

xxxxxx

[Millenium]

I find it a good idea to have a one-to-one meeting to do the "business bits and pieces" and then a second meeting in the thick of things so they can see you at work.

Whilst the mindees family need to be comfortable about the home they are planning to leave their child in, I also often request a meeting at the home of the mindee as I believe it as important for you to be comfortable about the home they are coming from and I like to meet all members of their family.

[singlewiththree]

If you work long hours then sometimes its the only way a parent can visit. I have had to do it twice so far and its worked out well as they see the house messy rather than tidy so they have low expectations :laughing: The parents who have seen it tidy seem to get a shock when their child starts coming. :cool:

[EllaBella]

I always get parents to visit when I've got mindees. Think it lets them see how I am with the other children and see that they are happy etc. Evenings are mine LOL! But I always arrange a "calm" free play session so I am free to chat to the parent.

I don't think we need them to sign a visitors book unless they stay more than 2 hours?

I get visitors to sign the guest book wether they are here for 2 minutes or 2 hours, remember its to protect us aswell and abuse can happen in a second, everyone needs to sign it if they are visiting and you have mindees.:thumbsup:

I also do visits from parents during the day, they get to see us in full swing lol :laughing:

[maryp0ppins]

Hi please can you help me, I have a parent urgently looking for a full time place. The lady phoned me on wednesday and needs somebody as of next week I tried to arrange an appointment with her but she couldnt make it (due to work) Therefore the only time she can call is tomorrow however I will have my daughter and one mindee. I have been thinking about this all night with regards to child protection. I will get the lady to sign visitors book, but not sure if I should let her come. Do you guys let parents visit whilst minding? I used to work in a nursery and of course parents came for a show around all the time. This just feels different as I am on my own and it is inviting a stranger in to my own home really.
Am i just being overly cautious?

Fact of the matter is, if she doesnt come I will lose business. I usually have visits in the evening and child free. I will not be going through contracts or any paper work as I will be caring for the children. Its more of a chat and an insight to my setting.

What would you do?

My newiest mindee's parents came when i was working...This is why they choose me out of several others. They said they loved the way i was with the lo's & how i dealt with them when a problem arose. They liked the fact i got them to sign & date the visitors book too. We made a date for the actual signing of contracts in the Evening/weekend to suit us both.
I think if there is a risk you may loose business from not having a meeting during your working you should not worry to much & go 4 it..

Good luck x

[teacake2]

I always invite visits while I am working so that they can see what it is like to be here with the other children around. Evenings are my time and I only do them or weekends as a last resort.
Teacake2

[newandlearning]

I always have mindees and parents visit whilst I'm working.. I think its good to give parents a live environment to see.. and also you can see how well the prospective parents and mindee could fit in with your current setting. I have 3 under 3's here sometimes and it can be hard to conduct a fluid interview but all my new parents like having time to muse through my paperwork whilst I look after the mindees.. its give them time to see how I work..x:)

[aly]

I also have parents come for a visit during minded times...paperwork usually when I'm not though.

Is it possible you could do the paperwork {if you cant do it when not working} when either kids are sleeping or quiet times when they can play on their own etc??


I find it a good idea to have a one-to-one meeting to do the "business bits and pieces" and then a second meeting in the thick of things so they can see you at work.

Whilst the mindees family need to be comfortable about the home they are planning to leave their child in, I also often request a meeting at the home of the mindee as I believe it as important for you to be comfortable about the home they are coming from and I like to meet all members of their family.

I don't see why that would be relevant, meeting other family members.

[Beetlejuice]

All prospective parents come during working hours and they see me with the mindees which I think helps. One parent actually chose me for that reason - she saw me dealing with my DD1 who was being and out-and-out nightmare during the interview and she said it was seeing how I handled it that made her choose me:D When it comes down to contracts etc I go to their houses in the evening so I can meet the rest of the family (more often than not it's Mum who comes to visit and I like to meet Dad too) and we can do the business stuff without being interrupted by the kids.

[Zoomie]

I appreciate that it is good for parents to see us in action, but you are inviting a total stranger into your home.

I once had a phone call from a foreign speaking dad, who asked lots of questions but also knew what road I lived in (thanks to FIS website). I did not feel comfortable and refused to give him my house no (there are only 10 houses on the road) as he would not give me his contact number or address. It just made me stop and think, who am I inviting into my house, and just because it may be a woman calling, whose to know it isn't a con.

As a safety measure, for parents who are completely unknown to me (as opposed to parents who know someone I already know or mind) I insist on full contact information (address and tel numbers) and I now drop a leaflet through their door together with a note on my actual my address (we can arrange actual meeting time on the phone). I also tell my DH who is coming, where the contact details are and what time I expect them to be gone. The same goes if I visit the parents at their own home.