Agency consultation summary

[FloraDora]

Ofsted | Childminder agency inspection consultation: a report on the responses to the consultation

Interesting reading.

[Bumble Beez]

Hmmmm...thanks FloraDora

Sarah x

[loocyloo]

Thank you. Will have a read later x

[Simona]

Ofsted | Childminder agency inspection consultation: a report on the responses to the consultation

Interesting reading.

Amazing how Ofsted are already saying everyone backs them in their agencies plans....really?
would like to know how many responded?
The number of respondents for the previous agency consultation was....around 600!

[Simona]

Did cms support the agency plans?
The spin is already started

Childminders support Ofsted agency inspection plans | Children & Young People Now

[Mouse]

I really hate 'consultations' like this. The questions are loaded in such a way that you either have to agree with what they are saying, or give your own views, which are then ignored.

It's interesting to note that the consultation response has a section on "parents' views", but not one for childminders views! They obviously didn't want to release those!

As for "Childminders support Ofsted agency inspection plans", again, it's a bit misleading. How many people are going to read it that Childminders support agencies? The whole inspection process is going to be very misleading & confusing. Agencies will be judged on how well they support childminders, how well they strive to improve childminder standards etc. How can that compare with the inspection of an independent childminder that focusses on the learning and development of children? You could easily get an outstanding agency that offers lots of support, but is actually full of rubbish childminders

[Kiddleywinks]

I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter a jot what people say in these consultations, if too many don't like the proposals the consultation doesn't get published until one comes along that supports the proposals.... It's all fixed!

[Simona]

Unfortunately despite our loud and clear message that we do not want agencies only 600 people responded ...that means few cms bothered considering the consultation would have been opened to parents and many others in the sector.

Ofsted have been very clever in turning round and saying we support their plans and has the media ...very misleading but expected

The message now remains the same...stay out of agencies, stay independent and Ofsted registered

[FloraDora]

The lack of response where it matters has been something I have experienced the whole of my adult life!
I have constantly listened to moans and then when a voice might count, these same folk can't be bothered to make it.
Countless times I have stuck my neck out for a , what I think is, a popular voice only to find I am on my own because loads of people love to sound off but are not prepared to follow through an appropriate route to resolve an issue.
Given how many childminders there are 600 is a poor turn out I think, but then I always get cross at the turn out for elections too!
There are an awful lot more people talk but don't act than those who talk and then take action.

My lovely DH says its the way of the world.......but It still annoys me.

Thank you for this opportunity to get on my soap box.....perhaps we should have a ' Hide Park corner' on childminding forum - where we can have a therapeutic soap box soliloquy!

[Bumble Beez]

Hmmm...if we don't actively fight against agencies, we might as well be supporting them

Sarah x

[Simona]

More info here

Childminder agencies will be given 'no-notice' inspections | Nursery World

My personal view is that we have thought very 'actively' against agencies...this consultation had few responses but what about our comments in the Children and Family Bill before it become the 2014 Act?

what of all the letters/emails written to DfE and Truss and hundreds of MPs? I have a thick folder with them
what about petitions...meetings....the campaign started 2 years ago...I still have the T shirt printed with the logo when cms delivered leaflets at our local fair...somewhere there is a photo in Pacey local

What about the meetings with our MPs?...I met mine 3 times

I also think we fought against agencies but forgot that 'independent CMs' mattered too...letters and questions were dispatched on that too but only recently when we realised all was about agencies but nothing about cms who did not want them
Our so called allies ...the LAs ...eventually turned against us and many applied to become an agency themselves

It was always on the cards that agencies would become the law...now they are we need to keep out of them
The questions posed by the Alliance are the same I recall putting in a recently article and ...still no answer on those and only 3 months before it all happens

I think all cms have stood on their soapbox and rightly so...not just a few of them but many
the time to be proactive is right now by staying out of agencies....I think I may have a Tshirt with that message printed front and back

[Kiddleywinks]

If I remember correctly, this is the consultation that people were requested (from where I don't recall) to respond on each question's comments with 'I am/we are are against agencies' so I'm wondering if these responses have now been ignored or marked as 'spoilt' and so again the true feelings are able to be ignored?

[loocyloo]

If I remember correctly, this is the consultation that people were requested (from where I don't recall) to respond on each question's comments with 'I am/we are are against agencies' so I'm wondering if these responses have now been ignored or marked as 'spoilt' and so again the true feelings are able to be ignored?

I answered many consultations/surveys with the above refrain so can't remember exactly but I think this one had questions worded in such a way that any answer would/could be read as being in favour. :-(

[Simona]

Have there not been 2 consultations on agencies?...this one is about the inspection framework for agencies

[Kiddleywinks]

Yes, the first one they have refused to publish as 'not being in the public interest' - really? I was very interested in what the results were going to be, particularly as respondents were able to 'air their view' about agencies, and then this one with the 'loaded' questions - agencies are going to come (well, they were right about that) so how should Ofsted inspect them in relation to other settings - didn't a question have to be answered to be able to make a comment?

So it was more a case of, I don't want agencies but as they're coming ofsted should do a b or c, as there were no alternatives

[Mouse]

Yes, the first one they have refused to publish as 'not being in the public interest' - really? I was very interested in what the results were going to be, particularly as respondents were able to 'air their view' about agencies, and then this one with the 'loaded' questions - agencies are going to come (well, they were right about that) so how should Ofsted inspect them in relation to other settings - didn't a question have to be answered to be able to make a comment?

So it was more a case of, I don't want agencies but as they're coming ofsted should do a b or c, as there were no alternatives

From what I remember, it was pretty much like that.

Q. Do you agree that Ofsted should carry out unannounced inspections?
a. agree strongly
b. agree
.
.
e. disagree strongly.


Of course we want agencies to have unannounced inspections, so what option did we have when replying? We want things to be as difficult as possible for agencies, so will strongly agree with the statement, only for it then to be used to 'prove' that childminders agree with all the proposals. We really can't win, however we reply to these consultations

[loocyloo]

Yes, the first one they have refused to publish as 'not being in the public interest' - really?

I too would be very interested! I guess then that it didn't say what they wanted to say!!! Hence structuring a consultation that had to say what they wanted. :-(

[Mouse]

Yes, the first one they have refused to publish as 'not being in the public interest' - really?

I just don't understand how they can get away with saying that.

Surely if the public has taken enough interest to respond, it's their right to know what the result was

[Kiddleywinks]

I just don't understand how they can get away with saying that.

Surely if the public has taken enough interest to respond, it's their right to know what the result was

Apparently not Mouse, we're not deemed worthy enough to know, you know because we're just the mushrooms after all

[Simona]

As you now know the DfE has been made to do a UTurn on this and the results will be published...it does not mean they won't try again to hide results from us...keep your ears open

The consultation in question was the one about the 'ratio' that the DfE deemed not in our interest to know the results of

Good on Unison for pushing the issue...that is what unions are for!