Minding grand children

[primula]

Hi All,
Does anyone know if you have to do the same paperwork etc for minding grandchildren that have free places as you would for fee paying minded children? Thanks.

[natlou82]

Hopefully someone more knowledgable will come along to help, all I can tell you is I personally do all of the required paperwork for my nephew as Mum pays me and we keep our situation very businesslike. If you are not charging I'm not certain of the rules.

[moggy]

If you are claiming the FE money from your LA as their childminder I can not see how you can treat them any differently to any other mindee. I think you would need to discuss this with your LA and read the FE contract you have with them very carefully.

[blue bear]

Ofsted are not interested in paper work for grandchildren such as learning journals.
I'm sure insurance would expect you to have child's details, contact details, parent responsibility etc as per eyfs requirements.
Local authority would require learning journals if child receiving free education (2,3and 4 year old free education)

[moggy]

Ofsted are not interested in paper work for grandchildren such as learning journals.
...

...even if they are fee-paying mindees taking up EYFS places?
And if only minding grandchildren at inspection would that lead to no EYFS grading and only a 'met/unmet' childcare register grade (so 'no EYFS children on role?')?
I do not know the answers but it is an interesting thought and must effect many CMers who care for their own grandchildren.

Do LAs 'require learning journals'? I do not know... even Ofsted do not 'require learning journals' as such but have learning and development requirements (does not have to be a journal format or even written -except for the 2-yr check). Can LA request to see LJ or evidence of such...?? Can they withdraw funding if they think the CMer is not fulfilling the EYFS requirements? I guess so.

It all comes down to your LA, the FE contract you have signed with the LA and exactly what it requires in there.
I hope they are able to answer your question.

[bunyip]

I regular mind my grandchildren (free of charge).

It depends what paperwork you mean, and whether you mean "free" as in you just don't charge the parents, or as in funded by a third party (eg. employer or LA.) Circumstances alter cases.

You would need to record their attendance as they count against your ratios for all children present. I would also record any accidents/incidents involving them. The reason being that if my grandson, for example, can hurt himself on something, that represents an extant risk to any minded child. It also meets the general duty of "due diligence" for insurance, etc. Also remember that your home is legally now a "workplace", so you are obliged to record accidents/incidents by HSE and associated legislation.

When I started CMing, I actually did all the EYFS paperwork, including LJs, etc. for my grandchildren (I had only 1 'proper' mindee at first.) I doubt whether this was really necessary, but I found it helped me to practice doing it, and helped me to reflect and improve on how I might improve. My Ofsted inspector said this wasn't necessary, but liked the way I'd gone about it and used it to improve the service. So for me it was useful at the time, though it naturally fell away when I got more mindees.

[moggy]

...even if they are fee-paying mindees taking up EYFS places?
And if only minding grandchildren at inspection would that lead to no EYFS grading and only a 'met/unmet' childcare register grade (so 'no EYFS children on role?')?
I do not know the answers but it is an interesting thought and must effect many CMers who care for their own grandchildren.

Do LAs 'require learning journals'? I do not know... even Ofsted do not 'require learning journals' as such but have learning and development requirements (does not have to be a journal format or even written -except for the 2-yr check). Can LA request to see LJ or evidence of such...?? Can they withdraw funding if they think the CMer is not fulfilling the EYFS requirements? I guess so.

It all comes down to your LA, the FE contract you have signed with the LA and exactly what it requires in there.
I hope they are able to answer your question.

Oh, do you mean 'free places' as in mum not paying? Sorry, I thought you meant Free Entitlement places!

[primula]

Oh, do you mean 'free places' as in mum not paying? Sorry, I thought you meant Free Entitlement places!

Hi, Yes free as in the parents don't pay! It is actually a childminder friend of mine, we debated it because I cant see that if you don't get paid and the kids are your own grandchildren that you would have to do the same as you would for your paying minded children? The grandkids do take up spaces! but that's her choice! She is a saint!!

[hectors house]

I have my grandson (for free) on a Friday, I have always treated him the same as mindees during my working hours and take photos and do a Learning Journal (on-line) same as the mindees - not for Ofsted but for his parents. I told my Ofsted inspector that I look after 5 children plus my grandson, she wrote on my report that I have 6 EY children on role.