care to learn & parent

**jmorgan** · 11-10-2010, 02:19 PM

hi, I am working with a young parent & care to learn

. My problem is I have a parent who I dont believe a word she says alot of the time. I phone care 2 learn alot because we are STILL waiting for 2nd lot of forms to arrive, as of today I am on my 6th set being posted out, where are they going? Young parents address is the right one, we received summer retainer etc but this lot seem to be disappearing. Parent reckons she asked for them to be sent to her mums, but on checking she hasnt spoken to care 2 learn since may. Childminding co-ordinator from her college has also checked with care to learn who told her the same. Why is she lieing?? Should I tell parent childminding goes on hold until forms received or only work 1/2 her hours until they arrive.

I am owed 3 months money now & struggling.

I have worked with the care 2 learn scheme before it took a while to get set up, so I no it takes time but this is just bonkers

Any ideas???????

**jaja** · 13-10-2010, 05:49 PM

get care to learn to post them to you, or go into connextions and get a copy of them instead, care to learn are not my fave person to pay i am now due 9 weeks money but i have had the contract with mum so if they didnt pay then she is liable for the money if you see what i mean, explain that if this isnt sorted then she needs to find the money to pay you!!! that might make her shift her bum and get it sorted.

hope this helps
x
xx

**RachelE** · 13-10-2010, 07:23 PM

Have you read all of the current care to learn posts?

- they dont care!

But, I have had the best conversations of my 2 years with a lovely man called Jeremy. I had been asking for Kerry Nichols, who is a manager, but apprently she is busy with a back log and complaints!

So, Jeremy, told me to ask for him.
he is an older and more sensible bloke. I get a feel that they have a high turnover of staff and that their staff are very young and not very well advised.

You have to be firm. If you are told he is not available - demand a call back. And, then when you get him to call you back, list all your problems, demand to be paid asap and get them to chase stuff up now! It worked for me - and he did too.

Failing all this, have the email address of their regulator.
It may be the 3 page compliant I made to them, that has made Jeremy, my best friend

but it has worked!!

Good luck!
I wont take a child on this again, the parent and child has been fab, just C2L, who hasnt!

Rachel x

**LChurch** · 15-10-2010, 09:29 AM

I echo RachelE. YOu have to be firm with them and not stand for nonsense. I have had the forms posted to me before although they were unwilling to do it this year because of all the changes etc! I emailed the regulator yesterday and it seems that we are hopefully getting somewhere at last. Thanks Rachel.

I am sure that if we all keep complaining something will have to be done about this system that is quite clearly not working!!

**Nicky108** · 11-11-2010, 11:59 AM

I am having a similar problem with my c2l mum. She started with my in oct 09 and had no probs last year, she gave me new forms to fill out on the last day of the school year, the summer retainer and forms for this september, i gave them back to her so she could fill in her part 3 days later.
I got a letter from my bank last week telling my that i am overdrawn so checked my statements, the c2l payments haven't gone through. so i call c2l and they tell me that mum hasn't put the forms in yet

I get in touch with her and she tells me she will put the forms in on monday. Monday comes and she calls to tell me that she can't go to collage today as her benefits haven't been paid into her account so she has no bus fare, the irony of the situation must have escaped her. Finally puts the forms in last thurs. I get a call from learner support at the collage on tues,they have been phoning her with no answer so could i pass on a message, she didn't give them all the forms so i still won't be paid. The summer retainer form had to reach them by sept 31, so i'm guessing i won't see that.
As of today I am owed almost £1400.00, with c2l usually going in to my bank about 20th of the month so i can soon add another £400.
She got pulled in by the collage yesterday about her attendance, but hasn't gone in today

Will I still get paid if she gets kicked out of collage B4 the payments start? Any ideas, what can i do ?

Nicky

**LChurch** · 11-11-2010, 01:00 PM

Nicky. I would ring NCMA or whoever you are with for advice and Ofsted. I am still waiting for November's payment, I knew this would be the case as the Learner Provider is next to useless! I would also ring C2L and speak to a manager, put your foot down about it and ask them if they can do anything and get them to speak to the Leraning Provider etc. If you have been looking after the child I would guess they would have to pay you but if her attendance is flaky I would give her notice if you can fill the space with another child. I have felt like doing this but not because the mother is useless but because I am always doing all the chasing, it is the learner provider that is useless. If you don't get anywhere then speak to YPLA, once you get them on board things do start moving slightly, also they are the ones that are making it much harder this year because of the changes they made this year! More work put on all of us!!! Rachel and I have a contact at YPLA so if you don't get anywhere let us know.

**jayne** · 11-11-2010, 01:03 PM

Ihave had the same child payed by care2learn 2years now and never had any problems until now tha they have have changed all their forms am sick of ringing them have not had a penny yet and have had the child back since 14th September:

**LChurch** · 11-11-2010, 02:18 PM

Jayne

If you need the contact we have it YPLA just let Rachel or I know as we have had to do a lot of chasing and feel that we all need to complain since they changed the system. We have said the new system is not working for childminders as we are chasing it all the time. The problem is that they are now getting the learner provider to provide attendance records as well and if the learner provider is as useless as the one that my student goes to where there is appaently only one person who can do it in the entire college then you will keep having the same problem. I think because I complained to YPLA and got them involved because I pleaded that I had mortgages to pay etc they know not to mess with me now and i rang them up about this months pay and they said they were still waiting for the learner provider to send back the form etc. To cut an even longer story short they ended up phoning the learning provider and got the info from them so hopefully I should be paid on Friday. If I am not I will be hopping mad!

**LChurch** · 05-02-2011, 07:34 AM

Again Learner provider was late confirming attendance! SO I am now not being paid on time again. What are these people like, surely if we have the child then that is what matters!

**Kezzle** · 08-02-2011, 11:57 PM

I think i shall be making a note of never dealing with care to learn when the time comes for me to be a registered childminder.

**LChurch** · 10-02-2011, 04:40 PM

Please do not take any Care to Learn young parents on when you become a Childminder. IT will only crumble and have to change if we all agree not to take any more on! I know that once this student mum finishes I will not take any more care to learn students on.

**wendywu** · 10-02-2011, 05:10 PM

I would not touch them with a barge pole. I get paid in advance thats the bottom line :angry

Get in touch with your MPs and put in a complaint. The system needs to be changed at a higher level

**rickysmiths** · 10-02-2011, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by LChurch

Please do not take any Care to Learn young parents on when you become a Childminder. IT will only crumble and have to change if we all agree not to take any more on! I know that once this student mum finishes I will not take any more care to learn students on.

That is too harsh and i don't think you should be telling all cms to not take on Care to Learn students.

They are most definately not hopeless and these young mums mostly deserve a break. If they are prepared to go to college to get some qualifications so they can get a better job and a future they need poeple like us that they can trust with their children and support them through a difficult time in their lives. How would you feel if it was you daughter?

It isn't the students fault that C are to Learn are usless. The college by the way provides the attendance record not the student and the college send it off the same way we do.

Yes we should bash c to l to get them to get their systems in order but not in a way that disadvantages the student.

I am about to give them a mouthful via a letter and an invoice for bank charges incurred because of late payments. But that is the way to get at them, if we all write to them we of all people should know nothing happens by wranting in the background.

**rickysmiths** · 10-02-2011, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by wendywu

I would not touch them with a barge pole. I get paid in advance thats the bottom line :angry

Get in touch with your MPs and put in a complaint. The system needs to be changed at a higher level

Whe c to l works they do pay in advance.

**manjay** · 10-02-2011, 05:40 PM

I agree with RS. It does need to be sorted at a higher level but that is not the fault of the young Mum's who need this service. My normal payment terms are in advance but all my funded places get invoiced in arrears. I know I will get the money so I am able to work around it. Different obviously if it is your only or main income.

**wendywu** · 10-02-2011, 06:17 PM

I think an organization who allows a payee to be owed well over a £1000 and who owes payments from september 2010 is not fit for purpose and anyone is well within their rights to avoid them.

Why should any CM be phoning collages and chasing parents and C2L to get money which they have fairly earned.

**rickysmiths** · 10-02-2011, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by wendywu

I think an organization who allows a payee to be owed well over a £1000 and who owes payments from september 2010 is not fit for purpose and anyone is well within their rights to avoid them.

Why should any CM be phoning collages and chasing parents and C2L to get money which they have fairly earned.

I agree it is hard. You do not need to be in touch with the college though, just care to learn. Thats the point if everyone who has had a problem write to them, just like us they have to respond to complaints, the more professional complaints from a group of professionals that are sent to them, the more likely that something will have to be done.

Nothing is achieved by not taking on the mums and dads and preventing them from bettering themselves. Surely we want to set a good work ethic as an example?

Get writting everyone, lets bompard them! Oh and don't forget the invoices for Bank Charges and late fees.

**wendywu** · 10-02-2011, 06:53 PM

I still think getting the MPs to lobby in for the CM is a good idea. It is so easy to get to see your local MP and they can put the pressure on.

Mine helped me with Ofsted about 5 years ago

**RachelE** · 10-02-2011, 07:18 PM

I agree that it's great that these parents are bettering themselves. My 'mum' is training to be a nurse and doing a fantastic job.

But, I think its not acceptable to be treated like dirt, just to support these parents.

I have cried buckets, shouted - at C2L, my dh and kids - as I was wound up! I have spent hours on phone calls - spending time away from the children. I have got so stressed dealing with these people.

I do not treat this parent or child any differently - I do not give her a hard time for the dreadful treatment I have recieved. She apologises and I tell her not to worry.

I will advise people not to deal with Care to Learn. - I am not telling people not to deal with young parents, or that there is anything wrong with them - just C2L and I think the 2 are different.

Someting is gained by not dealing with them - my sanity and maybe getting paid - and on time!

Rachel x

**LChurch** · 10-02-2011, 09:20 PM

It is not the young people I agree although the one that I have needs parenting skills but that is another thing! But I would not take any other young person on that is going through Care to Learn. Why should I constantly be on the phone trying to sort it out when I have sent in the attendance sheet on time and the college have sat on their backsides and done nothing!

So I am sorry but I will not take any young parent coming through Care to Learn on and will recommend to any cm's not to either unless they want all the hassle I have had over the last 2 years.

We should be paid on time and that is the bottom line.

I have complained and I thought that things had been sorted but I am still having problems. At the end of the day we are paying for this scheme through our taxes.

Yes I agree that Mums should better themselves but at the same time I think that a lot of them should be doing parenting skills first before embarking on college courses etc.

Like Rachel - my sanity and my family's sanity is more important than having any involvement with Care to Learn!