Petrol station dilemma

[carolyn01]

Hello,

I have been ofsted reg for 12 years and never had a problem or complaint until I took on two children (6 yrs and 2 yrs old). Basically I had to give notice after 3 weeks as I found picking up 6 year old rom school didn't fit in with other children I had and too demanding. Parents were fine and I was working notice period when had a phone call from dad saying his son had said I had left them on own in car. I said the only time I had done that was paying for petrol when I was in and out in 2 minutes and didn't see the point in getting three children out of a locked car to pay. He said he would even if it had taken 5 more minutes? Am I wrong to leave them in the car (locked)? I have always done this over the past 12 years and thought it safer than dragging them across a forecourt into the shop. Also part of me thinks dad was looking for an excuse not to pay notice period as I apologised and let him off?

[Smiley]

Please change your practice immediately as its not acceptable to do this as a childminder. Yes it's a pain getting them in and out of the car and takes time, easier at petrol stations where you pay with card at the pump. Obviously the safest solution is to get fuel outside of minding hours

[cathtee]

I wouldn't leave a child in a car for any reason, I would always get my fuel when I have no mindees with me. I would never forgive myself if something happened

[FussyElmo]

Ok you have made a mistake now move on.

I would say even though the dad has now left treat it as a complaint reassess your Ra's and change them either ra and say how you will leave them in the car. (Not sure how you can safety so this) Or how you will now attempt to get petrol when you have no mindees or will take them with you, pay at the point etc.

Its one of those grey areas where its hard to determine which is the right way especially as a good percentage of people would leave their own children in the car.

[~Grasshopper~]

as a childminder you should never ever leave a child alone.

as a parent i wouldnt do it either. i drive further away to tesco to pay at the pump or try to go when im alone.

anything could happen.

x

[gegele]

well i have RA in place in which i state that in the event that i need to put petrol in car with minded children in car i would leave them in the car.

i think it's more dangerous to try to walk 3 to 6 children around cars, walking on spillage when they would be a lot safer in the car.

it's not a convenience choice, it's a safety choice. I don't get my own children out of the car as i find the car fume more dangerous, the vehicle pulling from behind and try to squeeze between lane, the loony who pull in too fast without thinking children could be there....

I park at the pump in front of windows even if it means queuing longer.

I do try to have petrol in car but we're human and not all Mary Poppins with super organisation skills which cover ALL eventuallity.

this week we did 4 outings, I did nearly 200miles i didn't plan on last outings and had to fill petrol pump.

I work until 7pm every night and do not always fancy popping out to pull petrol in knowing we will drive past in the morning.

the pay @pump garage is 8miles away!! I'm not driving 16miles for nonsense.


what is the big risk? car auto combusting? i'm sorry but it's far more likely that a car is going to lose control and climb curb and drive on children... i know of 4incident like this happening in 4years, once where my daughter was with her childminder and a baby died in the buggy YET I still walk on pavement.

[sweets]

well i have RA in place in which i state that in the event that i need to put petrol in car with minded children in car i would leave them in the car.

i think it's more dangerous to try to walk 3 to 6 children around cars, walking on spillage when they would be a lot safer in the car.

it's not a convenience choice, it's a safety choice. I don't get my own children out of the car as i find the car fume more dangerous, the vehicle pulling from behind and try to squeeze between lane, the loony who pull in too fast without thinking children could be there....

I park at the pump in front of windows even if it means queuing longer.

I do try to have petrol in car but we're human and not all Mary Poppins with super organisation skills which cover ALL eventuallity.

this week we did 4 outings, I did nearly 200miles i didn't plan on last outings and had to fill petrol pump.

I work until 7pm every night and do not always fancy popping out to pull petrol in knowing we will drive past in the morning.

the pay @pump garage is 8miles away!! I'm not driving 16miles for nonsense.


what is the big risk? car auto combusting? i'm sorry but it's far more likely that a car is going to lose control and climb curb and drive on children... i know of 4incident like this happening in 4years, once where my daughter was with her childminder and a baby died in the buggy YET I still walk on pavement.

[EmmaReed84]

I can count on one hand how many times I have had to get petrol with mindees in the car. I go to the same garage all the time and they know, I usually pay by card when on my own. I have to go with mindees I pop to the cash machine, which I can park outside it, literally open the car door and it is there. I then drive on to the station, park at the bay closest to the shop, run in and throw my money at them, shouting thank you as I leave... I am less than 5 seconds... but like I said I know them and they just laugh at me when I do it.

[Mrs.L.C]

The rules are you must be able to see or hear the children at all times so if you could see the children in the car and they are all strapped in etc then I don't see the problem. If you could see them then if anything happens then you could be there within seconds, the same as when they are in the playroom for example and you are in the kitchen making lunch

I agree that taking the children out would be more of a danger unless you couldn't see them

[sophia36]

The rules are you must be able to see or hear the children at all times so if you could see the children in the car and they are all strapped in etc then I don't see the problem. If you could see them then if anything happens then you could be there within seconds, the same as when they are in the playroom for example and you are in the kitchen making lunch

I agree that taking the children out would be more of a danger unless you couldn't see them

Well said, I usually use pay at pump but If I need petrol and its pay in shop only I put petrol in drive + park in front of shop, lock car and go in and pay. I always leave car where I have uninterrupted view the entire time I am in shop. I think it's far too dangerous to walk minded children accross a forecourt. You always get some impatient driver who tries too squeeeze through the parked cars.

[carolyn01]

thank goodness there are some people out there who see things the way I do! Of course I can see them in the car, and it is safer to leave them than drag two 2 year olds and a 6 year old into the shop to pay! I won't be changing my practice and will continue to do this if I have to put petrol in with children in the car. Honestly, I think the world is slowly going mad - I have a ra in place and don't see any problem with doing this.

[gegele]

just explain point your RA to further parent, esplain why you choose to not let children out of the car. explain that you will always try to have your car filled with petrol BUT you MAY at time require to go to the petrol station....

i do agree with your view on the world. surely there's more risk of a mad man coming and rob the shop than the car burning down. and in the event of an armed man coming in shop i'd rather not have children there!!

[Mrs.L.C]

I dont actually think you are meant to let the children out of the car either due to the fumes?

[LauraS]

We have genuinely never left the children in the car to go into the shop and pay, and never would, nor have we taken kids into the petrol station. Either we pay at pump, or fill up when there are no kids or when DH and I are both in the car. I'd be really unhappy if I were the parent to be honest.

I agree that it's unsafe to take the children across the forecourt, but then if the car is kept full and filled outside minding hours, it shouldn't be necessary to - unless you are doing more miles than a full tank of petrol allows for in a single day?

[Wheelybug]

I can remember at my initial pre-reg childminding course we were told not to leave the children in the car when paying for petrol, which I could never quite understand as I agree with others that have said it is far more dangerous to negotiate a petrol forecourt with several children in tow. Personally I have always left my own children in the car when I pay for petrol. The doors and locked, they are strapped in their seats, not eating or drinking and I've always used the local station where I can see the car clearly whilst I pay.

Cathy
http://www.facebook.com/#!/CathysChildminding
www.pre-schoolplay.blogspot.com

[Katiekoo]

It'a a personal choice and I can see that if you've risk assessed it and are happy to leave them, it's fair enough, I might ask parents permission when they start but it's probably not necessary.
There are some (older) children that I'd never trust to be left in the car, who knows what they'd get up to!
I can honestly say I have never taken minded children to the petrol station, and I have only once left my own dd asleep in the car at a very tiny rural petrol station, where there were no other cars about, but I didn't feel right about it and decided I never would again.
I feel strongly that my dd should be with me, and if I had to take mindees to the petrol station I'd take them in with me too. I like to feel that if something happened at least they'd be with me, but there are risks either way. I really hate seeing children left unattended in car parks and I have been known to wait near them until an adult returns, to make sure they are ok.


Good for you though sticking to your way of doing things. I think there's far too much 'you should do it this way or that way' in our job, and actually you sometimes have trust your own judgement.

[smurfette]

Yep, I do leave them in a locked car where I can see them,I mind three under three, I can't take them all out safely and across the forecourt, and one could be asleep I am not going to wake them for what is a couple of minutes. Over here as I have often said we are less regulated, but I think it allows a more home from home environment in a way, we do things like we do as parents, and the mindees parents trust us to do this! some of my parents don't even ask what little ones have had to eat, i do a daily diary but the odd day I don't get time(here it is not necessary just something nice to do for parents) ... as long as child has been fed, entertained and happy when collected, surely this is our job?? I feel sorry for you having to second guess yourselves and question and ra everything you do, sometimes as pp said its gone mad, but of course this is the system you are working with and the comeback is so big if anything goes wrong for you. (So not criticising you, but thinking perhaps there is a happy medium between your system and ours!), rant over

[rickysmiths]

We have genuinely never left the children in the car to go into the shop and pay, and never would, nor have we taken kids into the petrol station. Either we pay at pump, or fill up when there are no kids or when DH and I are both in the car. I'd be really unhappy if I were the parent to be honest.

I agree that it's unsafe to take the children across the forecourt, but then if the car is kept full and filled outside minding hours, it shouldn't be necessary to - unless you are doing more miles than a full tank of petrol allows for in a single day?

I agree. My RA says I always make sure the car has enough petrol before we leave. If for some reason I have to get petrol then the children all come out of the car with me no exceptions.

Why would I leave them when I paid for petrol any less than leaving them in the car to pop into a shop to pick up milk or bread? I would never do that either.

I'm afraid I do see the parents point and why they have have expressed a concern.

I would reflect and perhaps state in your car risk assessment that from now on you will only fill up with petrol out of minding hours. But if you have to you will take the children with you.

I know it is extreme but there was a woman not that long ago who pulled into her friends drive to deliver something, got out of the car and was talking, children in the car but in view and the car burst into flames. Cars have also been stolen on car fore courts and children have been abducted from cars and died in cars when parents have just 'popped' into a shop.

[Mrs.L.C]

I think popping into a shop is very different and agree should not be done...you cant see them

We have no pay at pump around here or near by. I tend to fill up at weekends or when OH is with me but when I was a single mum I had no other choice but to leave my daughter in the car to pay for petrol as I would not expose her to the danger of other drivers or the fumes

Again I will point out that any child walking across the forecourt are inhaling petrol fumes

Maybe its another thing we need to get parents to sign. The worlds gone mad

[nikki thomson]

I have to say I do leave the children in the car when I pay for petrol always have always will, I think there's very few people who do take there children out of the car. I know with mindee's it's slightly different and in an ideal world yes we would but we don't live in that world.
I've heard all the arguments before, cars blowing up, cars being stolen but there always in sight, car locked and modern cars can't be taken without keys, also yes again we could fill up weekends, finished work etc but let's be honest not always possible, we have pay at pump but not always working and I'm not dragging six children across a forecourt.
There will be people who disagree with this but you can't please all of the people all of the time, abit of common sense needed. X