Continuity of care
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  1. #1
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    Default Continuity of care

    I care for 4 early years children all part tme so they are all here for between 2 and 3 days, however one of the children needs an extra day but it is on a day when I already have 3 children. I have space under the no more than 6 under 8s rule as although i look after 2 under 8s and my own 6 yr old after school, 3 of the 1 yr olds leave at 3. I have the space, all the children know each other from other days so I am confident I can cope with the variation and all parents are happy for me to do so. My problem is in the school holidays I would have 7 under 8s if all children are here. My husband is self employed and my dad works from home so they are both happy to take my son so I am within ratio, but I am still worrying that Ofsted wouldn't accept this.

  2. #2
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    Could you just register your husband as your assistant, to give you peace of mind? If you are on the premises at all times he wouldn't even have to do the first aid training.

  3. #3
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    It is such a dilemma, trying to accommodate the families and keep your business going.
    Good idea Moggy about registering husband, it isn’t as easy now though. When I did it for DH last year we had to pay for another dbs as he didn’t have the ongoing one, all newly registered need this now and there is no way round it. I originally just put him down as husband and so his dbs apparently wasn’t the same as if he was an assistant ( despite the fact that he had an enhanced one from the LEA too). I couldn’t just change his status to assistant without this new dbs form applied for.
    A friend was inspected recently, her DH was down as assistant for numbers, just in case. The inspector asked to observe him and asked questions, ( although he was technically working from home on his day job) there was nearly an issue with his lack of knowledge about EYFS. He was under a bit of pressure, but they got through, her outstanding grade was changed to good as her leadership was questioned because of lack of training for DH. The inspector advised that she recorded the one to one sessions of ‘training’ she had given her husband under his professional development in the future. He didn’t require external training.
    When I had my inspection 3 years ago, DH wasn’t needed for numbers but he was around as he was my cook, cleaner, secretary and caretaker - and the children loved him and constantly interacted. I saw her talking to him and my heart flipped a beat, he was a great secondary school practitioner, but his knowledge of EYFS was limited to practical experience and listening to my chatter for 40 years...but he wowed her with his confidence, talked about menus and the daily register we keep. She did ask his qualifications and I had put all his certificates in with mine from his food technology teaching, he had a more recent food hygiene, allergy and first aid so she was ok.....but that was a few years ago and at that time he wasn’t registered as an assistant. ( so technically not part of the business I thought at the time, but since he was there all the time he took on those rolls to help my workload).

    I think there is a big emphasis on checking not just numbers when you go over for continuity but the impact this has on the care and education of all the children. They have reasons for keeping it to 3 . If you show you can manage the extra one well and they are all making good progress then you will be fine. I know several childminders who were inspected with continuity extra children and did well without registering an extra bod as an assistant. I expect it comes down to the group and personalities you have.

  4. #4
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    Also if you are going to go over 6 children remember your space requirements and some la's will expect planning permission.

    But remember as the others have said its not just having him as an extra person but there needs to be knowledge of safeguarding and the eyfs.
    When someone tells you nothing is impossible, tell them to go slam a revolving door

  5. #5
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    Mar 2016
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    Problem solved, kind of! i'll only have four early years for 1 and a half hours and i've arranged for this to be term time only so the 7 under 8s won't be an issue. Thanks for your advice.
    Amy

 

 

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