Giving information to new possible parents

**Kittycat** · 22-12-2014, 09:41 AM

I'm just wondering when a new parents comes to see you about possible childcare what info you give them

I had a lady last week pain leaving my house request I sent her via email my holiday info for this year and to email my policies
When she was at my house she looked over my policies for a long time reading it all

I'm just wondering if you hand out or email policies over on request?

**Mouse** · 22-12-2014, 10:46 AM

It makes a bit of a change having a parent who is interested in policies! I normally have to force them to read them and sign to say they have read & understood them! The only prospective 'parent' who I ever had interested in policies (in all my paperwork actually), was a new childminder doing the rounds and getting as much info as she could for her own business!

Has this parent said yet that she wants to use your service? I would be reluctant to spend a great deal of time on a parent who I didn't feel was likely to use me anyway, but if I felt this was a deal clincher I would ask which policies they wanted clarification on, then I would email the main ones to her. I wouldn't bother with any that weren't relevant (ie, a potty training policy if they had an older child).

When I have prospective parents come to visit I give them my policy folder to look through, although they're not usually interested. I then give them some info to take away, which includes a list of the policies I have. Once they sign up I give them copies of my main policies and a list of others that I have.

**KateA** · 22-12-2014, 04:02 PM

Hi, I would not be giving any potential parent a copy of my policy's they are welcome to look through them when they visit me or come back but I too have a had a potential childminder come round and completely wasted my time. (This person wanted a copy of every piece of paperwork I used which I found suspicious)

The same with my holiday dates would not advise of them unless conflicted with start date as you have no idea who these people are - long shot I know but have come round case the joint and they know when you are away. I would just say I have not arranged any holidays for next year yet.

**Kittycat** · 22-12-2014, 08:54 PM

I emailed her today and gave her my holiday dates which after reading this I kinda regret now

My policies I replied in my email that unless a new parent signed to my service that I do not email them over and that during the initial meeting I had given her the policies to look over which she had done & if she required any further info with them to get back in touch

She hasn't replied

Possible time waster ?

**CSR2014** · 22-12-2014, 10:58 PM

Hi,
I cannot believe that some prospective CM's are cheeky enough to visit other Childminders pretending to be parents!! They must have more faces than the Townhall clock!!
Why not be upfront and request support!!

**bunyip** · 26-12-2014, 11:28 AM

I let prospective clients see the policy pack at my house. I loan them a copy or will send by email if I've had the child record forms, consents, etc. back from them, at the point just before we sign contracts (or occasionally when I give them the forms to complete, if I'm feeling confident). Hardly fair to ask them to sign a contract without a good chance to study the policies.

If there's a new CM setting up and they ask for support, I'm generally happy to help. But I too find it unpleasant when they deceitfully pretend to be a parent. I only had this once, and she was very local. It has totally backfired on her. When prospective clients come to visit me, I always ask if they've anyone else to see. This gives me the opportunity to say, "if you see Xxxxxx, do ask why she came round here pretending to be a parent just before she set up in business." Lies have a way of coming back to haunt the liars.

Tbh, and I love the forum, so don't get me wrong, but I've had more concerns about having paperwork plagiarised by a string of people who join this forum, ask for loads of paperwork advice, or "can anyone let me see their.... x,y&z...." and invariably disappear once they've scavenged what they want from other peoples' hard work. I know of several cases where 'stolen' paperwork packs have ended up for sale on online auction sites.

It's also another reason why I stopped attending my local CM group. They were forever trying to steal my paperwork, presumably cos they don't consider it as real work, but can't be bothered to do their own to a decent standard. My erstwhile DO actually lectured me that I should be giving them my intellectual property under the thin guise of "sharing best practice". But when I suggested they share the effort of caring for my mindees for a few days in return, they decided, well, "that's different."

**mumofone** · 31-12-2014, 07:44 AM

This is really interesting as a few months ago I was due to return to work and was hunting around for childcare and I visited a very local childminder who I had every intention of using. I looked around, spoke to them and said I'd like to use them. My job then all went wrong and it turned out to be the catalyst for me deciding to set up as a CM myself but certainly wasn't why I had gone round to visit them. I know from their point of view though it will look like I was just scoping them out for ideas but I truley wasnt!