Had a letter from my local council stating that as from 1st Jan it is no longer our responsibility to register as a food business - ofsted will notify on our behalf
Food Standards Agency - Childminders
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Had a letter from my local council stating that as from 1st Jan it is no longer our responsibility to register as a food business - ofsted will notify on our behalf
Food Standards Agency - Childminders
Well there's one less job to then! :)
Thank you for sharing!...how surprising that Ofsted is taking this responsibility on in relation to CMs...makes me wonder why start now?Quote:
Originally Posted by christine e
but if it is something less we have to do that is good news and yes it does reduce bureaucracy for CMs..
I have recently had a conversation with my local environmental officer who implied that a number of childminders often need a visit because they don't always have the h&s of a food premises in their thoughts and need a lot of support to achieve the high standard required in a home setting. Also that a lot of childminders in our area neglect to register and so are off their radar.
I would think the latter may be the reason for an automatic registration ...ofsted never do anything just to help us!
( this conversation took place over the phone as the officer was extremely happy with my knowledge and everything we had put in place .....thankyou DH who has trained me well...he used to be a food technology teacher!)
What you say about visits Flora Dora is covered in the article...I am sure this will help LAs more than CMs but I welcome the move it is up to them to contact new Cms rather than CMs having to chase the LAsQuote:
Originally Posted by FloraDora
''Registering with Ofsted
If you register your childminding business with Ofsted, and you plan to provide food as part of your normal childminding service, the details you provide to Ofsted will also be used to register you as a food business. This means that your registration details held by Ofsted will be available to your local authority, and you will not have to register separately as a food business with your local authority. This allows childminders that provide food, to have their premises registered with the environmental health service of their local authority, which is a legal requirement.
After being registered as a food business you may have a food safety inspection. This would be carried out by your business’s local authority. They are responsible for food safety in your local area. If your childminder business does need an inspection, a food safety officer will contact you to arrange a suitable time to visit. The officer will talk about food hygiene and food safety to help make sure the food you give to any children is prepared, stored and handled safely.
I would hate this to have happened to me. It is not hard to do ourselves but if we do we have the option to choose a a name that appears on the records that are available to the public and therefore not be easily identified as a Childminder if we choose not to be. This is what I have done as I don't want my home address in a public forum attached to my childminding business as I feel I am vulnerable working on my own in my home with other people's children.
I see this as a step towards removing our independence and potentially making it harder for us to remain sole traders.
For this reason I do not have my name and address attached to my Ofsted Report Online and I think it is very wrong on Child Protection Grounds that Ofsetd have done what they have done.
Thank you for sharing, I was just about to fill in the forms!
I feel you are concerned about this but not sure why? it is a genuine question so please do not take it wrongly.Quote:
Originally Posted by rickysmiths
I see this as a move to reduce our burden at registration and Cms having one less worry but would like to know why you are concerned?
I too have not given permission for my name to go public by Oftsed...I wish to retain some degree of protection and privacy from them as it was agreed years ago...parents will find me if they try hard enough.
Please share your concerns if you can
If I'm reading that correctly it only applies to childminders registering with ofsted after 1 January 2014 so, for those of us registered before then it is still our responsibility to notify if we are preparing/serving food.Quote:
Originally Posted by christine e
Miffy xx
Good point Miffy... for those CMs who have been registered a while it should now be in placeQuote:
Originally Posted by miffy
Some LAs approach the CMs directly...all that is required is to fill in a form and then we are approved and every year our registration is automatically renewed...visits are carried out only in certain circumstances
Other LAs may have a different approach...this has been a requirement for a while so why are we still struggling with a simple process?
It shows there is no will to make the system universal and simple so now Ofsted has stepped in ...I can't see why it will be easier but let the LA...or Health dept...do it this way now and see if it becomes simpler
Ofsted will inform the local dept which is exactly what our LAs used to do when a cm became registered because Ofsted would inform them
Or is this another bit of rhetoric to show the govt is trying to simplify things for CMs at registration?
Yes but then it is one less thing for newly registered childminders to have to do now which is good newsQuote:
Originally Posted by miffy
For the same reason I have not given permission for Ofsted to publish my name and address on my report I did not give permission to the EHO. They have to print you address as you are a Food Business and this appears on a list online that anyone can look at. I therefore chose an obscure business name so I do not appear as a childminder with my own name on the list. If the responsibility for registering is taken away from us as individuals, so will this option be taken away.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simona
I feel it is my right to choose where and when my address, name and the fact I am a childminder are published in the public domain not anyone else's it is a dangerous slippery slope if this situation changes. At present none of these facts can be found online together about me and that is the way I wish it to stay. i work very hard protecting myself online. I know when a similar question arose a few years ago a member on here said she knew me and would find all the info on line and she couldn't.
Registering with EHO is hardly an onerous task, it is one phone call and it costs nothing to do but at least it is in your control.
It seems an odd thing for Ofsted to want to do because they are trying to cut costs so is this another way of making it very difficult for us to remain independent because this job will fall in the remit of the Agencies. Will we have the right to register ourselves if we ask when we register?
I feel very strongly that I work on my own in my own home with other people's children who I am responsible for. I have had children on protection orders and witness protection programmes whose identity had to be protected. I live in my home 24/7 and I am as careful as I can be in giving out my details. I always get prospective clients full address before a visit and I go to their home to deliver my brochure which has my address on so I have a bit of an idea of who and where they are. I Have always been x directory on the phone as well and I don't and wouldn't ever have a cm web site that included a map ot=r my address as many do. The same way that I don't do online banking of any sort and never will.
Maybe I am over protective but touch wood it has saved the misused of our telephone number, we very rarely ever get cold calls (we are reg with the telephone preference service) , we get no junk mail and so far have only twice had any misuse of Credit or Debit cards and we knew where the trouble originated for both.
I wasn't aware that you could search your LA's database - just been on my LA's website and can see what you mean although ours only seem to list those who have a star rating and I have never actually been inspected (just had telephone interview) so I don't have a star rating and therefore not coming up on database.Quote:
Originally Posted by rickysmiths
I see what you mean...I had not connected Ofsted informing the LAs with agencies...another thing to look at I suppose and be aware of...I also did not know that our names are held in a database and I will check on thatQuote:
Originally Posted by rickysmiths
Does anyone know if schools have to register as food business? it looks like to me the govt is simplifying some bureaucracy for them such as taking 2 year olds without much fuss or registration with Ofsted...but that is another matter!
I do share your concerns about having a website although respect those who wish to have one will all their details...the reason why I have a Prospectus incorporated in my contract...at least I feel I am in control....speaking of which I'd better get back to it as I was updating it while getting a parent info pack ready for next week and drastically cutting superfluous rubbish!!!
Just to let you know ...All schools are registered and regularly inspected.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simona
Two local private nurseries to me scored 1/5 and 2/5 ! I don't think parents look at this when they choose their childcare as they are both popular!
I couldn't agree more.Quote:
Originally Posted by rickysmiths
I can't quite understand the fanfare involved in this latest announcement. All they have said is that Ofsted will know give EHO our details (I also understand your concerns over that) rather than us having to phone them up ourselves. It's hardly doing much to reduce the 'burden' of registering!
Amazing really because the star rating has to be displayed and one wonders if they themselves would go to a 1 or 2 star rated restaurant or takeaway in preference to a 4 or 5 star rated one?Quote:
Originally Posted by FloraDora