Registering my mum as assistant for short term

**Bitsy Beans** · 28-01-2009, 10:22 PM

there is a mum with an daughter who needs a full time place for 4 days a week from June. Her daughter will be 11 months old by then. My own daughter will be the same age in June. I asked my pre reg Ofsted inspector today what the likelihood of Ofsted allowing to change my numbers for the sake of 6 weeks max until my daughter is 1 year old (or potential minded child is 1 year old). She said unlikely (as there's no issue of continuity of care) but she mentioned I could make a case for increasing my numbers if I registered my mum as an assistant for the short term.
Is this likely to work? I've already included my mum in CRB check as she lives so close she's always round her (LOL!) but she doesn't want to do any courses etc - she'd actually be responsible for my daughter and not the minded (and wouldn't be left in sole care of them anyway). It seems daft for the sake of a few weeks but hey rules are rules!!
I don't want to go to the aggro of trying to sort this out if it's going to come to nothing and don't want to get the mum too interested in my setting if it's a road to nowhere.
I was told today I could only have one child within EYFS and one other child under 8. Will adding an assistant bump up the EYFS numbers for definate (OK I know you can't give me a definate but is it likely?)

Thanks (sorry this has all probably been asked before!)

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 28-01-2009, 11:31 PM

As long as you are on the premises mum would not need to do any courses, including first aid.

Personally, I would apply to have 2 under 1 on my certificate permanently.

**Bitsy Beans** · 29-01-2009, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by DebbieS26

As long as you are on the premises mum would not need to do any courses, including first aid.

Personally, I would apply to have 2 under 1 on my certificate permanently.

This is the problem. My mum has two elderly dogs who can't be left all day. We were therefore thinking that my mum could take my daughter back home with her for the afternoon and look after her there. If she's not on my premises though and hasn't done any of the courses am I breaking the rules? I mean are Ofsted likely to see my daughter as just part of my allowance of children and even though her granny would be minding her off premises my mum would therefore still be required to do the courses??

**sarah707** · 29-01-2009, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by Bitsy Beans

This is the problem. My mum has two elderly dogs who can't be left all day. We were therefore thinking that my mum could take my daughter back home with her for the afternoon and look after her there. If she's not on my premises though and hasn't done any of the courses am I breaking the rules? I mean are Ofsted likely to see my daughter as just part of my allowance of children and even though her granny would be minding her off premises my mum would therefore still be required to do the courses??

Hi Bitsy, you would have 2 problems with this...

1. You would have to cancel the minded child if your mum was ill;

2. You would have to convince Ofsted of what you were going to do.

Ofsted might not accept it.

The reason is that they do not let people send their own child to places to nursery and up their childminding numbers.

So they might very well say that you cannot look after a child while your child is somewhere else...

I would suggest you ring them and put your ideas to them and see what they say.

08456 404040

Hope this helps!

**FizzysFriends** · 29-01-2009, 10:30 AM

I think that your own children are classes as being there even when they aren't.

**Pauline** · 29-01-2009, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by FizzysFriends

I think that your own children are classes as being there even when they aren't.

Yes they are, that is one reason why Ofsted changed the wording on the certificate to read exactly how many minded children you are allowed to care for at any one time, rather than the old wording which was "may care for no more than xxx children including their own" - this was open to misinterpretation and people often sent children to grannys so they could have more minded children.

**cheeky monkeys** · 29-01-2009, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Pauline

Yes they are, that is one reason why Ofsted changed the wording on the certificate to read exactly how many minded children you are allowed to care for at any one time, rather than the old wording which was "may care for no more than xxx children including their own" - this was open to misinterpretation and people often sent children to grannys so they could have more minded children.

I quite agree with Pauline. Ofsted look at your own children and space before they give you your quota of minded children