Back up childminder?

[Meleje]

I'm currently going through the registration process (CRB dispatched, First aid finishing tomorrow & pre-reg visit on MON!) but I'm not sure how to arrange a back up childminder for emergencies etc. I know a couple of childminders, none very well, so not sure how to go about it. It might sound daft but I don't want to tread on peoples toes or annoy people by asking as they've already got their own back ups.

How did you arrange your back up?
TIA
Mel

[cas2805]

Please make sure you get to know whoever you chose. I had a newbie ask me if I could help out if she needed emergency cover. It wasn't until she left, that I realised that she had to put my name on a form, I don't even know where she lives. Over time you will get to know local childminders at drop ins or playgroups, seems silly to have to have something in writing so soon after registration

[Meleje]

seems silly to have to have something in writing so soon after registration

So its not a requirement that you need to have it arranged before you start?
Also do most people have more than one back up? I currently use a childminder and have been with her for 2 years and I know she has a back up already, but I didn't know if I could ask her?

[Tink]

You don't have to have a backup childminder, it's just incase of emergencies, as long as you know what you can do in an emergency situation you don't need one.
I have only just recently become friendly with a local childminder and we have become really good friends which is great and now we have named each other, but don't rush into it as I said you don't need one.

[jane5]

It is not a requirement and I do not have any one. If I was to close suddenly it is up to the parents to find alternative childcare.

On the morton michel contracts there are tick boxes to say whether I would find alternative care and I just tick the one saying no.

The last thing I would want to do if I or my child was ill is to start ringing round trying to find cover for all of my mindees.

If my parents need alternative care I would give them a phone number of local minders but it is not my responsibility to provide emergency back up.

[VINASOL]

i don't have a back up CM either. I had to close other day because of a bd D&V bug...one mum said she'd lose her job if I closed and I spent about an hour trying to find childcare for her.

in the end (luckily) a childminder friend (who has stopped as is intending to go back to office work) said that on this one ocassion (just had a hip replacement too) she'd have the girls.

In my next newsletter I am going to say that I do not have back-up childcare and they should have their own back-up plan.

[Meleje]

I know in emergencies you can leave them with another childminder or "trusted adult" but does this person have to be CRB'ed. My DH is CRB'ed so I'd probably call him first if I didn't have a back up but if he wasn't able to come for whatever reason could I ask my mum, not CRB'ed but very trusted!

Sorry to ask all these questions and I know these circumstances are rare but I just like to get things straight in my head before I start.

[Chimps Childminding]

I am lucky in that my next door neighbour is also a cm so we are each others emergency backup!! Other than that I have no one!! Having said that though although we could call on each other should an emergency arise, there is no guarantee that the other would be at home (we don't always work the same days) and we can't cover each other for sickness, holidays etc. as on certain days we wouldn't have space!!

In an ideal world it would be great to have 4 or 5 other cm we could call on, but in practice how many would have free space anyway

[manjay]

I have an emergency back up who is not a childminder. She is well known to me and the children but would be used in an emergency only. Which I class as me or one of the children having an accident or something. That person has contact numbers for all my families and she would call for the children to to be collected immediately.

Sickness or having to close for a day is not an emergency and if this happens it is up to parents to find alternative care.

[Demonjill]

I was told at my training that because you would only be using someone in an emergency then it didnt matter if they went over their numbers cos it was an emergency.

[onceinabluemoon]

I dont have a back up minder either. There are only 2 of us in the whole town and a couple of my parents have said they wouldn't use the other one so I cant offer her as a back up...

[Mollymop]

I have 2 back up minders Sue M from the forum, love her to bits and another local minder. I didn't have anyone at pre-reg stage as I didn't know any other minders out there and not many people do at first and it all seems daunting the thought of meeting other minders, you feel like you have taken over their patch or something, but that is not the case.

As you start working, go to any minding groups,get to know who everyone is, you will soon find a some friendship and someone who wouldn't mind helping you out .......and you them!

At first I used my mum as someone to back me up if there was an emergency.
Is there a family member you could use in an emergency? If so get parents sign to say they are ok with your child being left in an emergency with whomever until they can pick their child up.

All I can say is just get yourself settled first, you will meet other minders soon. It is all a bit scarey at first, but you will never "step on another (GOOD) childminders toes" at all - you will find that we (minders) all help each other xx