legal requirement to display liability insurance? Feeling let down by NCMA

[Bluebell]

Hi all. I'm not sure if I am misunderstanding the requirement here but I am under the impression that we must have clearly displayed a current and valid liability insurance policy? Is this so? My DO always checks this when she comes and I am pretty sure Ofsted asked when they visited too.

If this is the case then I am feeling quite let down by NCMA as I had decided to take out a policy with them this year and made sure I did all the details and set up payment well over a month ago. I was on holiday at the end of March til the 4th APril and it runs out today (the 11th) so I wanted to make sure it was all in place so there was no delay.
Having not received any documents or acknowledgement and my payment not having gone out I phoned them today to check and was told my payment will go out on the 1st May and my paperwork will not be sent until AFTER this. That is at least 2 weeks without the correct documentation!

I am overdue my 1st Ofsted so am hoping it will be soon after the schools go back but would like to have all my correct paperwork in place!!

Not only that but, God forbid, something happens I have no documentation to prove I have a policy with NCMA - just their word over the phone!

On top of this I asked what my policy number was and the woman was very patronising and said well its the same as last year and sighed as she told me what it was . I then pointed out that I didn't insure through them last year so didn't have a policy! Why can't they at least e-mail a copy so I have something here!?

[sweets]

Ive never displayed mine never had a comment from my do or ofsted about it!

The only thing ive ever displayed is my reg certificate

[silvermist]

Oh Dear sounds like NCMA have let you down. I have been told that it is a requirement to display our public liability certificate at all times. I dont have anything to do with NCMA as Im with Morton Michel but...I do know that sighing and speaking in a patronising manner isnt acceptable. I think if it was me I would be ringing their complaints department! Big hugs to you. x

[jumpinjen]

you have 14 days cool off period to cancel insurance - cancel it and reinsure with MM - they send documentation instantly via e-mail.

Jen x

[mrsmaggy]

I never displayed mine until DO came round and says it needs to be displayed.

[silvermist]

you have 14 days cool off period to cancel insurance - cancel it and reinsure with MM - they send documentation instantly via e-mail.

Jen x

Good advice there. I paid over phone (cheaper than NCMA) and got email straight back with my insurance certificate to print off. :clapping:

[Ripeberry]

The NCMA use a Blanket policy with The Royal Sun Alliance which covers ALL their members. The policy number never changes. It is RTT161353 and the rest of the number is made up of your own membership number.
So if you get any queries on it just state the above :)
They do take their time sending stuff out. Can't see why they can't do a PDF file for people to print out themselves.

[onceinabluemoon]

As far as I am aware all we have to have on display is our reg certificate and the parent poster. My inspector asked to see my insurance but it wasn't on the wall.

I'm afraid I would also cancel my policy and insure with MM (I do insure with MM) I get my policy, schedule etc emailed to me within hours.

[sarah707]

It is NOT a requirement to display your insurance certificate.

You must have it available as it is a legal requirement to have insurance but it does not need to be displayed.

I am with MM and have always had fab service. :D

[silvermist]

It is NOT a requirement to display your insurance certificate.

You must have it available as it is a legal requirement to have insurance but it does not need to be displayed.

I am with MM and have always had fab service. :D

Hi Sarah, I was told by my DO it must be on display. I think this is why so many of us newbies get confused because these types of matters arent clear. Why isnt there some sort of guidance we should all have? Crikey if it wasnt for people like you on here, we wouldnt know what we were supposed to be doing. :thumbsup:

[JulieA]

No you don't need to have the PLI displayed.

I had renewed mine but hadn't rece'd it before my inspection. I contacted NCMA and they said that if the inspector queried it then to phone NCMA whilst inspector there and they would confirm that I had adequate insurance over the phone.

Funnily enough, inspector didn't even notice or ask about it.

[Heaven Scent]

I was told on my ICP course in 2007 that it must be displayed and both myself and the minder across the road who was on the same ICP course have always displayed our insurance certificates - its not only the two of us in this area who display our certs we all seem to - every minders house I've been in has had it displayed - maybe its something Cheshire County Council decided to advise as good practice at one stage and it carried on from there - I don't think I ever displayed my insurance cert in 1997-99 when I minded before or indeed any registration details - if I did it was just pinned to a notice board in the utility area of my kitchen out of the way.

Anyway there is no harm in displaying it if that's what you do but I would cancel with NCMA and re-insure with MM if you change from MM to NCMA you will need to change all your contracts to theirs - you do know that don't you????

[Bluebell]

Hi

Thank you for all your replies I am relieved I do not need to have it displayed - I will stop displaying it (when I receive it that is!) and put it in my portfolio, none of the parents are interested and it will be one less thing to have on my wall!

Heaven Scent - I have seen on here that I am supposed to use only NCMA contracts but is that to do with the free legal advice? I have switched some of my contracts over but not all of them. If not having the correct contracts invalidates the whole liability insurance then that is really something that they should have informed me of and another reason why I should have had my documentation through before now!!

jumpinjen - I am not sure if I have left it too late to cancel now to be honest as I arranged it about a month ago and although it doesn't come into force until tomorrow it would be way past the initial 14 day 'cooling off' period that you mentioned!

Ripeberry - that is the number the lady gave me but she didn't tell me it was a blanket number and needed my membership number on the end! Rubbish!

[rickysmiths]

Good advice there. I paid over phone (cheaper than NCMA) and got email straight back with my insurance certificate to print off. :clapping:

No actually for an NCMA member the NCMA insurance is about half the price of MM.

[rickysmiths]

You don't have to display Public liability Insurance Cert but you do have to display your Employers Insurance Cert which you must have if you have an assistant.

Your insurance is not invalidated by using Contracts other than NCMA ones but you may not be able to access legal help if you don't use them.

[onceinabluemoon]

No actually for an NCMA member the NCMA insurance is about half the price of MM.

But don't you have to be a member of NCMA to be able to take out their insurance? If that's right (which I'm pretty sure it is) it pushes up the price of the insurance (plus membership fees) to over £60 whereas MM is around £40.

Its very misleading to newbies to say the NCMA costs less because although the insurance is less, MM don't change membership fees like NCMA do so overall they are cheaper.

[flowerpots]

NCMA told me they only insure their members. :( which put the cost up too high for me especially when i didnt want to be a member. :o

[Bluebell]

Hi yes last year I was a member of NCMA and had insurance with MM which was more expensive so this year I decided that as I wanted to keep my NCMA membership for the moment I would take NCMA insurance. NCMA insurance inc membership was £75.00 - (I think its membership about £50 and insurance about £25) and MM was £44 and while MM don't provide the same 'support' or membership benefits that NCMA supposedly provide they do provide legal cover and a monthly online childcare magazine and other information like the EYFS information books which are free to members and not charged for like many of the NCMA products.
I will stick with NCMA this year and see how I get on but tbh I think next year if I'm not thinking about renewing my membership I will definitely go with MM - feeling underwhelmed by NCMA so far....

[aly]

No actually for an NCMA member the NCMA insurance is about half the price of MM.
It's actually £75 which is more than MM at £44...as you have to have membership....

[rickysmiths]

It's actually £75 which is more than MM at £44...as you have to have membership....

I think you may be getting muddles Aly it is around £20-25 for a member. However with out looking mine up it is around £60 to be a member.

If the OP is already a member of NCMA it is much cheaper for her to take out Public Liability Insurance with NCMA than MM.

[rickysmiths]

But don't you have to be a member of NCMA to be able to take out their insurance? If that's right (which I'm pretty sure it is) it pushes up the price of the insurance (plus membership fees) to over £60 whereas MM is around £40.

Its very misleading to newbies to say the NCMA costs less because although the insurance is less, MM don't change membership fees like NCMA do so overall they are cheaper.

I didn't say anything misleading at all. I did point out that as the OP is already a member of NCMA her Pub Lib insurance would be about half the price of going to MM.

Whichever way you look at it NCMA insurance is cheaper but for members.

MM is just an insurance broker there to sell insurance and with no interest in childminders even though they have the business nouse to provide sweeteners. When I was with them last year they failed to send me any of the information on EYFS or anything other than Creative steps.

However now I don't insure with them, they hiked the price of car insurance by a ridiculous amount when it came to renewing and wouldn't negotiate would only price match, why should they get the business from another company who are prepared to offer a fair price? Anyhow I have now lost access to all the Creative Steps so thats not really much of a perk!

[rickysmiths]

NCMA told me they only insure their members. :( which put the cost up too high for me especially when i didnt want to be a member. :o

That's fine and your choice. It is one way NCMA, the same as a lot of Professional Membership organisations do to recognise and benefit their members.

[aly]

I think you may be getting muddles Aly it is around £20-25 for a member. However with out looking mine up it is around £60 to be a member.

If the OP is already a member of NCMA it is much cheaper for her to take out Public Liability Insurance with NCMA than MM.
I meant £75 for membership AND insurance.

[hectors house]

Heaven Scent & Bluelion

I just changed from NCMA to MM this year for liability insurance and I rang them up to specifically ask them if I now needed to buy their contracts and re-issue to all parents and was told that their legal team will support me if I have a contract breach, no matter whose contract it is.

A contract is a legally binding document as long as it has been filled in properly, signed and dated

[Linda Mc]

Hi Sarah, I was told by my DO it must be on display. I think this is why so many of us newbies get confused because these types of matters arent clear. Why isnt there some sort of guidance we should all have? Crikey if it wasnt for people like you on here, we wouldnt know what we were supposed to be doing. :thumbsup:

I was told the exact same thing when I started last year. In fact it's also written in the small print on the back of my actual certificate! :panic: