VERY URGENT - NCMA members please read

[Penny1959]

Did you know that the Board of trustees are going to make a decision about if NCMA should widen membership or not on THIS SATURDAY - yes that is right SATURDAY 11th FEBRUARY.

It has been posted on NCMA Local that NCMA members can still express their view by emailing feedback@*************

I urge all members to respond and state very clearly if you are in favour of the proposal to widen NCMA membership or not.

Please pass onto you NCMA colleagues - this is important - NCMA is a membership organisation - so members need to tell NCMA very clearly what their view is.

I have responded to the online consultation and taken part in the debate at the regional forum BUT I don't think I have actually said if I am in favour of the proposal or not - I will be email NCMA tonight so they know my view which is going to have to be NO - but only because NCMA have not provided me with enough information to understand what wider membership will mean to me - I am not against it in principle - but I need to be reassured that my needs as a registered childminder will still be paramount and that NCMA will continue to represent the views of registered childminders. I have not been reassured about this - so it is a NO from me.

PLEASE DO THIS NOW - YOU NEED TO SAY VERY CLEARLY IF YOU WANT THEMTO WIDEN MEMBERSHIP OR IF YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO

Time is short but if we all spread the word we can get the message across - THIS IS WHAT WE THE MEMBERS WANT


Penny :)

[EmmaReed84]

Forgive my ignorance, it has been a LONG day... when you say "widen membership" what do you mean? I am a member of the NCMA have their contract and insurance so what does this mean for me? I am a little confused sorry... again been a long day and perhaps I am just missing the obvious

[Penny1959]

Forgive my ignorance, it has been a LONG day... when you say "widen membership" what do you mean? I am a member of the NCMA have their contract and insurance so what does this mean for me? I am a little confused sorry... again been a long day and perhaps I am just missing the obvious


Don't worry EmmaReed84 - many members do not have any idea about this - and the reason I am saying NO (at this stage) is because NCMA have not provided any details.

But basically they want to allow 'other childcarers' to become members of the organisation - so maybe nursery nurses or foster carers or early years teachers - but I am only guessing as I don't actually know who these others are.

My worry is that NCMA could well stop being the National Chjildminding Association and become - oh I don't know ' Childcarers are us' and childminders will be out numbered by the 'others'

It is true that NCMA need to generate more income as they have lost a lot of government funding - and so as I say I am not against it in principle - I - like you need to know more.

There is some information on the NCMA website but it is very vague.

If you are not sure about the reasons or what it would mean - I would suggest you say NO for now because once the decision is made- there will be no going back - of course you may feel you know enough and may wish to vote Yes.

Penny :)

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I am a National Policy Forum Member of NCMA and have been to a couple of consultations and meetings and I can tell you my brief.

Yes NCMA has lost funding and yes it needs to diversify.

What NCMA is trying to do is to include all carers. Foster carers have voiced a definate NO to the idea but that is because they don't consider themselves as childcarers.

The current proposal is to allow other childcarers to be part of NCMA, not to do away with Childminders but to support all childcarers. This is not Managers/Owners of Nursery settings or Creche's or After School Clubs but the actual workers within these establishments.

If you want to know more then I also urge you to contact NCMA and ask the questions. Please don't give a blanket yes or no because of ignorance of the matter and worse still please don't do nothing and then moan about it (I am sure no one on the Forum would do this anyway)

Someone asked: What difference will it make to me? The insurance and PL will still be there because I believe that this is a side line to NCMA. NCMA stands for helping and lobbying for Childminders at present and this won't change either.

You may or may not be aware that NCMA currently has a lot of clout within Government and the more members that it has allows more clout, not less if numbers decrease along with income. NCMA spearheaded the "no" challenge when Government wanted to increase our numbers, the aim was to keep the amount low, they achieved this.

I think that if other providers came into NCMA then training would take place with all settings and we would build closer relationships and bonds and I constantly hear that this isn't happening with childminders and nurseries all over the country. We could benefit from each others expertise.

I say YES because under this economic climate I think change along with evolution is inevitable if NCMA wishes to sustain itself as a market leader in its own area.

As Penny says if you are an NCMA member please do look at the NCMA website and weigh up how you feel and complete the consultation. As far as I am aware there isn't a YES/No vote.

[loocyloo]

thank you.

i have done so x

YES, AS LONG AS they continue to champion childminders!!!

[miffy]

Thank you Penny and Debbie for your input.

I will leave my feedback

Miffy xx

[Penny1959]

I am a National Policy Forum Member of NCMA and have been to a couple of consultations and meetings and I can tell you my brief.

Yes NCMA has lost funding and yes it needs to diversify.

What NCMA is trying to do is to include all carers. Foster carers have voiced a definate NO to the idea but that is because they don't consider themselves as childcarers.

The current proposal is to allow other childcarers to be part of NCMA, not to do away with Childminders but to support all childcarers. This is not Managers/Owners of Nursery settings or Creche's or After School Clubs but the actual workers within these establishments.

If you want to know more then I also urge you to contact NCMA and ask the questions. Please don't give a blanket yes or no because of ignorance of the matter and worse still please don't do nothing and then moan about it (I am sure no one on the Forum would do this anyway)

Someone asked: What difference will it make to me? The insurance and PL will still be there because I believe that this is a side line to NCMA. NCMA stands for helping and lobbying for Childminders at present and this won't change either.

You may or may not be aware that NCMA currently has a lot of clout within Government and the more members that it has allows more clout, not less if numbers decrease along with income. NCMA spearheaded the "no" challenge when Government wanted to increase our numbers, the aim was to keep the amount low, they achieved this.

I think that if other providers came into NCMA then training would take place with all settings and we would build closer relationships and bonds and I constantly hear that this isn't happening with childminders and nurseries all over the country. We could benefit from each others expertise.

I say YES because under this economic climate I think change along with evolution is inevitable if NCMA wishes to sustain itself as a market leader in its own area.

As Penny says if you are an NCMA member please do look at the NCMA website and weigh up how you feel and complete the consultation. As far as I am aware there isn't a YES/No vote.

Thank you Debbie for providing some information, The survey is closed and so the only way to communicate now is to send an email to feedback@************* (this information was provided on NCMA Local and is confirmed on the website)

You are right there was not a yes / no vote either on the survey or through the regional forum debates - in fact both were structured so that it was difficult to express a personal opinion - I have to be honest I thought both were 'a first stage' - a gathering of members views on the advantages and disadvantages of ewidening membership - I thought there would be a second stage where members - having been given further information about NCMA's plans - would then vote yes / no.

Personally I feel that NCMA are going to make a very important decision without really knowing what members views are - certainly my responses in debate and on the survey could be viewed as positive as I can see the potential benefits and I understand the NCMA needs to raise more income - but NCMA so far have only been able to say possible benefits and possible 'others' and to be honest I would like more detail.

I would be happier if the board was making the decision to explore the possibilities further rather than a decision that they will widen membership.

Penny :)