this is an Ofsted hot potato at the moment.

If you work with staff (any staff - assistants, volunteers, family members, co-childminders) you MUST ask them regularly whether there are any reasons why they OR anyone with whom they live, might be disqualified from working with children.

This should cover both health reasons (for them) and safeguarding reasons (for them and their family members). You MUST record their reply - because as long as it's clear you have asked and they haven't told you, you are not liable if they are lying.

More information in this blog - Childminders and staff suitability - (http://independentchildminders.weebly.com/assistants/childminders-and-staff-suitability)

this is the latest guidance from NDNA - http://www.ndna.org.uk/Resources/NDNA/Public%20Factsheets/DisqualificationFS.pdf

This article from Nursery World is worth a read - NDNA calls for clarity on nursery staff 'disqualified by association' | Nursery World (http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1142015/ndna-clarity-disqualificationneeded)

Please share on your local groups. We have childminders getting this wrong and being graded inadequate... thank you.

Thanks Sarah.

thanks.

another reason to work by myself!

although, I was chatting with a friend ( dad of one of DSs friends ) the other day, who happens to be the football coach about how he can not take any of the boys in the team in the car without another (CRB) adult, or be alone on the pitch with them without another (CRB) adult, yet as his son plays, and we all do huge multi way lift swaps ... its madness that sometimes his wife has to come too, so he isn't alone with them, yet the following night when pretty much the same crowd all play basketball; he can give them a lift on his own as he is just Freds dad! He said he reckons that the time will come that I am not allowed to work on my own at home with children-that I'll either have to have someone working with me, or work in a setting!

thanks.

another reason to work by myself!

although, I was chatting with a friend ( dad of one of DSs friends ) the other day, who happens to be the football coach about how he can not take any of the boys in the team in the car without another (CRB) adult, or be alone on the pitch with them without another (CRB) adult, yet as his son plays, and we all do huge multi way lift swaps ... its madness that sometimes his wife has to come too, so he isn't alone with them, yet the following night when pretty much the same crowd all play basketball; he can give them a lift on his own as he is just Freds dad! He said he reckons that the time will come that I am not allowed to work on my own at home with children-that I'll either have to have someone working with me, or work in a setting!

I think that's your football coach taking whatever safeguarding he has very seriously - maybe a bit too much.

Our manager picks up the boys - we wouldn't have a team some weeks if he didn't. I often see only one manager on the pitch with different teams.

Sometimes in our desire to protect ourselves from accusations people go overboard. Football, dance, even at school children will have to to be on their own with an adult its teaching them what's acceptable and what's not.

The only time I saw our footie manager have a moment is when our goalie really needed a wee in the middle of a match and knew he hadn't the time to get to the toilet so just went in the goal. Dedication for you but our manager wanted to know how wet he was. I don't think he found me and his wife as funny as we were :D