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Why agencies will be good for us...
Interesting article which I urge you all to read!!
It looks like as far as Ms Truss is concerned agencies are a foregone conclusion - despite lobbying and previous petitions against the ideas.
Will that stop us from trying everything we can to show her she is wrong???
NO!
Because if we don't at least try to stop her plans we will be doing ourselves and everyone who will be adversely affected a major disservice.
Why we are introducing childminder agencies | Nursery World
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There was so much treacle in that article that it made me feel sick.
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It is almost impossible to exaggerate the importance of a childminder’s job. They are responsible for the safety of someone infinitely precious, and provide some of their vital early years education. Good childminders give parents peace of mind and allow them to consider pursuing a career safe in the knowledge that their son or daughter is in good hands.
But dont forget we are lagging behind other providers
When someone tells you nothing is impossible, tell them to go slam a revolving door
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"Networks of childminders, nurseries and schools have all expressed a keen interest in running agencies."
Who, When, Where?????????????????
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Is there a petition against having agencies, do we not get a say at all?
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That woman makes my blood boil! Nowhere in that report does it mention any of the things that we have heard about such as fees for one thing. Any decent childminder reading that will have so many worries about the agency system. Are parents going to get a say in the childminder they get. What if they don't like any they are put with. They will end up going to nurseries. I have to go now but so much more is going through my mind
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I can not believe what is happening to my loved career of being a childminder of 30years, i have loved every moment of it and have taken the good with the bad as the good have always outweighed the bad, the best part is caring for the children, watching them grow and learn new skills. I have kept in touch with many of the children and their families and have felt happy to be included in family celebrations. I choose to be a childminder as i wanted to work from home and be here for my children as they grew up and being self employed as I did not want to work for anyone else, being my own boss choosing my hours, my fees etc. I have seen many changes over these years and have always been willing to implement these in my setting and do lots of training, gaining an nvq3 in childcare and development being my latest. But I now wonder with the idea of childminders coming under an agency whether I really want to continue. Sorry for the long rant but feeling quite negative at the moment
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I have mixed views with this article.
Firstly I already offer funding so does this mean I will be forced to join the agency to keep the funding?
One one side of the fence I'm thinking....it might be good to have a place where parents can find a childminder as advertising is extremely hard. One the other hand I don't like the fees being paid to the agency. Sounds like they are taking a cut obviously.
I like the idea of the ratios as this would stop a lot of problems with overlapping children, children swapping days for parent courses extra work etc. but I don't like the agency thing.
What if some childminder join it and others don't? Would that be the end of the childminders that don't join? Would their work dry up ?
And lastly I'm self employed...will the agency make me employed and pay my taxes??
Time Out.. The perfect time for thinking about what you're going to destroy next.
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Some of my early morning thoughts
Someone who is interested will be able to go along to a local agency which will check out their premises, provide training, and – if they’re good enough – give them the stamp of approval. The agencies will also deal with government funding, market services, place children, collect fees from parents and offer cover if a childminder falls ill. The agencies themselves will be regulated by Ofsted
So if I was to join an agency would my existing parents have to pay more for the priveledge of me doing so or will I be expected to take the loss.
Whereas the ofsted process is cumbersome it can impress on people that cming is not an easy option.
Also again if in an area lie mine where we are suffering form the depressed economical climate where is all the work coming from for all us cms when there isnt enough to go round now. 3 cms have a max of 8 spaces but only 2 are filled, aour nearest pre school has made a member of staff redundent as not enough children.
The current system is needlessly complicated and burdensome. More importantly, the change will mean that more money gets to the front line and that professionals are able to focus on their actual job – looking after children. And it will be a major step forward in allowing childminders to be treated on a par with nurseries.
Can someone please explain to me how the money will get to the frontline when it has to go through a middle man so in fact will cost more?
status-quo does not help childminders to meet children’s needs. One childminding couple I met in Thetford in my constituency look after six children between them. Because of the current rules, if one of them needs to buy a pint of milk at a shop around the corner, they have to take along three children.
If they are now able to take on 8 children doesnt that mean they have to take 4 to the shop.
The existing ratio of one child under the age of one per childminder means that twins are a no-no without special permission. And there is very little scope to manage if one parent is late picking up their child, which is why an additional allowance will be given to manage changeover periods
Mm I thought the removal of our conditions in sept 2012 gave us the ability to grant ourselves variation for these such cases.
When someone tells you nothing is impossible, tell them to go slam a revolving door
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Regarding whether non-agency childminders can offer the funded places, she says:
"Where an agency or independent childminder has been approved by Ofsted, they will be able to offer funded provision for three and four-year-olds without the need to jump through additional hoops at local authority level.... Where a childminder or an agency is judged by Ofsted to be "good" or "outstanding", they will be able to offer places for two-year-olds without the need for additional local authority approval. "
So hopefully if you're outside the agency (which we all will be!!) you will still be able to access the funded places.
Whether you'll be able to access affordable training is another question entirely!!
"One childminding couple I met in Thetford in my constituency look after six children between them. Because of the current rules, if one of them needs to buy a pint of milk at a shop around the corner, they have to take along three children."
I don't get the point of that sentence at all! Surely if you're childminding by yourself, you have to talk all your children with you to the shop anyway - you can't leave them home alone while you pop out!! Also the trip to the shop is one of the key things childminders offer in my opinion - experience of real life, helping choose the milk, helping pay for it, the walk there and back again, none of which a nursery can offer.
"I know that there are superb childminders right across the country. They have my heartfelt thanks."
If this is her way of thanking us, I'd hate to know what she would do if she wanted to punish us?!!!
Will these childminder agencies apply onto to early years register or to the childcare register too - i.e. if you switch to just doing school age kids, there are no agencies? Or agencies for all, regardless?
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does anyone have an email address for that woman? how about an email campain? If she got 10,000 irate emails perhaps she would think again. I would suggest a protest march but the ra would be terrible!
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Originally Posted by
lilac_dragon
"Networks of childminders, nurseries and schools have all expressed a keen interest in running agencies."
Who, When, Where?????????????????
My thoughts exactly ! She's obviously not been on this website !!!!
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Originally Posted by
jackie 7
does anyone have an email address for that woman? how about an email campain? If she got 10,000 irate emails perhaps she would think again. I would suggest a protest march but the ra would be terrible!
her email address is elizabeth.truss.mp@parliament.uk
but i suspect every email will get the same reply, regardless of what we say in our individual email!
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Just a thought, what if you join an agency when your rating is "Good" and there's a glitch and you go to "Satisfactory", what will happen then?
Will the Agency give you the elbow - in which case, what happns to the parents and children you have at the time?
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Originally Posted by
FussyElmo
The current system is needlessly complicated and burdensome. More importantly, the change will mean that more money gets to the front line and that professionals are able to focus on their actual job – looking after children. And it will be a major step forward in allowing childminders to be treated on a par with nurseries.
Can someone please explain to me how the money will get to the frontline when it has to go through a middle man so in fact will cost more?
status-quo does not help childminders to meet children’s needs. One childminding couple I met in Thetford in my constituency look after six children between them. Because of the current rules, if one of them needs to buy a pint of milk at a shop around the corner, they have to take along three children.
If they are now able to take on 8 children doesnt that mean they have to take 4 to the shop.
This is very much a politician's argument. There are some problems with the current "complex and burdensome" system. So instead of fixing those problems (and let's be honest: there's been a new EYFS framework, so the opportunity was there), let's replace the whole system with something infinitely worse. Why? Because:-
- It will make money for middle-(wo)men running agencies.
- We can shift the blame when parents work out it isn't working.
It's rather like fitting a whole new bathroom suite just because you have a dripping tap.
About that pint of milk: are they saying we're so disorganised that we're always running out of milk, or that a trip to the shops isn't a valid experience for mindees? Probably the latter, as it will distract the 2yo's from their English and maths lessons.
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I emailed Ms Truss
And here is what I said.
"Dear Ms Truss
I read your latest article regarding 'Why Agencies Will be Good For Us' with interest.
As an Ofsted Registered Childminder, Network Childminder and mature student studying a BA Hons in Childhood and Youth Studies I felt that your article posed some questions which I am hopeful, you as the writer can address;
1) You state that we can or cannot join an agency that it would be up to the individual childminder -
please tell me then what happens to the childminders who do not join up? Who will regulate them (as you state in your article that local agencies will be inspecting premises etc)?
2) You state that agencies will place the children and pay fees -
will we as childminders get a say in which child is placed in OUR business (after all we are self employed, not employed)?
What would happen if we refuse to take on a child (for a valid reason) - will we then be on an agency black list of not being flexible enough?
What happens if parents do not pay the agency, will we get paid still irrespective and the agency can chase for their fees that are outstanding?
How much of a percentage of our earnings will the agency take for the middle man?
Who will set our fees?
Who will decide when a childminder can take annual leave?
To be honest the list is endless.
3) I am a graded GOOD childminder - playing devils advocate, say I join an agency and I accept funded children. What if my grading falls below this (lets be honest now the inspection routine has changed dramatically of late) will I have my funded places removed?
4) You state a whole network of childminders agreed this idea -
I would love to know who they are and where you sourced your information. As a childminder who has read the petitions, I am yet to see one or indeed meet any childminders who agree with your ludicrous ideas!
5) You state that previously we couldnt offer spaces to twins (under the age of 1) due to current restrictions. Are you not aware that these restrictions were abolished in 2012 and we are now able to grant our own variations to allow this, if we felt we are capable.
6) I already offered funded places in my role as a network childminder -
if I refuse to join an agency does this mean I will also lose this?
Ms Truss with all due respect, you are not nor do I believe will you ever be a childminder. You do not do our role on a daily basis or face the challenges that we can and do face. You are speaking on our behalf yet as your Twitter account is testiment to with all your barring of childminders you are not listening to the people this will have a dramatic impact on.
You say more people will register as childminders, yet you are running a very high risk of losing some outstanding childminders and childcare that the UK offers as you have a very blinkered apporach to what you think we want to what we actually want!
I look forward to your response, but given your barring of childminders on Twitter, I do believe that I will not receive this. I may well also email again as more questions are raised."
I have received an automated response to say she has received it.......so who knows.
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good for you hope you get a reply, I might e mail her tooooooo
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