Unemployed to be trained as Childminders by PACEY

[Simona]

As you are aware ncma made a short statement following the publication of the initiative to recruit unemployed mothers as cms
This included the promise of further clarification this week
They have just announced that no clarification will be given because their partners in the scheme still have to finalise some details with the DfE

More details will be given as and when available

[tori4]

just found out that our local children centre (that chuck our child-minding group out b4 Christmas) are no offering free training in childcare to unemployed parents on benefits with children under 5..

and not surprising our DO no nothing about the scheme or what the children centre are offering

[Simona]

If you google Barnardo's - Childminders it will take you to this website
http://www.**************/partners/p...barnardos.aspx but you cannot access the contents

There is this short statement
Under Priority 1 of The National Prospectus Grants Programme 2013/2015 Barnardo's and Pacey have received funding for this scheme

[The Juggler]

well if social enterprise money is going into this programme the agency idea makes total sense to me know - or the idea behind introducing them. No way ofsted would cope with these huge numbers of people registering, they need the agencies to accommodate them.

As others have pointed out, where are all the extra children to look after going to come from?

oh, and lo and behold, all those registered as CM's but with no children to look after and no money will no longer show on the unemployed statistics. Further, if the worries expressed on a post the other day prove true, (about changes to limits on income for self employed people and being able to claim unemployment/low employment benefits) then the only way to receive income support benefits will be to deregister, or keep registration and do without the benefits? What a choice - I wonder what they will choose ?? Back to unemployment then

[watgem]

Juggler if thevposts about the self employed having limits placed on them claiming low pay benefits I think many existing cms may have to deregister, if it wasn, t for tax credits topping up my income I certainly wouldn, t be able to continue as a cm, but it would be difficult for me to get a job where I live that would give me enough hours iyswim. My dh has been saying for a long time that he thinks the govt. Are trying to get rid of cms and I'm beginning to think he's right.

[phoenix2010]

its called the "self employment minimum earnings floor" and its equivalent to 16 hours at minimum wage until your youngest child is 12 then 35 hours at minimum wage after that

theres a thread on it somewhere

[The Juggler]

Juggler if thevposts about the self employed having limits placed on them claiming low pay benefits I think many existing cms may have to deregister, if it wasn, t for tax credits topping up my income I certainly wouldn, t be able to continue as a cm, but it would be difficult for me to get a job where I live that would give me enough hours iyswim. My dh has been saying for a long time that he thinks the govt. Are trying to get rid of cms and I'm beginning to think he's right.

really. do you think they have a goal to do that ultimately?? If this is the case, why are they hatching a plot to encourage unemployed people to register - to prove that the qualilty of care WILL drop as any old Tom, Dick or Harry (passionate or not) will be CM'ing and overall standards will drop? Then they will say nurseries are the only way of ensuring quality as they are led by managers with higher qualifications and are monitored because they are working as a team, and we CM's will only have badly qualified agency staff to guide and lead us and no early years teams TBH wouldn't put that plot past this government.

What I meant in my original post though hon was that although any benefits change like this will affect lots of current CM's, if they are going to use CM' ing to get/encourage those on long term benefits/unemployment to get back to work, then unless there is plenty of work to go about those more used to just relying on benefits are not going to faff about with signing on, signing off when work is slow/picks up - because of the delays to their benefits that this can cause. Unless they are able to claim some benefit whilst working as a CM on low income they will end up back as unemployed - because they will be better off. Don't see how this will help the governments aims long term.

[Simona]

In some areas the 2 year olds that will require funding are far too many and there are not enough cms to take them on or enough spaces in nurseries/preschools....hence the reason the DfE may be altering the space required in the EYFS and the 'expansion' low interest loans we heard about a few months ago targeted at day care and maybe why they are also thinking of allowing 'satisfactory' cms to draw the funding and also saying cms do not need to belong to a network to deliver funding??

I agree that new cms are needed in some areas and that is what was asked of ncma to clarify: will they recruit cms in all areas or just where there is a need??
Barnardo's also run services for children in CCentres and their work is described as 'innovative and creative' (same words as in the Agency policy just published) aimed at taking children out of poverty, it may be the reason those mothers are targeted for cminding?

Education | Barnardo's works with children with educational problems

The consultant in charge of the 2 year old funding, James Hampsell, informed those at the conference in December that he needed 130,000 spaces by Sept and only had 47,000 then...

This is all very well planned and not anything new...it's just we only heard about it recently and yes Juggler I doubt Ofsted could cope with all that registering hence the agencies conveniently pop up to help...
I would say this is a desperate govt resorting to desperate measure...there is a difference about Barnardo's training these mothers, they are experts and have knowledge, and what the agencies may do...where is their expertise in this?
If all fails I will apply to Barnardo's for a job!

[watgem]

Good idea simona, we are not overflowing with children needing care in my area, neither are there hordes of parents of 2 year olds beating down the nursery doors for free childcare, unfortunately where I live the families that are entitled and may benefit from this scheme are the least likely to take it up, perhaps that is why our l.a make it so difficult for cms to access the ey funding because there may be too many providers

[The Juggler]

In some areas the 2 year olds that will require funding are far too many and there are not enough cms to take them on or enough spaces in nurseries/preschools....hence the reason the DfE may be altering the space required in the EYFS and the 'expansion' low interest loans we heard about a few months ago targeted at day care and maybe why they are also thinking of allowing 'satisfactory' cms to draw the funding and also saying cms do not need to belong to a network to deliver funding??
I agree that new cms are needed in some areas and that is what was asked of ncma to clarify: will they recruit cms in all areas or just where there is a need??
Barnardo's also run services for children in CCentres and their work is described as 'innovative and creative' (same words as in the Agency policy just published) aimed at taking children out of poverty, it may be the reason those mothers are targeted for cminding?

Education | Barnardo's works with children with educational problems

The consultant in charge of the 2 year old funding, James Hampsell, informed those at the conference in December that he needed 130,000 spaces by Sept and only had 47,000 then...

This is all very well planned and not anything new...it's just we only heard about it recently and yes Juggler I doubt Ofsted could cope with all that registering hence the agencies conveniently pop up to help...
I would say this is a desperate govt resorting to desperate measure...there is a difference about Barnardo's training these mothers, they are experts and have knowledge, and what the agencies may do...where is their expertise in this?
If all fails I will apply to Barnardo's for a job!

but this just goes against all the supposed aims to increase the quality of childcare or break the cycle of poverty and better outcomes for disadvantagd funding - it is shown that children in quality early years care end up with better outcomes at the end of primary.

I'm all for someone qualified like Barnados training mothers (however, teaching parenting skills is very different to teaching someone to provide quality childcare - so I'd like to read more about how that training will run. Do Barandos deliver chldcare training at the moment? note to self to research that but those being trained still need to be providing high quality care.

simply dropping standards to allow more to offer 2 year places and NEG funding is the wrong way to go. Apologies to any CM on here who provides quality care but got a rotten inspector and rough grading as I know there are exceptions to the rule. The way to go is to ensure that Barnados', ofsted, agency staff are retraining, supporting and reinspecting satisfactory providers more often, to get their knowledge and standard of care improved so then they can offer these funded places.

[Simona]

It does Juggler
Looks like the DfE is settling for quantity over quality (in line with her ratio idea)...some of those mothers may be excellent cms others not so
Barnardo's offer support to mothers and their children and rightly so... ncma will provide the training...magic formula and here we go...these mothers are off the unemployed list, they get less benefits and Truss brings the number of cms back to the level she thinks they ought to be before the EYFS was introduced and many left due to it???

By 2015 (election time) she will declare all is working wonders and her reforms will be history! 'Trussology' at its worst!

[Simona]

Do you think that this scheme is going to affect many unemployed people or those on benefits?
this article points to it
BBC News - Greenwich Council to give jobs to benefit cut claimants
cynical I know

[tori4]

Train the unempyed as CM = lower unemployment yey says goverment

Train the unemployed as CM = more CM to fill short fall of spaces for 2yr old funding - yey say Gov

Reduce the criteria for 2yr old funding = more children r offered early intervention yey say early education

BUT .......

Lack of experience = questionable standards n quality of care - :-( says early education

less unemployed = less allegeable for 2yr old funded spaces - criteria will become claiming parts of UC. :-/ upps says Gov

More agencies reg CM = loads of CM reg but not working and still being paid by Gov grants - /:-0 oh Oh says mp with red suitcase !

= Gov lose loads of money n loads of people become unemployed again - ;-# wasn't my idea say Truss


SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT PLAN TO ME

In short Gov train currently unemployed to look after their own children due to reduced criteria of 2yr old funding =

Less unemployed :-)
2yr funded spaces filled :-)

ANOTHER GREAT PLAN

All while i an independent CM smile sweetly in the corner ;-))