Local childminding Associations

[Simona]

Do you have an active association in your area? if so what do they provide in addition to or to compliment what the EY team does?

Is there a fee for joining?

[Samcat]

We have one in Surrey. They sent out info on a training session/AGM due to take place in May, about a month ago. There is a cost for the session and one of the people involved heads up our LA's EY team. To be honest, I have no idea how it runs, as this is my first contact with them. I'll have to see how it goes!

[sarah707]

We have a team of development officers (called something long and complicated) who are on the end of the phone, arrange training, support us as much as they can, come and see us if we need them....

At the moment it's all free but I think there will be a training charge soon.

I know that we are very lucky - Cheshire West lost their DOs a while ago and they weren't replaced.

[loocyloo]

North yorkshire have an early years team with childcare sufficiency support officer. I dont have a local association. I think some areas do, but I think they are run just by the minders themselves.

When I lived in hampshire we had our own local childminding group & ran a drop in, training, vacancies list & social events. Sometimes the area DO (NCMA) would visit but not often.

[jo.jo76]

We did have one which was set up and run my childminders, if I remember correctly they charged me £5 for the year to join but they dissolved the following year after I started. They were good as we had a group trip to the sealife centre, soft play and fire station, they ran a group once a month. Can't remember much else, I'm sure there was more to it as £5 a year is not much and there wasn't many of us so money for hire of hall for group and trips must of come from somewhere. I do miss the group outings but our local authority early years team are good and have taken over a lot of it now, we still have monthly group and there was a trip to the farm last year

[christine e]

In Nottinghamshire we have 6 PACEY childminding & development support workers and a project manager who are funded by the local authority - they use to hold regular network meetings but think we have had only one in the last 18 - 24 months. We can access some free training via the LA but it is getting less and less. We have a county association of which I am chair and we put on 4 or 5 events each year but finding it harder and harder to get funding - we were fortunate enough to be able to get funds transferred to us from another organisation that was folding and that has kept us going. We do not charge a membership fee.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Our LA funds a company called Trio Childcare Connections and they have provided us with Development Officers/Support/Training for the last ten years or so. it used to be 2 networks of 50 childminders but for the last 4 years I think it has been open to every childminder in our area. The EY team still organise basic training such as food hygiene and first aid as this is available for all EY providers, including childminders and nurseries. There is a charge for this.

We are very well looked after in Swindon and we have not seen any cuts to services but our courses have increased to £25.00 per course. If you want to see an example go to http://www.earlyyearschildcare.org and you can see the grants available to us too.

[Pixie dust]

In Norfolk we have Childminding Matters which used to provide some great termly training/workshops and information evenings, annual conference and daytime groups you could go to with the children but their funding has been drastically cut over the last 2 years so now we have a local development officer (has a new title but can't remember it) who does your RAG rating and supports new childminders. The daytime groups have all stopped and very limited eve support sessions offered now.

The local early years team do offer some fab training at a cost of about £10 which is great so we are lucky but they are often during the day.

[Simona]

Chatterbox I did contact Trio Childcare last week to find out which areas they operated in and what services they offer...they told me they are not an association but are in discussion with the DfE about agencies???...check on that!!!

Thanks for all the information...a huge variety on offer, I wonder what will happen to them all???

[The Juggler]

we do but it is basically running a playgroup for minders. the group at the cc is far more active. Our DO is based within the LA team of Advice and Inspection, which is where childminders now sit since all the reshuffles.