During this snowy weather can husband pick up from school

Trying to plan how to work childcare around the snow presume it is ok for me to ask for signed parents permission for my husband to collect the children from school if I cannot get the pram to push in the snow especially when it is the double pram. All but one is over 8 years. He passes on his way home from work at around 2pm. Or my alternative would be for me to get signed permission for the 19month and or 21 month to be left with him for 40 minutes when he got in so that I could go without a pram but am presuming this would be more of a no no.

Or maybe I will close and stay in the warm on my own:)!!

in this situation i would get permision off parents but you must explain to them that although your DH has been CRB checked that he is not your assistant so this collection will be a favour .if it is not aceptable then they should arrange for the children to be dropped off at your house .

I think the over 8's probably would be ok with permission but to have as assistant (I know that's not what your asking) they have to have first
aid training for the ey's so probably be the same in this instance. Leaving him at home with lo's would be a no no in the eyes of Ofsted.
But then what are supposed to do if we can't get through with the buggy it's a no win situation:(

2 years ago, when we had really heavy snow, I was almost 9 months pregnant. I was still childminding, I had 3 little ones with me and there was a 3 mile round trip to get my kids and 1 mindee aged 7 from school which closed 2 hours into the school day! We got permission from mum as she was stuck in snow 30 miles away and DH did the school run. He was brilliant because it really was bad where we are. I wrote up an incident report to cover me, but I saw it as an emergency / extreme weather one off situation. Parents were just happy their child was safe.

It is for this reason I send out a Severe Weather Policy which states that if I do not feel I can safely get to school ( as I have 2 x 1yr olds in a buggy) then I might make the decision to either not do the school run in the morning or if the weather deteriorates during the day I may decide to collect the school children early. It could mean I have some schoolies / nursery children for longer during the day though so I will always give parents the option of making their own alternative arrangements should it happen. Luckily on Friday and also tomorrow I don't have a need for the buggy so I can get to school and nursery whatever.

xxxx

No offense, and this is not a view on your dh's abilities or character, but I would say no. I think there are 3 practical difficulties:-

1. If he isn't your official assistant, then I think it would be acting outside the regulations. (This is not an 'emergency' in the sense that you've had to leave them with a trusted relative while you accompany another lo in an ambulance or similar.)
2. School would be acting well within their duty of care if they refused to hand over the child to someone who isn't named as authorised to collect.
3. Your husband's motor insurers may claim he's using the car for business, so he may be without cover if he has an accident. (I'm sure he can drive perfectly well but it's always 'the idiot around the next bend' who can drive into you, especially in snow.)

This is always difficult, as strictly speaking it puts the CM in breach of contract. :(

Thanks for replies, so still not sure what to do but if parents sign permission for the collecting by my husband that is the best option, bunyip we don't drive so only have walking option so no car insurance to worry about. Just thinking they are over 8 except one who is over 7. Parents can send a letter in to school if they have given permission which I am sure all my parents will.

But maybe the snow and ice will not be so bad and all this will be irrelevant.

The year my hubby collected when I was pregnant he had to walk as the snow was a foot and a half deep! I don't think i'd ever ask him to do it again because I don't intend on being pregnant again :clapping:

It's one of those situations where everyone says they are happy until something unexpected goes wrong.

Sorry but I think Ofsted would view this as a no- unless he is your registered assistant and has first aid certificate then he shouldn't be doing it.
i totatally appreciate that it's a sensible thing to do but legally you are leaving yourself wide open.

Could you not both walk together so that he is giving you a helping hand. :)

if you put in writing that it is in no way part of your service and just a favour that they can choose not to use and they can make their own arrangements,otherwise you will be unavailable for the school run for safety reasons.your services will start once children are in your care

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Originally Posted by bunyip

No offense, and this is not a view on your dh's abilities or character, but I would say no. I think there are 3 practical difficulties:-

1. If he isn't your official assistant, then I think it would be acting outside the regulations. (This is not an 'emergency' in the sense that you've had to leave them with a trusted relative while you accompany another lo in an ambulance or similar.)
2. School would be acting well within their duty of care if they refused to hand over the child to someone who isn't named as authorised to collect.
3. Your husband's motor insurers may claim he's using the car for business, so he may be without cover if he has an accident. (I'm sure he can drive perfectly well but it's always 'the idiot around the next bend' who can drive into you, especially in snow.)

This is always difficult, as strictly speaking it puts the CM in breach of contract. :(

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May I add to this that if he isn't registered as your assistant then he would not be covered by your Public Liability Insurance either.

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Originally Posted by dette

if you put in writing that it is in no way part of your service and just a favour that they can choose not to use and they can make their own arrangements,otherwise you will be unavailable for the school run for safety reasons.your services will start once children are in your care

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I don't think Ofsted or the Insurers would view it that way if something went wrong.

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Originally Posted by janminder

Trying to plan how to work childcare around the snow presume it is ok for me to ask for signed parents permission for my husband to collect the children from school if I cannot get the pram to push in the snow especially when it is the double pram. All but one is over 8 years. He passes on his way home from work at around 2pm. Or my alternative would be for me to get signed permission for the 19month and or 21 month to be left with him for 40 minutes when he got in so that I could go without a pram but am presuming this would be more of a no no.

Or maybe I will close and stay in the warm on my own:)!!

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Many years ago on the advise of Ofsted during an inspection I registered my dh as an assistant. I had obtained written permission from a parent who had suggested my dh take her child home as he was going past her house and it would save me doing a separate journey. Ofsted were happy at that time, 8 years ago, the inspector said that if he were registered he would be covered by my insurance.

He is Registered and does his First Aid and Child Protection every three years and his car is insured for childminding so he can be left, with written permission (I have this on my general permissions slip) with any age group of child, he can stay at home with little ones or do a school run if he is here. He works full time and does not work with me all the time but having him registered has been very useful. I am just about to have my daughter registered as well, she has already done her first aid.

It doesn't cost anything and doesn't take long but I think it is certainly worth it to offer a bit of flexibility. With regard to my daughter it also will mean that when she babysits she will be covered by my Public Liability Insurance as long as we use the NCMA Babysitting Info form.

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Originally Posted by wendywu

Could you not both walk together so that he is giving you a helping hand. :)

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Perfect solution :thumbsup:

Here's a shocker ..... A good few years ago I used to mind a girl in my sons year at school , not even same class. The school phoned to say that they were closing early due to flooding so I phoned my husband to ask him to collect children..... He came back with our two and mindee !!!!!! School sent her home with our kids and Hubby being hubby thought that it was all arranged ! Mother of mindee had called me and asked if I would collect her child which I was set to do once hubby returned but at no time were the school advised to release mindee to my husband , I told mother of mindee what happened and she laughed and didn't mind at all ( which is lovely cause her attitude was that if she had any problem with her child being around my husband then I would be her child minder in the first place ) BUT I still shudder to think of what could of happened ......

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Originally Posted by Little Pickles

Here's a shocker ..... A good few years ago I used to mind a girl in my sons year at school , not even same class. The school phoned to say that they were closing early due to flooding so I phoned my husband to ask him to collect children..... He came back with our two and mindee !!!!!! School sent her home with our kids and Hubby being hubby thought that it was all arranged ! Mother of mindee had called me and asked if I would collect her child which I was set to do once hubby returned but at no time were the school advised to release mindee to my husband , I told mother of mindee what happened and she laughed and didn't mind at all ( which is lovely cause her attitude was that if she had any problem with her child being around my husband then I would be her child minder in the first place ) BUT I still shudder to think of what could of happened ......

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I'm shocked but not surprised. I've previously been called into school to collect my "poorly granddaughter". Only when I got there it wasn't my granddaughter; wasn't even a mindee. And the school secretary said to the lo, "here's grandad, off you go" so would've happily released her into my care.

I demanded to see the the headteacher and told her I was appalled and that i regarded it as a serious safeguarding matter. She told me she was "disappointed" at the fuss I was making, and that no-one had got hurt, and obviously it was safe cos I wasn't the kind of person who'd abduct a child. But that wasn't the end of it, oh no...

...Naturally, I told the girl's mum the whole story and she made a complaint. The head called me in to school to say she was "disappointed" (her favourite word when she's patronising CMs) that I had "breached confidentiality" by telling the mum. :eek: With my mobile in my hand, I said, "I have Ofsted on speed-dial. Shall we let them sort it out?" Never seen anyone back down so quick. :D