Do you want to remain 'independent'?..read on
I have been furiously writing to the DfE this week and have been asked to send a list of questions about 'agencies'
I have very few on that matter (I am not jumping into any agency at present for various reasons I won't bore you with) but plenty on 'how we can remain independent and what guarantees we have that no barriers or unfair competition stand in our way'
My letter was a complaint, in a way, about the drip drip information and also finding out things via social media and those sitting around the DfE table, rather than an 'official' announcement
These are the extracts from the letter I received on 20 March:
''I apologise for not replying earlier. I checked on our systems after David last sent a response and noticed that there was a letter from you to the Department that we were about to reply to, so I didn’t want to duplicate what that letter was saying. To make things as simple as possible, it is probably easiest if you direct any questions on childminder agencies to me (as I am leading on the policy) from now on, and either I or somebody in my team will respond.
We are speaking to a lot of people interested in childminder agencies. To be clear, this does not mean only speaking to those who agree with the principle, but also those who have concerns and those who are opposed to the policy. We have obviously had a range of correspondence with you about the issue (and others), and I was grateful for your thoughts on agencies and issues of regulation when we met last year. We have heard from a wide range of people and organisations on this, and other issues, and all of those views have been fed into our thinking.
From the comments you have made so far, it seems clear that you are not a supporter of the proposed agency model. I absolutely respect that position, and recognise that some other experienced and successful childminders may take a similar view. That is why we are only introducing agencies on a voluntary basis. You will continue to be able to register independently with Ofsted. You will continue to be individually inspected by Ofsted.
But other childminders have expressed an interest in working within an agency model, and we feel it is right that we give them that opportunity by introducing childminder agencies.
Can I suggest that, to move things forward, you let me have a list of the specific questions on childminder agencies you would like answered, and I will respond to them? I cannot promise that you will agree with all of our positions, but I hope at least that I can be clear on what we plan to do and why''. (end)
I would like to ask you to help Sarah and I to compile a list from this forum and another one so we get as many questions as possible and not just mine.
You may have questions about agencies but it is best to focus on 'independence'... just state what your worries are in a few words...such as : where do I get support, training, how to draw funding etc etc
We need your input in a short time ...lets say a week so we can put them in order and I will send them off
Thank you for your help and time.