passing on enquiries.

[yummyripples]

If I get a random enquiry that i can't help I will tell them the names of the minders in their local area.
I passed on details of a minder I kinda know and thought she had vacancies. I was a bit shocked when she said she is full with a waiting list.
I was shocked that she didn't pass on my details or a mutual friends details to the people on her waiting list. We always say we will pass on enquiries.
Is this common practice?

[Mummits]

I always pass on enquiries I can't do. I gather when I started doing it that it hadn't been the norm, and it took quite a while before any came the other way, but now they do. It helps that I am now doing TTO I think, as people see that as not direct competition - I will quite often take on children they wouldn't touch & vice versa.

[funemnx]

I always pass on enquiries - I live in a village so know the other CM, very rarely get any passed to me though....

[cathtee]

I always pass on to my fellow minders in the area there are only 3 of us at our school so we help each other out, and if someone comes for another school that we know other minders at we pass on to them too.

[tulip0803]

I pass people on - I have passed one on today 4 day a week 13 month old. We have a local group in small town about 5 miles away so contact the secretary who knows what vacancies childminders have. Another local minder asked me about my after school vacancies last week as she had an enquiry she couldn't do fully.

I also have a waiting list - Mine consists of current parents waiting for extra days. One waiting for the Friday that comes free at Easter, one new parent waiting for the Monday and Friday spaces that come free in July can offer her tue & wed and moment, she knows me and doesn't want him to go anywhere else (only 2 of us in village and the other one is full with 3 mums on or about to start maternity1) . We have also done shared care when one of us couldn't help someone fully but between us we could.

[shortstuff]

There is a group of minders in this area and we all pass each others names on. We all work in a lovely way with each other. I wouldn't want it any other way myself x

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I always pass them on to but some parents want me and are prepared to wait so I do have a waiting list in those instances.

[loocyloo]

I always pass them on to but some parents want me and are prepared to wait so I do have a waiting list in those instances.

Same here. Plus there are only a few of us in a rural area so people look for care on their routes to work and will wait for spaces to become available.

[bunyip]

When I started out I was rather naive and I used to pass on all enquiries to practically every CM I knew around here but I became a lot more selective after a while.

Some local CMs were treating me as if I were some sort of vacancies secretary or agency. I'd either give the parent's details to the CM or ask the CMs permission to pass their details to the parents. But I was getting CMs demanding more information from me about the enquiry, like I'm some kind of go-between or agency.

Some CMs were even quite rude. I got messages like, "You know I'm full on Fridays, so why are you bothering me." Or, "This isn't worth wasting my time over."

Apart from that, I also found out a few things about some of these CMs which made me feel I wouldn't send a dog to them, never mind a child.

I now pass on to a handful of CMs I know very well who won't be so selfish, and who I know give a good service. Also I pass on to a couple of designated 'vacancy secretaries' for CM groups that have them, if the location fits.

Our local pacey office advise against passing on enquiries and recommends we refer parents to them or the county FIS.

[bunyip]

In follow-up to this, an interesting thing happened just yesterday.

I bumped into a local CM I know: one of our local Mafia-style CM group. We got chatting and, just being polite (big mistake) I asked how things were going business-wise. She's a bit quiet and having trouble filling vacancies. I suggested maybe she should try being a bit different and not following the Mafia rules: maybe consider a part-timer or two, or non-cartel fees, T&Cs, etc. This rather horrified her, presumably she'd no wish to wake up to find a horse's head in her bed.

Anyway, she said she'd noticed I was on "that childcare website" and would I use my gold membership to find her some clients if she gave me a list of her requirements? Cheeky mare! I've no wish to go abusing Richard's generosity anyway, but as she simply can't be bothered to sit down and take the time/trouble/expense to do this for herself then I certainly won't be putting myself out. She was quite shocked, and seemed dumbfounded that I didn't see it as my responsibility to find her some clients.

I thought, "right love, my turn to be cheeky back" and suggested that, as I get some unsuitable enquiries from all my local advertising, would she like me to pass them on in return for a "finder's fee" in cash? You should've seen her jaw hit the floor!!!

[yummyripples]

In follow-up to this, an interesting thing happened just yesterday.

I bumped into a local CM I know: one of our local Mafia-style CM group. We got chatting and, just being polite (big mistake) I asked how things were going business-wise. She's a bit quiet and having trouble filling vacancies. I suggested maybe she should try being a bit different and not following the Mafia rules: maybe consider a part-timer or two, or non-cartel fees, T&Cs, etc. This rather horrified her, presumably she'd no wish to wake up to find a horse's head in her bed.

Anyway, she said she'd noticed I was on "that childcare website" and would I use my gold membership to find her some clients if she gave me a list of her requirements? Cheeky mare! I've no wish to go abusing Richard's generosity anyway, but as she simply can't be bothered to sit down and take the time/trouble/expense to do this for herself then I certainly won't be putting myself out. She was quite shocked, and seemed dumbfounded that I didn't see it as my responsibility to find her some clients.

I thought, "right love, my turn to be cheeky back" and suggested that, as I get some unsuitable enquiries from all my local advertising, would she like me to pass them on in return for a "finder's fee" in cash? You should've seen her jaw hit the floor!!!

Well done.
Am interested in your CM mafia. I think I met some that I would regard like this, I never truly got involved with them as there was always that feeling I got when I was around them. Is it the same in all areas then?

[bunyip]

Well done.
Am interested in your CM mafia. I think I met some that I would regard like this, I never truly got involved with them as there was always that feeling I got when I was around them. Is it the same in all areas then?

From groups I've been in/seen/met I think CM groups vary enormously. It just seems to be pot luck what you get in any given location.

The only general rule seems to be that a good group will tend to remain a good group, whilst a bad group will tend to remain a bad one. Once a group dynamic is establish, it tends to perpetuate: not least because people will stay/leave or be attracted/repelled according to whether it suits their own personality.