Letter From Michael Gove to David Cameron regarding childminding changes

**Bizzy Mum** · 04-04-2012, 12:07 PM

I thought you may be interested to know I've received a copy of a letter sent by Michael Gove to David Cameron. It outlines proposed changes to the expectations on childminders.

http://www.bizzymumsblog.com/2012/04...-to-david.html
I would love to know what you think. Do you think this is a move in the right direction?

Feel free to add any comments on the Blog as well

**Gherkin** · 04-04-2012, 01:42 PM

Personally I am happy to be regulated by Ofsted and although the new revised documents indicates that childminders do not need written policies or risk assessments I do not feel that it is feasible to sit with families and retell them all the information from my P & P's.

My families will continue to get hard copies of my P & P's as they form part of the contract with me and at over 30 pages there is no way they or I for that matter will remember every little detail.

Regards risk assesments I still will have written copies as how else can I prove to Ofsted that I consider all the risk factors for everywhere we go.

I worked hard to get my Ofsted grade and no way do I want it to slip because I do not have perfect recall when the Ofsted inspector visits.

**EmmaReed84** · 04-04-2012, 02:52 PM

With regards to policies, surely they are there to protect us? Why would we not want them? Perhaps I am a paperwork nut but I like the backing a policy gives me and a signature to say that my parents have read and understood them, so when it comes to a child turning up at my door and being told they were sick in the night I can politely turn them away and refer them to the policy...

Am I totally missing the point. I have not had chance to read anything yet, a very brief scan through, but I have 10 days off so was hoping to get some good reading time lol

**jane35** · 04-04-2012, 03:06 PM

Personally I Agree with Gherkin and EmmaReed84 myself and my husband are just waiting for our Health Declarations To Be Completed then we are going to be registered Ofsted childminders And we are more than happy with anything we have to do for Ofsted

**loocyloo** · 04-04-2012, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by Gherkin

Personally I am happy to be regulated by Ofsted and although the new revised documents indicates that childminders do not need written policies or risk assessments I do not feel that it is feasible to sit with families and retell them all the information from my P & P's.

My families will continue to get hard copies of my P & P's as they form part of the contract with me and at over 30 pages there is no way they or I for that matter will remember every little detail.

Regards risk assesments I still will have written copies as how else can I prove to Ofsted that I consider all the risk factors for everywhere we go.

I worked hard to get my Ofsted grade and no way do I want it to slip because I do not have perfect recall when the Ofsted inspector visits.

same here.

i like being under the ofsted umbrella, as that way there is hope for us to be seen as childcare professionals. other countries place a high regard on their childcare workers that is sadly not seen here, and i think if we were to be regulated by someone else, we would lose any professionalism we do have.

**mama2three** · 04-04-2012, 03:19 PM

Worrying developments - I can see a 2 tier system where childminders are seen as 2nd class childcare - after we have worked so so hard to act as professionals on the same setting as the other eyfs settings.
we (collectively ) complain about ofsted consistency - how much worse will this be with a number of regulators.
There are a vast number of professional childminders for whom these are steps in the wrong direction.

**Mouse** · 04-04-2012, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by mama2three

Worrying developments - I can see a 2 tier system where childminders are seen as 2nd class childcare - after we have worked so so hard to act as professionals on the same setting as the other eyfs settings.
we (collectively ) complain about ofsted consistency - how much worse will this be with a number of regulators.
There are a vast number of professional childminders for whom these are steps in the wrong direction.

But just because we might not come under the Ofsted umberella it doesn't mean we wouldn't be seen as professionals. Everyone is assuming other regulators would be a poor substitute, but what if they were actually better and raised the profile of childminders? It could be that childminders were seen as an alternative form of professional childcare, in their own right. Being homebased, we ARE a very different form of childcare, so why do we always battle to be accepted on the same lines as nurseries & pre-schools? Why not fight to be accepted as a distinct form of childcare?

It works in other countries where they have specific regulators for childminding, so why couldn't it work here?

Just another point of view

**EmmaReed84** · 04-04-2012, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

But just because we might not come under the Ofsted umberella it doesn't mean we wouldn't be seen as professionals. Everyone is assuming other regulators would be a poor substitute, but what if they were actually better and raised the profile of childminders? It could be that childminders were seen as an alternative form of professional childcare, in their own right. Being homebased, we ARE a very different form of childcare, so why do we always battle to be accepted on the same lines as nurseries & pre-schools? Why not fight to be accepted as a distinct form of childcare?

It works in other countries where they have specific regulators for childminding, so why couldn't it work here?

Just another point of view

This is a very interesting point... I have seen so many contradicting comments along the lines of "We are on the same level as nurseries" then "We are being inspected like we are nurseries and that is not fair"

I think having a regulatory body soley for minders would give us that distinct line. It is so hard as I have never seen "the other side" and only know the Ofsted side so hard for me to comment really.

**mama2three** · 04-04-2012, 04:25 PM

Mouse , what youre saying is right - however the tone of Sir Michael Wilshires report certainly didnt suggest to me that he placed value in childminding - he seemed to suggest we offer a borderline satisfactory service and arent value for money in Government terms.

**lou lou** · 04-04-2012, 05:34 PM

the thing is we are not the same as nuseries i think we are very different for a start we look after different age groups at the same time i might have two 3 year olds and then a baby to look after not like nurseries where they have a baby room and we are sole charge where we cook the dinner, we are the cleaner, work very long hours with no dinner break, having to do all the paper work yourself so i would probably welcome the changes to take the pressure off, I dont think people would not see us as proffesionals i like to think we are what it says on the tin CHILDMINDER and i have found that is what some parents want a home from home enviroment, i have one little girl who's mum wanted a home from home enviroment as she is very shy and probably would not cope with a nursery enviroment and other parents that like the fact it is like a second home to them.

**Bizzy Mum** · 05-04-2012, 06:52 AM

Thank you so much for your thoughts on this. I think it is great so many of you are keen to work with EYFS and Ofsted, I just fear there are a lot of excellent carers for who all the paperwork puts them the job. I am interested in the debate about whether childminders are regarded highly enough. Personally, as a parent, I think the role is incredibly important. But I wouldn't judge a good childminder on their paperwork (First aid and safeguarding up to date clearly) more on how good an actual 'carer' they are. An that is what sets childminders apart for me is the 'home from home' environment