Whistleblower

Whistleblower

by: annacotty - 03-03-08 18:38

Whistleblower is going undercover in the childcare industry on the 5th March at 8pm on BBC 1. Just letting people know so you dont miss it! :) xx

by: Rachel

Another opportunity to report the negative side of the industry rather than promoting all the positive aspects that are also happening

by: newsetting

I will be watching with interest.

RE: RE: Whistleblower - 07-03-08 14:01

by: chaz

hi the nursery is bad

by: Chrissy

I do feel after watching 'Whistleblower' that Ofsted was hit hard (not that I normally mind) but they did get a very bad press. All the comments on the programme were very valid and needing investigating, but I know of very good inspectors who are very thorough and conscientious about their role and unfair to tarnish them all with the same negative brush. It is like everything - down to the individuals. It will be interesting if anything is carried from this programme.

RE: RE: Whistleblower - 07-03-08 14:08

by: chaz

ofsted is bad

RE: RE: Whistleblower - 07-03-08 20:42

by: whmon

My own experience of Ofsted was that the inspector commented that she had never given out a grade 1 and doubted that she ever would. In our establishment she spent 2 days, a total of 16 hours and then said she would have to come back for a third day. After the third day we were marked down from a grade 1 to a grade 2 (she needed more time to 'find something').

Reasons: a basin in the 2 year old room was cracked - despite there being 7 other basins; the safety gate leading to the baby unit was missing - despite none of the babies in the room being mobile, and would have had to open a heavy fire door to access the passageway anyway; the pre-school planning was done by one person only - despite the fact that our small pre-school only has one member of staff. I ask you!

by: MikeyEarlyYears

Hi all, I felt that the program was very senstively done even though Ofsted were hit hard we must appreciate that they are the regulatory body if they can't get their systems right who can? I am also friendly on a personal level with a number of inspectors and some of the comments made were not alien to them.

 However saying all that I would be interested in like a follow up program a kind of "the making of whistleblower"! :-) it wasnt made claer whether Imogen (the reporter) had applied for other nursery jobs where she was turned down... if she did it would be good to praise the nursery companies that spotted her as a fake!

The BBC say she was on the job for 8/9 months im curious to know if she went to any nurseries where all she found was best practice best practice best practice???

On the whole i was excited about the program and I think i might watch it again (and maybe again), I do have friends and aquaintences who work for just learning and I felt that she gave them a pretty raw deal as it was actually just the manager who was lets say was real "naff" at her job, Imogen also targetted one of their nurseries which were constantly in the media eye and maybe should have been closed when the child died there.

 It was enlightening when you think that she was able to register so easily to become a child minder and I found it funny tat the inspector was sat with her laptop actually on her lap! all she was bothered about was completing her report as fast as possible and getting outta the joint! lol

what do you guys think? im keen to read more thoughts on this

best wishes from Michael x

by: Chelle

I am not at all suprised about the infromation that Whistleblowers recived through this docmentry. We were recently inspected and although recived good in both sectors, I do not feel that the inspection was thorough.

Our inspector was in our room for all of 4hrs and then read through 2 of about 70+ profiles. She did not wish to look through the health and safety assesments. In total she spent about 6 hours over 2 days in our 12 hour day facility

I am extremely proud of the work that my team and myself do to provide qualiy childcare and shocked at the lack of care and wellbeing for the children at the centres featured, although as mentioned may of not been the fault of the nusery staff there.

All the staff in my centre recive a 3month training plan and are NOT left unsuperivsed without a CRB check.

You can tell from the atmosphere of today that we all feel lucky to be where we are after all engrosed in the programme.

by: Maestro

Personally I thought it was a poorly made program and no matter how much I try and write it down it doesn't come out the correct way. My opinion is "it was a poorly made program!" She didnt get much informtion for 8 months undercover, and I just felt the program was "padded" with film of her brushing her teeth, using her friends baby to practice! Also you have to remember journalists are masters of selective editing!

The staff, nurseries, and Ofsted inspectors are inexcusable though! The program did a good job of tainting everyone with the same brush! A business/organisation is only as good as its staff, and it only takes a few bad eggs to destroy it.

by: Chrissy

I completely agree with Maestro, I also felt that the programme was far too padded and very selective. I am set to join the Just Learning camp shortly in a management role and after research and having first hand knowledge of the company  I fell that this one nursery was unique and (like any setting) down to the manager and his/her qualities at leading. I just hope that prospective parents don't take this one rather unbalanced programme as the norm for all settings.

by: chaz

bad

by: scarlett

I also felt this programme did not consist of much there was a lot of imogen in her kitchen getting ready making breakfast  what was that about?   just padding it out.

Our inspector is very strict and goes through everything.

I manage my setting closely and my staff are reliable and kind.

We all agree that the nurseries shown were terrible and should be shut down...... 

by: Maestro

I would also like the staff who were on camera swearing and mocking the children, named and shamed. Unless a manager sees, hears or is tipped off about this behaviour then it will always continue from the staff. It is very hard to prove and stop if staff are doing it as a) they will stop when the manager is about, and b) the people they do it front of are usually friends. Unless someone picks up the courage to say, then it will go unnoticed. If of course the manager knows about it and nothing is done well thats a different story!

by: Annie

The programme was not surprising - some years ago there was a similar whistle blowing one called 'Leaving baby' which didn't have as much padding but showed that what the parents thought they were getting was far from the truth. There was a similar use of bad language - a baby was pushed between two carers in a baby walker from one side of the room to another for a game and another was shut in the kitchen with the cook. Another baby was sat in a chair for hours on end. The babies were regularly verbally abused by being called little s...t bags etc.  I was appalled and used a copy of the programme in training nursery staff but I never felt that the programme made any difference. If a nursery does not have a skilled and capable manager who supervises her staff, then no amount of CRB checks will ensure that the children will not be neglected or abused in some way. After completing my social work training (and 12 years in a social services nursery) I was keen to set up an establishment which met children's needs and actually gave them a headstart in life. I vowed to only employ loving, caring staff and put my neck on the block several times by taking an unqualified girl with these qualities over a qualified but insensitive one. However, I despaired when ONE OF my loving member of staff decided to have a pram race around the play area with pram complete with child. The pram tipped over. The child was okay but it was a huge lesson for me that all staff need to be supervised, listened to and supported. IncidentaLLY, WITH SUPPORT SHE TURNED OUT TO BE AN OKAY MEMBER OF STAFF - MUCH LOVED BY THE CHILDREN BUT IF SHE WAS IN THE NURSERIES FEATURED IN THIS PROGRAMME, WITH THE SORT OF SUPERVISION DEMONSTRATED, SHE COULD SO EASILY HAVE GONE THE OPPOSITE WAY AND BECOME A LIABILITY AND A DANGER TO CHILDREN.  THE PROGRAMME WAS  QUITE MILD - I HAVE SEEN PLENTY OF WORSE THINGS THAN  WERE DEMONSTRATED HERE.

by: kalual

I really feel sorry for these members of staff at these nurseries. At the end of the day, they are young girls, most expecting training which they are apparently not getting, who want to work with children but have been given no help, guidance or direction whatsoever!! My real concern is that many parents have seen this who are maybe about to return to work, and yet again all nurseries have been tarred with the same brush. As others have said, what about the rest of us who follow best practice, care for the children we look after and provide the best possible care that a child can get away from home?? It's about time somebody went undercover and promoted good nurseries and the many many beneficts it can have to children. I don't work on Thursdays and not seen most of the parents today for one reason or another but am looking forward to seeing them after the weekend to see what they think.

by: Maestro

If staff seriously think thats what they think chid care consists of and it can not be better, then they should be shot! It is a caring profession! Swearing and mocking does not make for a caring nature and if people are too stupid to realise then I think they should be named and shamed. If you have expectations from a job and the job doesnt match those expectations, why stay?? I disagree with statements where people are made out to be misguided and not given direction. Sounds like something rehab officers would say about serial killers! We make choices, we have initiative, we have expectations. People need to, and should take responsibility, some common sense goes far in this industry, its a shame I have seen, and interviewed so many without!

Harsh I know but its my stance!

RE: RE: Whistleblower - 08-03-08 11:12

by: joshuajones

Well said Maestro !! Training is not about basic care needs of the children, loving, caring or gentleness, that should be there from the start.

RE: RE: RE: Whistleblower - 13-03-08 22:36

by: joy

Hi Joshua, I have read on another  forum that you have set up a few nurseries. I am planning to set one up  and would very much appreicate your advise and tips my email address is joytichander@hotmail.com. Thanks

by: teach

I don't know if anyone else saw it but  few weeks ago a journalist from the BBC replyed to a post from what i percieved to be a young nusery nurse who was complaining about her senior staff and asking how to complain to OFSTED.  She gave her e-mail address and asked her to contact her as she was researching a programme on poor standards of care in childcare.  It may be that there is another show in the making and that the researchers are using this site as an element of their research!!

Interestingly last week we got a call from channel 4 asking if they could film our nursery settling a child who had english as a second language as they were making a documentary following this child.  Of course we said NO WAY  !!! What a minefield that would be.

by: Maestro

If you moan on a public forum you can't expect much else! How can you not know how to contact Ofsted!