CHILDMINDERS' VALUE
Several years ago I employed an assistant to help me in my role as a registered childminder. A local nursery had suffered a fire and I wanted to expand my business to support the local families needing good-quality childcare. It wasn't a procedure made easy by Ofsted.
The wonderful lady I chose to employ waited three months while Ofsted processed all the necessary checks to decide if she was a suitable person. As I was no longer employing my assistant at my last inspection, this condition was removed from my certificate.
This summer, demand for my childminding services far exceeds the places I have available. I thought I had the perfect solution by employing one of my former BTEC student placements over the summer, someone with whom many of my minded children have developed a close bond. If only the law found it so simple.
Ofsted informs me that although my potential employee was cleared to work in childcare settings less than a year ago, there would still be a requirement to undertake a full CRB check before even applying for the variation to work with an assistant and increase the numbers of children I care for, let alone employ her in my setting.
Why? Because the law as it stands does not regard registered childminders as competent enough people to make a valid judgement about who is suitable to work with children. How many people would be prepared to wait three whole months to find out if a potential employer could offer them a post? Moreover, how many parents consider their childcare needs more than three months in advance? In my experience, not many.
I understand how important it is to employ only suitable people, and I am not asking that my assistant be permitted to work unsupervised. All I want is to employ an assistant who meets the needs of the parents who use me. If I were the Registered Person in any other form of childcare setting, I would have that right. Is this another case of childminding being dumbed down by society?
Gail Barton, registered childminder, Lancashire
Letter of the Week wins £30 worth of books
EYP OR MANAGER?
In 'Promoting the EYP' (Letters, 3 June), the author expressed dismay at the advertisement for 'Director of Early Years' (Nursery World, 13 May), which asked for a minimum level 4 qualification, without mentioning Early Years Professional Status as a requirement.
As a fellow EYPS assessor, I can understand why this may seem like an omission, or a missed opportunity to engage a high-quality practitioner. However, I think it needs to be acknowledged that EYPS is not a management qualification and, therefore, would have been an inappropriate requirement for this post.
A post such as this requires someone with managerial experience, who can make strategic decisions and advise on industry developments. The requirement of five years' senior management experience would most probably rule out many EYPS candidates, though it may well include the managers of those candidates if they had managerial qualifications.
I think that sometimes it is forgotten that EYPS is a status, not a qualification. It is highly relevant to those working directly with children, and leading others in the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The EYPS is not, and never was, intended for those who want to run businesses, manage budgets and develop strategies and policies.
From the outset, EYPS has caused confusion, with some EYPs feeling they were 'better qualified' than those who managed them. In reality, neither was 'better' qualified than the other. Put simply, each is appropriately equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to do very different but parallel roles.
What we need to promote are EYPs in positions doing what they do best, working closely with young children and in support of others who do so, to ensure quality of provision. We do not want to 'lose' these people to strategic roles, which removes them further from where it matters most - working with young children.
Barbara Morris, trainer, assessor, consultant, Childcare Training and Consultancy, Newcastle
- Send your letters to ... The Editor, Nursery World, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP; letter.nw@haymarket.com; 020 8267 8401
