Opinion: Letters

HURRY UP, CRB

If you are waiting to start a job that relies on a Criminal Records Bureau check, then be prepared for a long, long wait.

My colleague and I have been waiting four months to be registered as childminders. We submitted our CRB applications in December and received enhanced disclosures in February. However, my 82-year-old mother lives with me, so she too has to be CRB checked, and her disclosure is still being processed.

I have contacted the CRB regularly to check its progress both online and by telephone. They have repeatedly informed me that they have 'escalated' the check, made it 'high priority' and contacted the police on several occasions, so there is nothing more I can do but wait.

I complained by e-mail and letter and then, after taking advice from Ofsted, took matters into my own hands and contacted Greater Manchester Police. A woman in their occupational checks department was helpful but surprised when I said the CRB had contacted her office several times. She had no record of any communication and said that the CRB regularly tells people they have contacted the police when they have not.

How many more people are being misled by the CRB, and why should it have taken my intervention to locate the application? It took me three minutes to do what has taken the CRB four months.

As these checks are vital to protecting children and vulnerable adults, and employers cannot employ people without them, surely there has to be better communication among all the agencies involved. Who is regulating the CRB and carrying out spot checks on their completion records? Is the Government aware of just how long CRB checks are taking and the stress caused while they are being processed?

Clare Watson, Stockport

Letter of the Week wins £30 of books

CHILDMINDER ADVICE

It was disappointing to read the experience of a childminder accessing a network, only to find that the rules required her and some of the other childminders to repeat aspects of their training (Letters, 8 April). At NCMA, we have been working hard to illustrate to Government, local authorities and childminders the benefits of belonging to a flexible, robust network that reflects the experiences of those on the network and is responsive to their needs.

Part of the role of any childminding network is to support and encourage childminders in their continuous professional development. This is something that all NCMA Children Come First (CCF) networks do. Generally, training on a CCF network is tailored to the individual needs and qualification levels of childminders on the network. CCF networks do not adopt a blanket approach where network members must undertake all stipulated training. However, local authorities can adapt the model to meet local requirements.

The current consultation being carried out by the Department for Children, Schools and Families about networks does not specify these particular qualifications as a necessary part of being on a quality improvement network.

I would urge the author of the letter to question the criteria set and invite them to contact NCMA to see how we can support in resolving this issue.

Andrew Fletcher, joint chief executive, NCMA

PUSHING BACK

I read with interest your letter about the skills expected of four-year-olds entering some independent schools (1 April). We find the same pressure from state schools and are often asked 'Can the children learn the alphabet now they are in pre-school?'

I explain that children need listening and social skills. I also say that when children can put their clothes on and go to the toilet alone, I will start teaching them from Letters and Sounds (DCFS). This is normally enough to satisfy parents, as they assume that I'm talking about the alphabet. Pushy parents, however, must be reminded that children need to share and play. I tell them that if children can't imagine a story through small-world and role play, they will never be able to write one!

Tracy Elser, nursery manager, Farnham, Surrey

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO ...

The Editor, Nursery World,

174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP

letter.nw@haymarket.com

020 8267 8401