Childcare Nightmare!

coolcait

Spendless wrote: »

I read on the opening post for people to recommend a childminder not a complete stranger. Presumably, the OP will contact the childminder visit them and do the usual steps one does before arranging childcare?

.

That might have been what the request intended.

But, it was placed before a huge number of internet strangers.

How do you even start to evaluate recommendations which come from internet strangers?

It's the internet equivalent of standing outside the school, or in the town centre, and shouting "I need someone to collect my daughter after school, and then bring her home when I finish work! I'm desperate" Only, it's a shout which can be heard by anyone, anywhere.

bestpud

coolcait wrote: »

That might have been what the request intended.

But, it was placed before a huge number of internet strangers.

How do you even start to evaluate recommendations which come from internet strangers?

It's the internet equivalent of standing outside the school, or in the town centre, and shouting "I need someone to collect my daughter after school, and then bring her home when I finish work! I'm desperate" Only, it's a shout which can be heard by anyone, anywhere.

You vet them like you would any childminder! It's not rocket science!

They will be registered for a start and will probably have other children in their care that the OP will see when she looks around.

bestpud

emsywoo123 wrote: »

Read post 10 again, and consider your post.

If you stand by it then I, with respect, would at best consider you naive!

And you are caught up in the 'p a e d o p h i l e on every corner' hype!

Get a grip!

The OP will obviously vet any recommended childcare provider!

sweetcheekz

I second using childcare.co.uk, you can put in your postcode and they will show childminders in your area, you could also try netmums, who have a childcare board. It is also a good idea to contact your local council FIS (family information service) who often have lists of childminders in the area, and of course it is useful to speak to the school.
I am sure, having used a childminder before, you know how to go about making sure your childminder is registered etc, but for reference;

Ask to see their CRB, and that of any adult (over 16's) in the household.
Ask to see their paediatric first aid certificate.
Ask to see their childminding insurance, and if used business insurance for their car.
Ask for their OFSTED registration number, this will enable you to look at their inspection report online.

Any REGISTERED childminder will have all of these, as it is a condition of their OFSTED registration, and of course many will also have feedback forms and references from parents they have worked with. If your childminder is registered you may also be able to claim some child care benefits, or use any child care voucher schemes your employers may use (both parents can do this)

emsywoo123

bestpud wrote: »

And you are caught up in the 'p a e d o p h i l e on every corner' hype!

Get a grip!

The OP will obviously vet any recommended childcare provider!

FGS.

I don't doubt that the OP will vet said person.......it's the other millions of people that read this board that are a potential issue.

I'm not going to spell it out but if you can't work out why there was far too much information in the OP then I seriously pity you.

I'm not going to comment again in the hope the thread dies a death.

onlyroz

Our local authority website has lists of childminders linked to each school. And you'll also find that once you start ringing a few they'll start asking around on your behalf. That's how I found my childminder - the ones I called myself were full but they put me in touch with an amazing lady who had space.

Also are there any after school clubs available? Even if the school itself doesn't have one there might be a neighbouring school that has a club which does pickups.

Sambucus_Nigra

It's not rocket science to work out that putting your child's primary school and the fact that you are desperate for childcare on the biggest forum in the country is pretty irresponsible.

bestpud

emsywoo123 wrote: »

FGS.

I don't doubt that the OP will vet said person.......it's the other millions of people that read this board that are a potential issue.

I'm not going to spell it out but if you can't work out why there was far too much information in the OP then I seriously pity you.

I'm not going to comment again in the hope the thread dies a death.

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

It's not rocket science to work out that putting your child's primary school and the fact that you are desperate for childcare on the biggest forum in the country is pretty irresponsible.

Go on then, name some potential issues.

Just saying it's risky and stropping off doesn't make it more believable.

So tell us mere mortals what the danger is.

travelgran

As the person who first raised the point about naming the school I'd like to say that my concern is not particularly about child protection issues, it's about general issues of Internet privacy. Single pieces of private information can add up to quite a detailed picture of your life, including your real name, sometimes the area in which you live, workplace, family details and relationships etc. If you're happy to have all that available on the web then fine - if not, don't post too much detail.

bestpud

travelgran wrote: »

As the person who first raised the point about naming the school I'd like to say that my concern is not particularly about child protection issues, it's about general issues of Internet privacy. Single pieces of private information can add up to quite a detailed picture of your life, including your real name, sometimes the area in which you live, workplace, family details and relationships etc. If you're happy to have all that available on the web then fine - if not, don't post too much detail.

That is sensible advice, I agree.