Post by susi513 on May 30, 2007 9:05:51 GMT
you're lucky you got a phone call first. Mine just turned up without any warning at all. He woke up 2 mindies and he made me late for the school run.
And I hadn't cleared up from lunch - worksurfaces needed wiping, and a pile of dishes were in a sink full of grimy water. NIGHTMARE!!!
It has been a legal requirement for childminders to register as a food premises since Jan 2006. It doesn't matter if you don't provide meals, the law now requires us to register anyway.
If you are asked to register by your council you must do so but my advice is WAIT if you haven't heard from your council and DON'T CONTACT YOUR COUNCIL FIRST.
Currently childminders are being told different things, some councils are treating us like commercial kitchens - eg I was told to install 3 sinks in my kitchen, someone else was told their washing machine must be taken out of kitchen.
The NCMA are working hard with the FSA & environmental health trying to reach an agreement so that all councils will adopt a consistent approach across the country, as we should be considered low-risk. The NCMA told me that they can't put advice & info about what we should & shouldn't do in their magazine or by letter because its so inconsistent between councils at the moment.
So I think its best to wait until they've finalised all the details, at which point NCMA will let us know. And in the meantime if anyone is asked to do anything impractical, expensive or unreasonable contact NCMA even if you're not a member - they need to know about every problem so they can ensure nothing is overlooked in drawing up the new procedures.
So
And I hadn't cleared up from lunch - worksurfaces needed wiping, and a pile of dishes were in a sink full of grimy water. NIGHTMARE!!!
It has been a legal requirement for childminders to register as a food premises since Jan 2006. It doesn't matter if you don't provide meals, the law now requires us to register anyway.
If you are asked to register by your council you must do so but my advice is WAIT if you haven't heard from your council and DON'T CONTACT YOUR COUNCIL FIRST.
Currently childminders are being told different things, some councils are treating us like commercial kitchens - eg I was told to install 3 sinks in my kitchen, someone else was told their washing machine must be taken out of kitchen.
The NCMA are working hard with the FSA & environmental health trying to reach an agreement so that all councils will adopt a consistent approach across the country, as we should be considered low-risk. The NCMA told me that they can't put advice & info about what we should & shouldn't do in their magazine or by letter because its so inconsistent between councils at the moment.
So I think its best to wait until they've finalised all the details, at which point NCMA will let us know. And in the meantime if anyone is asked to do anything impractical, expensive or unreasonable contact NCMA even if you're not a member - they need to know about every problem so they can ensure nothing is overlooked in drawing up the new procedures.
So