I am quite proud of myself - (or perhaps I am just a mug?), my co-ordinator yesterday asked me if I would be a support childminder for new childminders. She reckons I would be great for the job and that they were discussing me in the office - don't know if thats good or bad lol.
I am going to do a bit of training and then off I go....
OMG TT were AWESOME - I need a paramedic (preferably Mark Owen) And I behaved like a groupie!!! lol
I'm a support minder and it's very rewarding 'job' as many of the new minders just don't know where to start and really appreciate any help. It also helps you too as you get to know all the latest information!
Thank you Pauline, I appreciate your confidence in me.
I must admit that I would have like someone helping me through the early days and this site has been a terrific help. I shall be letting the new minders know about this site!
OMG TT were AWESOME - I need a paramedic (preferably Mark Owen) And I behaved like a groupie!!! lol
hi this may sound a stupid question but do you have to be on the network to be a support childminder? its just i want to do my nvq 4 and one of the units is supporting other professionals and that is the only way i think i can get around it or i suppose i could take on a student next year for a baby placement debra x
hi this may sound a stupid question but do you have to be on the network to be a support childminder? its just i want to do my nvq 4 and one of the units is supporting other professionals and that is the only way i think i can get around it or i suppose i could take on a student next year for a baby placement debra x
I am not in a network but from the paperwork I see you have to have got a good or outstanding grade from OFSTED.
OMG TT were AWESOME - I need a paramedic (preferably Mark Owen) And I behaved like a groupie!!! lol
Debra, you don't have to be on a network around here, but you do have to have been minding for a while and like Vik says you have to have a good or above.
Tasha, you are right about the Data protection act, any personal details stored on a computer have to be covered.
If I need to print out anything with a child's details, such as for carrying around with me, I do it on the computer, print it then delete it.
Hi Vik, congratulations, I've just been on the course and I'm waiting to be assigned my first childminder for me to support, you dont have to be in the network but it does help when first starting out, (like when I was first registered,) as the visits you have from them help to get you ready for ofsted, and they help with getting to know the standards a bit better, you are giving a lot of good information on the training meeting, and lunch is supplied normally at the venue you will attend, the training isnt hard and you will have an informal time they which is nice. anyway good luck you will be a great help for the new minders, Mandy
Sorry to sound really thick, but what is a support minder? Obviously we don't have the in my part of Nottm, because I really could have used one.
I don't understand what networks are either. So either I am really thick or we don't have one of those either.
Could someone give me a clue please?? Donna
A support minder is someone with experience who has done training as part of the support scheme and helps newly registered childminders to get up and running - help with policies, information etc.
What part of Nottingham are you in Donna? (PM me if you'd rather not say in public) it's just that Nottingham does have a support scheme so I'm surprised you haven't been offered any.
A network is a group of childminders working to offer the quality scheme, Nottingham struggles to get funding to have co-ordinators to run them, again it depends on what area you live.
I have the same trouble as you Pirateship. Sorry, don' tknow your name.
My support childminder rung me about 4 weeks after being registered. I had just walked through the door laden down with suitcases on the day we came back from Butlins and the phone was ringing and it was him. I explained to him that it was not a good time to talk and I never heard from him again until I rung him.
He was going to email details of events to attend etc and again, I haven't heard from him.
I'm in Basingstoke so not a million miles away from you but at the moment I'm not of much use to you as I'm still quite in the dark about many areas of childminding.
It makes me wonder why people take on the role of a support childminder if they are not going to do their job.
I'm the same as most here! My support mindier called me when I was getting regesitered (June 05) because I was reg in scotland she said, well I see you know what to do blah blah and that was it!
Today I was talking to another childminder who asked how my support was as she doesn't have one (shes been here a year now) and needed some help so she ended up coming round here tonight (spooky this thread hehe)
Is it only for support when setting up?
Emma
I wish I could magic my NVQ away I'm sooo fed up now
hey well done hunny that's brill news, just shows what an excellent minder you are, here in stoke there aren't any buddies etc as no one wants to do it!!
xx
Behind every computer is a person with feelings, please THINK before you type
Hi all of you, I am sorry that you have had such a bad experience with your support minders. I live in Staffordshire and have been a SM since the scheme started here. I have supported about 20 minders since then and offer them all sorts of advice, from completing forms to even trying to get them their first children to look after. I am really enjoying my role and I think the new minders have appreciated the contact with me. Some of them just need to know I am on the end of a phone or email and others need a lot of reassurance during the early days. I am expected to contact them at least once a month and that support goes on for 12 months if necessary, although I am still in touch with a few of them and get to meet them quite often.
One thing I will say is, very often I find it very difficult to contact some people, they do not answer phone calls and neither do they answer any letters I send, and I always put stamped addressed envelopes in during the first written contact attempt.
The ones of you who are having trouble should contact your local early years department and make a complaint and hopefully problems can be sorted out.
If any of you need any help with anything then please let me know and I will do my best.
I've had lots of positive response to the support that I offer but I do know that there are some areas which seem to have problems.
I agree with teacake that there are some supported minders who are hard to get hold of and even after letters and lots of phone calls, still do not respond.
Never mind, at least you all have the forum here as your own on-line Support!!
Thanks for all your congrats! I start my training this weekend - all day Saturday and should be up and running by the end of the month.
I get some much info and sound knowledge and advice from you all on here and I really take this support minding seriously. I'm quite nervous about it to, I keep questioning myself, what if I make a hash of it, who the heck am I to be advising other people - just a small confidence crisis!!!! lol
I shall be advising my minders to pop along to here as well.
OMG TT were AWESOME - I need a paramedic (preferably Mark Owen) And I behaved like a groupie!!! lol
Hi, iam about to resign as a suportminder! I am fed up with bending over backwards to help a particular one and for her to try and copy everything i say and do. I cottoned on to her cloning attempt recently when she started calling her services the same as mine, with just one word changing. She even had the nerve to say" i loved your adverts in your car thats such a good idea , its taken me ages to cut out all my letters to do the same!" Cheek! The more i thought about it the more cross i got so i sent a polite text saying i was flattered that she thought my ideas were good but i would appreciate it if she didn't do the same as i prefer to be an individual and i would of thought you would prefer to be too! She ignored this and did it anyway! She even parks behind me at school, which makes me look sad too! I have also heard she has been trying to poach my mindees! What do you think. . . Mimi me wanabe.... or total physico?