Child Minding

This guidance is in place for situations where Foster carers and applicants who wish to foster have guidance around childminding alongside fostering. 

Historically procedures have agreed to childminding alongside offering respite care. Following positive outcomes observed in practice we made the decision to review this procedure to cover a wider range of types of Fostering. 

Consideration in formulating this policy has been influenced by listening to foster carers views, from researching national picture and with reference to leaders in the Fostering advisory forums. 

Cumbria fostering are keen to attract and retain foster carers and childminders bring excellent experience and care to the fostering role, it is essential for sufficiency that we have the ability to consider applications from childminders and have discretion around childminding continuing alongside fostering. To ensure 

Definition:

"A childminder is someone who provides care for at least one individual child for a period or periods of more than two hours in any one day, on premises that are usually not the child's own home, for reward."
- Childcare Act 2006.

Impact:

It is appreciated that for some children and foster homes complex childminding arrangements do not sit easily alongside the task of fostering. This is particularly relevant where there are a number of children involved, or children who are minded over long periods of time. However, there are also children for whom having a foster carer who also child minds can be a positive experience. 

The Fostering team consider that there are strengths and challenges and will explore these in decision making around fostering and childminding. 

Benefits include:

• Childminders bring experience of caring for other people's children;
• Childminders are used to caring and responding to children's needs;
• Childminders are available in their extra work outside of fostering during the day for their foster child;
• Childminders bring first aid and safeguarding skills to the fostering role;
• Childminders are caring, support the emotional and behavioural development of children all skills for the fostering role;
• Foster children may enjoy the company of the childminding children and like to play with them. These social benefits are rewarding for children.

Areas of impact and consideration: 

• Fostering services will have to carefully match foster children with someone who also childminds to ensure that the foster child and childminding children are compatible;
• Fostering services will need to explore how you can meet the needs of all the children;
• As a childminder you will need to manage two different roles, keeping parents happy and informed without compromising[CEA1][CEA2] foster children's confidentiality. In terms of confidentiality any details or specifics other than very general information (for example you are a foster carer and so may have foster children in the home) about the foster children will not be shared;
• Childminders will still need to meet all the needs of the foster children and be available for family time and attending meetings for the foster children. Whilst these should be planned, they can be at short notice to respond to need;
• It is also important that the children's future plans and needs are considered and their plan's take priority over childminding commitments. For example, if foster children are moving to another home be this another family, back to their birth family or on the adoption then childminding could have a detrimental impact as this may well involve new carers being in your home, you travelling and overnight stays elsewhere to support transitions. It would be expected and should be planned that any childminding during that period will need to be put on hold or adapted to enable the full focus on the foster child and their moving on to another home;
• The age range of children or type of fostering that you do, might be limited;
• You may need to reduce your numbers that you childmind. You need to be able to fit everyone in the car!
• The foster child may not attend your local school, and we expect foster carers to do the school run so you might need some help to juggle the different pick-ups and drop-offs.

Further considerations

Foster carers in their role need to be aware of the potential for allegations to be made (see further section 6.1.10). Usual procedures around complaints and allegations will be followed, as a child minder this could have a direct impact on your child-minding role. 

Where a new applicant approaches the Fostering Service with a view to being assessed as a foster carer (and they are currently also a childminder) they should be informed that any childminding responsibilities will need to be considered as part of the assessment process. This should be clarified from the outset of any initial application. Applicants should also be advised that a reference will be sought from OFSTED as part of the assessment process. Childminding and fostering are not always compatible, new applicants must be made aware of this.

For new applicants who are also child minders, careful matching considerations will be applied, this may limit the children that you could be matched with. The children's social worker and their IRO will be notified, and their views sought around compatibility with child minding and impact on the child. The Fostering SW will seek these views and that of the Fostering Team Manager in considering potential matches.

The impact of childminding on the Foster home and the children will be regularly reviewed in supervision and included in the yearly review.

Where currently approved foster carers are also undertaking child-minding responsibilities, foster carers must be aware that any child minding will be reviewed as part of their annual review relating to the impact on fostering. Any current short- or long-term foster placements will not be ended abruptly. However, once any current fostering placements of this nature come to an end before a new placement is made there will be a consideration in supervision of the impact of child minding on new children coming to live in the home, this will include management oversight from the Fostering team manager.