So many parents struggle to find the right Childminder do they? Why exactly?
Perhaps they struggle to find one that will take their children from 6.15am - oh by the way we do - perhaps they struggle to find one who will take their children after 6.00pm - oh by the way we do - perhaps they struggle to find one who will take their children on a Saturday - oh by the way we do! Perhaps they struggle to find one who will accept less than 10 hrs a week - oh by the way we do, perhaps they struggle to find one who accepts different hours each week - you guessed it, we do!
I am really not meaning to be self-righteous because we work the hours we do by choice and we absolutely love it and it keeps us in the manner to which we have become accustomed! But how are agencies going to change this? Belonging to an agency will surely not mean that you suddenly have to change your hours of working to suit them - or will it? Parents want flexibility, without doubt, but will an agency have the power to set the working hours of a childminder, I doubt it.
Matching service - there are so many out there already what makes an agency think they are going to stand out from the rest? The majority of new business comes from word of mouth/recommendation FACT - why do you need to pay an agency for that?
Quality/Quality Assurance Regime - that is what Ofsted is all about - we have all endured inspection and grading to ensure that we meet the minimum, and more often than not over and above the minimum, standards that are required. How is an agency going to be better than Ofsted? It will also be confusing to parents if we don't all follow the same quality assurance regime. How can you compare if you're not all working to the same scheme.
Providing holiday and Sickness Cover - Yes it's always a worry and it can't be helped if it happens but generally parents would rather plan their holidays around yours, find family cover or even take the day off work rather than send their children to a completely new provider for a few days. Matching a Childminder and a family is more than just matching up availability, it's about relationships and I feel that is what will be lost with an agency who will be looking at slots and numbers - anyone who can use a spreadsheet could do that.
Reliability - that is a joke - so you are telling me that someone working for themselves, who relies on that income to survive is less reliable than someone who knows that if they don't work that day then someone else will step up to cover them? Well yes if one of the main advantages of going through an agency is that sickness and holiday will be covered then what is to stop me from taking whatever time I want off, at short notice? - Nothing because I know the agency will cover it - or will they?
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