Admiral Huddy
17-10-2007, 14:37
It comes off the back of the annual review whereby we are asked to resubmit our application to the panel. It seems that our stairs are “Unsafe” and are a health and safety issue.
The stairs in question are “half” open and half enclosed. I would say about 9 step are open. The stairs are in a hallway which is cut-off from all other rooms, including the front lounge, rear lounge dinning room and downstairs cloakroom by doors. During the initial assessment, we were told that this wasn’t an issue and it wasn’t brought up again. If the stairs had been fully open and/or no doors leading to them then it would have been. Both my wife and I are OFSTED registered as she is a childminder. They too have no problems with these stairs. Yet today, the FCA decide no, they are not safe and we have lost the right to foster with immediate effect.
We have a calendar full of children staying with us overt he course of the next three months.. All cancelled.
I’m not sure how I feel. My first thought is that it’s their loss. I feel that the agency has been so caught up its own bureaucracy and red tape, that they are missing the fundamental key issues here.
Where do you draw the line on health and safety? We have a stone fireplace with corners.. Do we remove that in case a child should fall on the corner? My daughter fell on a flower pot when she was six, she needed 5 stitches. Do we remove all house plants?
When we went through the registration process, we had to compile a portfolio. The portfolio took months to complete. It contains valuable information about us, our family, policies and procedures. It also had photos, qualifications and certificates. When the book was passed over for panel, we never saw it again. The folder has been lost and these are the people that are supposed to be trusted with confidential information.
I feel for my wife. She’s put a lot of hard work and effort into this. The kids have opened their home to strangers and this is how we are treated.
In order to be granted the right, we would have to go through the whole registration process again – pants eh
Oh well, we’ve done our bit. Onwards and upwards
posted over there too
The stairs in question are “half” open and half enclosed. I would say about 9 step are open. The stairs are in a hallway which is cut-off from all other rooms, including the front lounge, rear lounge dinning room and downstairs cloakroom by doors. During the initial assessment, we were told that this wasn’t an issue and it wasn’t brought up again. If the stairs had been fully open and/or no doors leading to them then it would have been. Both my wife and I are OFSTED registered as she is a childminder. They too have no problems with these stairs. Yet today, the FCA decide no, they are not safe and we have lost the right to foster with immediate effect.
We have a calendar full of children staying with us overt he course of the next three months.. All cancelled.
I’m not sure how I feel. My first thought is that it’s their loss. I feel that the agency has been so caught up its own bureaucracy and red tape, that they are missing the fundamental key issues here.
Where do you draw the line on health and safety? We have a stone fireplace with corners.. Do we remove that in case a child should fall on the corner? My daughter fell on a flower pot when she was six, she needed 5 stitches. Do we remove all house plants?
When we went through the registration process, we had to compile a portfolio. The portfolio took months to complete. It contains valuable information about us, our family, policies and procedures. It also had photos, qualifications and certificates. When the book was passed over for panel, we never saw it again. The folder has been lost and these are the people that are supposed to be trusted with confidential information.
I feel for my wife. She’s put a lot of hard work and effort into this. The kids have opened their home to strangers and this is how we are treated.
In order to be granted the right, we would have to go through the whole registration process again – pants eh
Oh well, we’ve done our bit. Onwards and upwards
posted over there too