Child Care Complaints – Your Rights
Child Care Guide
Sometimes while your child is in child care things don’t run smoothly and problems can occur, these can range from little problems that can be quickly dealt with and corrected to more serious issues which need outside help.
In the UK this outside help is called Ofsted, different countries will have protection and names will differ but basically all provide protection for regulating the quality of day care centers. Day care centers which are regulated include:
- Pre schools
- Day nurseries / child care canters
- Out of school clubs for children under the age of 8
All child minders and day care providers have to by law meet certain standards set by Ofsted and this is the organisation you can get in touch with if you have any concerns about the standard of care provided by your day care center. They will help you resolve any serious issues that you have regarding the child care provider.
What should I do if I have a concern?
Most concerns can be resolved by talking with the head of the child care service you are using, if you feel the problem is not resolved through talking then the next step would be for you to write your complaint down.
The law states that all child care providers must keep parents well informed and deal with any issues promptly and all child carers must have a written complaints procedure for parents to follow.
What will the child carer do?
If you make a formal complaint in writing then the child day care provider must by law investigate the issue fully. They must provide you with a written account of the investigation within 28 days of you issuing the complaint.
This should include any action they have taken to resolve the issue or action they are going to take. Child carers are also required to keep a record of complaints and by law they have to show parents on request.
What can I do if I’m still not happy?
If you are not happy with the outcome after following the procedure then you can contact a member of staff at Ofsted, Ofsted will want to know any key names, times and dates and will want this in writing as well. Ofsted will try to keep your name confidential while investigating though sometimes this is not always possible.
What if I have concerns about my child’s safety?
If you suspect that your child is being abused in anyway while being under the care of a care provider then you should report your concerns immediately to Ofsted. According to the nature of the complaint they will take the appropriate action, if the complaint is against a member of staff at a day care center then Ofsted will ask the center to investigate.
The day care center will have to work closely with a member of Ofsted keeping them informed with the conclusions they reached and any action taken. Occasionally during an investigation the child care provider may get their registration taken away especially if Ofsted think that children might be at risk. If this happens the day care center cannot operate and must close until the matter has been resolved fully.
If you have a complaint and have gone through the procedures outlined above but are still not happy then you can contact:
Early Years Complaints Line on 0845 601 4772
hello ihave been working in child care for 3 years now and have just recently relocated to another center 2 months ago. To be honest i hate it where i work because the child care providers does not obied by the child care laws. there have been several instances where if a child talked before or during lunch then they have to throw their food away and just go hungry for the remainer of the day. Other problems occur when the children are set in time out during outside play time in the hot sun for 30 to 40 mins at a time. there are also problems where teachers show favortism and look and talk down on several students except the ones that they like. a teacher called a 3 year old child stupid. one time a teacher was left running one classroom with 32 kids. all mixed ages. the owner never provides the classrooms with supplies. they make the children sleep on broken cots that lay on the floor… the classrooms arent cleaned properly, and the employees are downsized and begraded. i was just wondering if all of the above information is enough to call state to the center?
i have a problem i am a single mother of 3 who recently left my daycare for my 8 month old because when he came home he would be soaked with pee threw his clothes he would get changed once or twice a day and be out of a 160 pack of diapers a week and i would have to carry the stroller and him up 3 flights of stairs they never have more than 1 or possibly 2 people in a room full of infants and i have had diapers and pull ups go missing out of my diaper bag which no 1 knows where they went? i would like to know how to file a complaint considering the health board was there the other day checking out the kitchen and they were short staffed and were happy because the board only checked out the kitchen…… i need help and advice