Childminder With ’15 Children In Space For Three’ Struck Off

A childminder has been struck off after it was discovered she was looking after as many as 15 youngsters – five times her legal entitlement – strapping some toddlers into car safety seats in the cramped living room of her home. Inspectors acting on a tip-off found nine children crammed into a cold room with only limited space to move around.

Several of the children were wearing their outdoor coats and four were strapped into car seats. Three of these were too big to sit in the car seats comfortably.

Care Commission officers who made a surprise visit to the Dundee home of registered childminder Elizabeth D’Arcy said she was unable to remember the name of two of the children in her care and incorrectly named a third.

The care watchdog yesterday revealed that subsequent investigations had uncovered evidence that Mrs D’Arcy was frequently caring for up to 15 children at a time in her home. She was only entitled to care for up to three pre-school children at any one time. One childcare professional said the case was the worst she had seen.

Ronnie Hill, the Commission’s director of children’s services, said: “It was simply not possible for Mrs D’Arcy to give the necessary care and attention to this number of children. She was using car safety seats to strap them in to control them and this is totally unacceptable.

“Good child minders have a very close relationship with a small number of children and their parents. Yet in this case Mrs D’Arcy did not know the name of two of the children and was confused about the name of a third. What is also worrying is that there appears to have been a deliberate attempt to conceal what has been going on from parents and the regulator over a sustained period of time.”

Officers from the Care Commission uncovered the major breaches when they carried out an unannounced inspection at Mrs D’Arcy’s home in Clepington Road on 12 February, after a tip-off from a concerned parent.

A Commission spokesman explained: “They witnessed an adult leaving the premises with one child, then found nine others in the child minder’s home. Subsequent inquiries have provided evidence showing that Mrs D’Arcy cared for large numbers of children, possibly as many as 15 at a time, on frequent occasions.

“The inspectors found that Mrs D’Arcy was unable to recall the names of two of the children in her care and gave an incorrect name for a third. They also found four children were strapped into car seats, including three youngsters who were too big to sit comfortably in them.

“The house was cold and a number of children were wearing their outdoor coats. The living room was cramped and cluttered. There was only a small area of clear floor space in which children could move around.”

Following the inspection Mrs D’Arcy’s registration as a child minder was cancelled at an uncontested hearing at Dundee Sheriff Court last Wednesday.

Mr Hill said: “We have sent a clear message that we will act swiftly and decisively in any case where we find child minders failing to act in the best interests of children. We are also committed to working with child minders to make them fully aware of their responsibilities and to highlight where they need to make improvements. Only in the rarest and most extreme of cases do we stop them from operating.”

A mother of one of the children said: “It’s just so upsetting. When you send your child to a childminder you hope that they will encourage development. You can’t possibly give children proper attention if you are looking after too many.”

Maggie Simpson, the Scottish Childminding Association’s director of childminding development, said it was the worst case she had come across in 15 years with the association. “I have never heard of a case like it,” she said. She said the Dundee case involved an extreme breach of the rules and that an independent review, carried out last year by the Care Commission, had shown that a “stunning” 97.4 per cent of parents were either happy or very happy with the childminding services they were receiving.

Mrs D’Arcy could not be contacted for comment.

The latest figures show there are over 6,000 childminders registered with the Care Commission in Scotland. Although no formal qualifications are required to set up a childminding service, the commission expects childminders to make sure they are equipped for the job and recommends that they ensure they have the right training and qualifications, for example in child protection and first aid.

In March 2005, about 4,700 childminders were members of the Scottish Childminding Association. As well as offering information packs and pre-registration training, the association provides registered childminders with information and advice. It also runs the Scheme of Excellence awards, which childminders can work towards and which are designed to encourage them to improve their services.