Date for your diary  Food Safety Week 10th - 16th June

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Our page is Devon ChildMinding Association

Posted  24th April 2013

DCMA has successfully been re-contracted by Devon County Council to deliver the following courses for Childcare Practitioners in Devon ....

How to tackle those difficult conversations with parents

Being a reflective practitioner

Exploring Cultures

We can deliver these courses at times, dates and venues near you if you are able to gather 8 people together in Devon's rural locations and 10 people together in Exeter.

Unfortunately childcarers from other locations would not be able to access these courses for free but DCMA are open to negotiations on costs to deliver elsewhere.

Posted  21st March 2013

Good news for all those wishing to become registered childminders in Devon.

As from the 1st April DCMA will be back delivering the CYPOP5 course in Devon following our successful tender submission to Devon County Council.

Posted  21st March 2013

DCMA is moving...............

The DCMA Administration Office is changing on the 1st December 2012.

Please make a note of our new address:

Greendale, East Allington, Totnes, Devon  TQ9 7RP

This means our telephone numbers are also changing, unfortunately due to the different service providers we cannot redirect your calls to our other numbers so please make a note the 01752 202059 will cease on the 1st December 2012.

We are awaiting our new number so in the meantime you can use our normal alternative office number 01548 854094 or our mobile number 07733 225274.  Both of these have been in operation for some time so you may have these on your phone already.

Also please note our email jdix.devonca@blueyonder.co.uk will also cease to exist so please update your contacts with dcma.email@btinternet.com again this email has been in existence for a long time so you may already have this in your system.

Our email amccoy.devonca@btinternet.com is still operational so if you have this in your contacts this account will continue to work.

Posted   9th November 2012

Silver Anniversary Gala Celebration Event

Winners

              Childminder of the year                       Penny Harwood (Exeter)

              Best Childminder                                 Jane Beard (Yelverton)

              Most inspiring Childminder                 Penny Harwood (Exeter)       

              Most Supportive Childminder             Melanie Delve (Barnstaple)

              Most promising newcomer                 Jen Wadling (Paignton)

              Most Supportive Children's Centre    Plumtree Children's Centre (Plympton)

              Outstanding Services to DCMA         Denise Tupman (Newton Abbot)

click here to view photographs from the evening

Deregulation of Childminders

There has been much in the news about the deregulation of childminders.  

Elizabeth Truss MP has written in Nursery World about deregulation and why they government believe it is necessary.

The campaign against deregulation has begun; NCMA, childminding forums online and facebook have been highlighting this issue.  Other professionals have been writing to clarify the outcome this same issue has had on the provision of childminders in the Netherlands, identifying that this approach has not reduced costs nor retained standards of quality or training.

Members have written letters to their MPs, Nursery World and have posted their comments on the online forums too.   Childminders have been ringing DCMA to complain, question and enquire if this is going to happen.

There is no doubt in the economic climate that the government is right to consider how cuts may be gained in this sector when other sectors are also facing cuts.  How this is achieved whereby quality and service do not erode is a challenge.  

Some opposers to the cuts favour the ostrich approach - stick their head in the sand and hope it goes away, some who find change an real issue will only see the negatives and that is very real to them, some may think change is needed and this is a good solution to what they see as demanding regulation and some are trying to understand the problem and seek a solution that will benefit all.  No matter where you stand on this issue, it is worth considering having an opinion and making those points clear, there is no doubt that the final decisions will have an impact on your future business.  

Therefore I would suggest if you have not already read the article by Elizabeth Truss MP you do so visit www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news

You may wish to take part in NCMA's online survey (you do not need to be a member) visit http://www.surveytool.com/s/S7CA07527

You may wish to discuss this with your MP, you could either invite them to a group meeting or write either a personal or collective letter with other childminders clearly stating your points of view.

Please feel free to send us your comments via email to: dcma.email@btinternet.com

and we will do our best to collectively highlight your views.

Read childminder Penny Webb's view here

Posted  16th May 2012