Private Nurseries - Sickness Cover

[Guest]

Hello

 

I'm just wondering how other private nurseries deal with staff sickness at short notice.

 

Do you re organise from within and manage or do you always get cover staff, what if this isn't available to you? What would you do?

 

I generally dont have this happen to often but there was a situation the other day where I had no cover staff as it was cover staff calling in sick. In the end I managed but was wondering how other people cope to see if I could have done more.

 

Nic

[hali]

we are quite lucky as we have 5 memebrs of staff in each day (for our accreditation) so i try to ring round iut if no other staff can cover we still run but with the 4 members.

[Guest]

It is a problem. We have sixteen part time members of staff. If someone cannot get in then it is their responsibility to phone around for supply cover. This can be from staff who are not in that day or from two people who just do odd bits of supply cover. They are all wonderful at coming in to cover an emergency. If all this fails then they contact me as mangager. I may try to shuffle, if ratio of 1.6 is still being met then we manage and if I can I try to do the session. I never have yet had to run with under ratio staff and hope it never ever somes to that because that would be the morning..........

[Lucy P]

This is our biggest problem.....

 

I employ 29 staff and four of these are supernumary (one manager, 2 senior nursery nurses and 1 trainee)

Generally i am able to cover sickness with these staff, but if there are staff on holiday it is harder.

I do use a local childcare agency if needed although this is a very expensive option. On one occaision the chef also stepped in.

 

Our setting is a workplace nursery but about 15% of children in attendance are there for socialisation, i may try to get them to swap a day as it would be more convienient for their parents.

 

If there were not enough staff to cover ratios, quite simply, i would not open the nursery.

 

Apologies for the terrible spelling, its been a long day!!

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies

 

But it sounds like you are all in quite big settings, I'm quite a small nursery and can get quite stuck when let down at short notice. I find that the agency we use and the local council supply list is never very good on a short term basis!

 

I have just employed someone else so this should take the strain off, lol

 

Nic

[Inge]

we ask staff to ring and find cover if they can from each other as all partime staff but we have in the past linked with another pre-school / nursery in the area and shared members of staff to help with cover. they were empluyed by both settings one as temporary staff cover and the other the main place of employment, staff cleared for both settings and it worked for us.

 

we have recently done this for a local nursery helping them when needed. we are lucky to have an apprentice who although not normally counted in numbers she can be which really helps.

 

Inge

[bubblejack]

I have one extra staff member each day and I don't always count myself in the ratios. This covers the morning . If afternoon staff are off sick I can rely on these staffto cover afternoons.I also have 3 parent helpers that I can call on in emergency.

[Guest]

We don't really have a staff problem now, as we only operate mornings. Although, from time to time, these things happen! Fortunately we have a group of volunteers that come in when things are desperate! Unfortunately, I am counted in the ratio even though I often have to do office based work, so I can't even help when things are short, because I'm already counted! My boss however is supernumary and will cover but only when it is a big emergency!

 

Clare