Network celebrates 10 years of supporting children and young people in Buckinghamshire

Community, Health and Social Care
The Buckinghamshire Community Childminding Network (BCCN) is celebrating itstenth birthday.

Set up in May 2005, the organisation, which is a partnership project between Buckinghamshire County Council and the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) offers a network of registered specialist childminders who are on hand to provide support and care to some of the most needy and vulnerable children and young people across Buckinghamshire.

Since it was launched, BCCN has helped more than 1,000 children and young people. The project’s target groups are disabled children, young carers and vulnerable children and young people.

In September 2011 BCCN expanded to provide childcare for vulnerable teenagers aged 11-19 at risk of potentially requiring local authority care (CATCH – Children and Teenagers Community Help). BCCN provides time out whilst relationships at home are rebuilt. Both BCCN and CATCH have received national awards for their work. All the childminders in the network are carefully recruited and then given support and additional training in order to meet a diversity of needs.

There are currently 35 childminders in the Network and in 2014/15, between them they provided an impressive 32,216 hours of care for children and young people in Buckinghamshire.

On Saturday 20 June the County Council will be hosting a celebratory event to mark the Network’s 10 year milestone and to say a big thank you to the dedicated childminders and their families who work so tirelessly and professionally. There will be lots going on including activities for children and a range of pamper treatments for the childminders themselves.

Councillor Zahir Mohammed, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills who will be at the event said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to thank all those who have been involved in the BCCN over the past 10 years. The dedication and professionalism of the childminders within the network is to be recognised and loudly applauded. Without their hard work and commitment we would not have been able to help so many children, young people and their families in Buckinghamshire.”

Jenny Clarkin, one of the BCCN childminders summed up her experiences of being part of the network: “Being invited to become part of the BCCN network has been one of the highlights of my career. I have been part of the network for 3 years now and have found it to be challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Some of the challenges are meeting the needs of the children you are caring for and sometimes it is about supporting families for the best outcomes for all concerned.

“I have always found the support of the BCCN management team to be very helpful. They have given me guidance and reassurance when needed and I have enjoyed meeting other childminders on the network and learning from their experiences.

“BCCN is a truly unique service and I am proud to have been able to contribute to it, knowing you are making a difference turns a job into a vocation. Well done BCCN, carry on the excellent work and making a difference to the lives of others.”