Childminders

A childminder provides care for children of any age up to their 18th birthday on domestic premises for reward. Domestic premises mean any premises which are wholly or mainly used as a private dwelling, that is they are someone’s home. It does not have to be the childminder’s home but cannot normally be the home of one of the children for whom the childminder is providing care. People who look after children for one or two sets of parents, wholly or mainly in the home of either or both sets of parents, are not childminders but home childcarers. Reward can be money or payment by other means, such as gifts or services.

Childminders may work with up to two other people either as co-childminders or assistants. If the number of adults caring for the children exceeds three, people must register as a childcare provider on domestic premises and meet the additional requirements for childcare.

Childminders must apply for registration if they intend to provide care for one or more children aged from birth to eight years where at least one individual child attends for a total of more than two hours. They cannot provide care before they receive their certificate.

Childminders may choose to register if they intend to provide care for children aged from eight up to the age of 18 on domestic premises for two or more hours in any one day, or for a period less than two hours where this includes care attached to a normal school day for schools to deliver extended services.

Those caring for children aged from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (known as the early years age group) must register on the Early Years Register and deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. This sets out the welfare, learning and development requirements providers must meet. Some providers do not deliver all the learning and development requirements. Our leaflet Exemptions from the learning and development requirements has more information.

Those caring for children older than the early years age group and under eight must register on the compulsory part of the Childcare Register. Childminders caring for children aged eight and above may choose to register on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. Childminders on the Childcare Register must meet the requirements for registration set out in our leaflet Requirements for the Childcare Register: childminders and home childcarers.

Our registration process is set out in the Guide to registration on the Early Years Register: childminders and the Guide to registration on the Childcare Register. Childminders can be on one or any combination of registers

 

Inspection of those on the Early Years Register

We inspect those childminders on the Early Years Register within seven months of starting to care for children and then at least once in every three or four years. Following inspection, we give them one of four grades: outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate.

There is more information on inspection in our booklet: Are you ready for your inspection?

We inspect childminders with little or no notice. Inspectors consider the question 'What is it like for a child here?' and make four key judgements:

  • How effective is the provision in meeting the needs of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?
  • How effectively is provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage led and managed?
  • How effectively are children in the Early Years Foundation Stage helped to learn and develop?
  • How effectively is the welfare of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage promoted?

 

Inspectors consider how childminders organise their service, including how they evaluate their service and use this to promote continuous improvement. This is the key to delivering high quality care and learning, ensuring each child’s individual needs is met to enable them to reach their full potential.

How do I get a copy of the report?

Childminders must give copies of their latest report to all parents and carers of children who attend the setting, and to anyone else who asks for one. They cannot charge parents but may charge others a fee. You can also find childminder inspection reports on our website, although we do not publish childminders’ names and addresses. You can find out the names and addresses of childminders with vacancies and the link to their inspection report from your local Family Information Service (FIS). To find your nearest FIS, please visit the ChildcareLink website.

 

Inspection of those on the Childcare Register

We inspect a random selection of all those on the Childcare Register to see if they comply with the requirements for registration. We inspect all childminders on the Childcare Register where we receive a complaint that relates to the requirements of registration or any conditions we may have imposed on a registration.

We inspect childminders with little or no notice. The inspector will visit the premises to check compliance against the requirements and judge whether a provider meets these requirements or not.

Where a childminder is also on the Early Years Register, we inspect compliance with the Childcare Register requirements at the same time as the early years inspection.

How do I get a copy of the report?

We do not produce a report for those childminders only on the Childcare Register. Following any inspection the childminder will receive either a letter confirming that they are meeting the requirements for registration or a letter detailing what must be done in order to remain registered. If we have inspected whether a childminder is meeting the requirements of the Childcare Register alongside an inspection of the quality of early years provision, we will include details of any non-compliance in the early years inspection report

Childminders must make information about the registration system available to parents. If a childminder has received an inspection they will have been given an inspection outcome letter. You can find inspection letters on our website, although we do not publish childminders’ names and addresses. You can also find out the names and addresses of childminders with vacancies, and the link to their inspection letter if they have been inspected, from your local Family Information Service (FIS). To find your nearest FIS, please visit the ChildcareLink website.