Are you thinking about becoming a childminder?
You may have made your mind up, or you may just have fallen down a Google/Facebook rabbit hole and ended up here - whatever has piqued your interest, here's some information that may help you!
What exactly is a childminder?
A childminder is a registered and insured, self employed, professional who cares for children in the childminder's own home or suitable setting. They require formal approval with a regulatory body (such as Ofsted) before they can begin work. They must follow a statutory framework set out by the government and they they are subject to inspections. Those frameworks are different across different countries in the UK.
So how do I become a childminder if I'm not in England?
In a nutshell - I do not know as I am afraid I have no experience of this. I have done some research in preparation for this section and here are some useful links that I hope will provide you with more information than I can.
You may also find it useful to harness the power or social media and look for a childminding group for your specific country, where I am sure there will be people who can advise you much better than I can! I am sorry I do not know more about this and cannot help you as much as I would like.
Becoming a childminder in Scotland
The regulatory body for Scotland is the Scottish Care Inspectorate.
Here are some useful links....
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Register as a childminder in Scotland
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Becoming a childminder in Northern Ireland
In Norther Ireland, childminders must be registered with the Health and Social Care Trust.
Here are some useful links....
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Northern Ireland's Childminding
So how do I become a childminder?
In England, there are now different routes into childminding and you can choose to register with Ofsted or an independent agency. I registered with Ofsted when I was setting up and the process takes several months. The best advice I can give you is to sort a few things out at the same time so you're not waiting quite as long.
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Here are some links....
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Becoming a childminder with Ofsted
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UK Government's list of childminder agencies
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Useful information to help you become a childminder...
The most useful website I found when I was doing my research was Childminding UK - their section on Becoming a Childminder was amazing and I highly recommend that you check it out.
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You will also find PACEY useful too. They are the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years. They have a subscription service, but also provide lots of free information and their FAQs are really helpful.
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If you choose to register with Ofsted, you will need to watch their Pre-Registration Briefing and I'd recommend watching it anyway to give you an idea of the process involved.
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You may also receive advice and support from your local council. You may also hear them referred to as 'local authority' or 'LA'. Some councils offer extensive support or stipulate certain requirements, like naming specific childminding training and safeguarding courses for you to complete. If you can't find the information on their website, try ringing and ask to speak to the Early Years Team.
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If you aren't sure who your local council is, use this tool to put in your postcode and find out.
Becoming a childminder in Wales
The regulatory body for Wales is the Welsh Care Inspectorate and it would seem that each county has their own information pages on how to become a childminder.
Here are some useful links....
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