A childminder is a person who cares for and provides learning opportunities for young children in their own home. They look after children from a few months old to 14 years old.
As a general rule, someone who looks after one or more children under the age of 8, for more than 2 hours a day for a fee, must be registered as a childminder.
There are two types of Childminder: Registered and Unregistered
Unregistered childminders include: friends and family, such as grandparents, uncles and aunts etc. who care for children with or without being paid. They may or may not be qualified to look after young children and do not have to follow governmental guidelines.
Registered Childminders however, are registered with the council. They are self-employed individuals who charge a fee for looking after other people’s children in their own homes. They are trained professionals, who have to be Ofsteded and meet the expectations set out by the government. They are restricted to the number of children they can look after, depending on their circumstances and the size of their premises. They have to follow anti-discriminatory, equal opportunity policies, meaning no child will be refused admittance provided the childminder is able to cater for them.
They can work alone, but some work as part of a group of childminders, covering for each other during times of illness, holidays etc. Others employ assistants enabling them to cater for more children at their setting if they have the capacity to do so – allowing them to expand their business.
In England, individuals will be inspected by Ofsted, however in Wales they are inspected by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate in Wales (CSSIW).
Both Ofsted and the CSSIW ensure that children are cared for in safe and stimulating environments, which support all areas of a child’s development.
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