Funding of 10m a year for 2004/05 and 2005/06 will cover recruiting scheme co-ordinators, training and administration.
The Department for Education and Skills has commissioned the National Childminding Association (NCMA) to run a project pilot in seven areas across England, following research that found new childminders were most likely to drop out during their first year, mainly because of a lack of individual support.
New childminders will be linked to an experienced practitioner for one-to-one support in Medway, Enfield, Lewisham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. These areas were chosen for their high number of lone parents.
Sue Sprott, the NCMA's support childminding project co-ordinator, said, 'New childminders only seem to meet new childminders. This is about peer support. A lot of people don't know how to market their business.'
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