The Childcare Registration page is a three-month pilot to help new childcarers with the process of registering with the inspectorate.
The process, which Ofsted acknowledges is complex but needs to be rigorous, includes DBS checks, Ofsted inspecting premises, and discussing the self-evaluation forms.
The Childcare Registration Facebook page aims to answer questions, such as, ‘Do I have to register if I’m taking care of my friend’s children?’ The answer is ‘Yes – if your friend pays you to care for their children in your own home and you look after their children for more than three hours a day, you must be registered as a childminder with Ofsted or with a childminding agency.’
There are a large number of childminding pages and groups on Facebook, with many childminders using social media to share information about their child’s day with the parents of the children they care for.
Ofsted says that would-be childminders need to know whether they should register on the early years or childcare register depending on the ages of the children they care for, the difference between registered childminders and nannies, and what non-domestic premises are, for example.
The campaign is being supported by the Independent Childminders Facebook group, childcare.co.uk, the National Day Nurseries Association and PACEY.
Ofsted says it is also changing some of the terminology on its website to make the registration process clearer.
- Visit the Ofsted Facebook page here
