Childminding is a flexible, rewarding and challenging career, and around 300,000 under-eights in England and Wales are cared for by registered childminders - more than in any other daycare setting.
How do I start?
Anyone caring for under-eights in their own home for more than two hours a day must be registered. To become a registered childminder in England you must meet the 14 National Standards for Childminding. Childminding: Guidance to the National Standards outlines how to meet each of these standards. Your home (and garden if you have one) is inspected by Ofsted before you start childminding and every year thereafter, to ensure it is safe and suitable for young children. (See 'More information', page 21.)
How many children can I care for?
Depending on the size of your home and your personal circumstances, you will be registered to care for up to six under-eights, of whom only three may be pre-school age. These limits include your own children. Many childminders also care for older children, but registration and insurance guidelines limit the total number of children that may be in the childminder's home at any one time.
Will it cost a lot?
Most new childminders in England and Wales receive a start-up grant to help cover the costs of setting up a childminding business. The average sum awarded is 300, although some childminders working in disadvantaged areas may get up to 600.
The grant will help pay for toys and equipment, first aid training, registration fees and Public Liability Insurance - you must be insured to be a registered childminder. The money can also go towards meeting the National Standard on safety. You may, for example, have to cover a garden pond, put safety film on glass doors and buy plug socket covers, a fire blanket and window locks.
Grants are given through the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. Some also provide bursaries and free or subsidised training.
How much will I earn?
Registered childminders are self-employed, which means they set their own fees, hours and working conditions. They must also manage their own accounts, tax and National Insurance and negotiate contracts with parents.
There is no recommended rate and fees vary widely across the country. When setting rates, take into account other local childcarers' fees, your outgoings and expenses and the fact that childminding is a responsible job.
Other things to consider include:
* how you will deal with holidays and sickness (yours, the parents' and the children's)
* whether you will provide meals, nappies, etc
* whether you will charge extra for hours outside the standard 'nine to five'
* whether you will charge deposits or retainer fees for parents wishing to reserve places.
A special tax rule allows registered childminders to disregard two-thirds of their childminding earnings as'expenses' when calculating their income for tax and benefits purposes. Low-income childminders may be allowed to continue claiming Income Support, even if they work more than the 16 hours a week normally permitted.
How do I register?
The registration process varies across the UK. In England, take the following steps to registration:
* Go to a pre-registration briefing session to find out about becoming a childminder. (Ask your local Children's Information Service for details - for the number, call ChildcareLink on freephone 0800 096 0296 or see www.childcarelink.gov.uk.)
* Complete the Ofsted childminding application you will receive at the briefing session and return it to your Ofsted regional centre. This includes organising a health declaration for yourself.
* Apply to the Criminal Records Bureau for a police check on yourself and anyone else in your home aged over 16 who lives in, or regularly visits, your home. (Ofsted will give you information on this.)
* Pay the 14 registration fee to Ofsted.
* Prepare documentation demonstrating that you are meeting the 14 National Standards (for more information on implementing and meeting the standards, see page 22).
* Have an Ofsted home inspection and 'suitable person' interview to prove you can meet the National Standards for Childminding.
* Take a childminding preparation training course and first-aid course specifically for people who work with young children. (You must do this within six months of starting childminding.)
* Receive your registration certificate and start work.
What training do I have to do?
Every childminder must complete a preparation course within six months of starting childminding. In many parts of the country, the course offered by the local authority is Introducing Childminding Practice (ICP).
ICP and the follow-on courses, Developing Childminding Practice (DCP) and Extending Childminding Practice (ECP), form the three units of the Certificate in Childminding Practice (CCP). CCP was developed by the National Childminding Association (NCMA) with the Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) and is the only nationally recognised qualification exclusively for childminders.
Many childminders go on to do further training courses such as the NVQ level 3 in Early Years Care and Education.
How do I advertise for families?
Once registered, your local Children's Information Service will add you to their list of registered childminders. They will pass on your details to parents enquiring about childminders in your area. With your permission, they will also put your details (contact telephone number and area, not address) on a website. Some organisations hold events to introduce parents to childminders.
You may also want to promote your service yourself, with advertisements in local newspapers and shop windows, on community noticeboards, or writing to local companies' personnel departments.
Where can I get advice & support?
* Your local authority will provide advice and information on getting started and all necessary training.
* If you live in England, Ofsted will advise you on regulations and requirements of registration. In Wales you should contact the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales (CSIW). In Scotland, the regulatory body is the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care. And in Northern Ireland, childminders are registered and regulated by their local Health and Social Services Trust.
* The UK childminding associations aim to promote quality registered childminding and offer members advice, information and a range of services:
* The National Childminding Association (NCMA) of England and Wales, tel: 0800 169 4486, www.ncma.org.uk.
* The Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), tel: 01786 445377, www.childminding.org.
* The Northern Ireland Childminding Association, tel: 028 9181 1015, www.nicma.org.
* Join a childminding group. There are about 1,000 in England and Wales, offering drop-in sessions and social events. Some also offer practical services such as toy libraries, equipment loan schemes and training workshops.
By Elyssa Campbell-Barr, editor of Who Minds?, the membership magazine of the National Childminding Association.
