The consultation seeks the views of childminders, parents, providers and local authorities for their thoughts on how Government can further support more childminders to join and stay in the profession.
Proposed changes include:
- Enabling regulated healthcare professionals, and not just GPs, to complete GP health declarations for new childminders.
- Giving childminder agencies new flexibilities to enable them to 'thrive and grow' - reducing quality assurance visits of individual childminders to once every two years, rather than annually and making 'practice support' to members optional rather than a legal requirement.
- Ensuring childminders, and potentially all providers, are paid funding monthly, rather than termly, by their local authority if they request it.
Currently, childminders can request to be paid monthly, rather than termly, by their local authority, however councils often only allow the change if a sizeable number of providers agree to it.
According to the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY), many childminders are still being paid termly, causing problems paying bills and if they are receiving Universal Credit.
The Early Years Alliance called the measures to 'water down childminder agencies extremely concerning and misguided.
Also, that it is ‘extremely disappointing’ that the consultation doesn’t include proposals to allow childminders to claim funding for related children.
It welcomed plans to encourage local authorities to pay providers monthly, however, as did the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).
NDNA’s chief executive, Purnima Tanuku, added, ‘For years now, NDNA has been calling for a system that’s simpler for parents, providers and local authorities where providers are paid directly using an online account for each child. This would avoid millions of pounds being unspent at local authority level.
‘There is also £2.4bn unclaimed Tax-Free Childcare which should be used to support parents with childcare costs and support providers to deliver places sustainably.’
Helen Donohoe, chief executive at the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY), commented, ‘We welcome this consultation and the chance for childminders’ voices to be heard. We must act now to not just retain our existing, brilliant childminders but to lay the foundations for the profession to grow.’
Brett Wigdortz, chief executive of tiney childminding agency, said, ‘We cannot fix early years without childminders - they are vital to its future.
‘We welcome all changes that make it easier to train and retain our brilliant childminders and empower the CMAs that support them.'
- To take part in the consultation click here
