Childminder Agencies etc.

The Children and Families Bill would make changes to the law relating to childminder agencies and childcare provision.

Key provisions include:

  • Clause 73 and Schedule 4 contain provisions for childminders to register with a childminder agency rather than applying directly for registration with the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills.
  • Clause 74 and Schedule 4 would enable the Chief Inspector to charge a fee for inspections or re-inspections carried out at the request of the childcare provider.

MPs are particularly interested in your comments on the practical implications of specific clauses of the Bill. Please make clear whether your comment relates to a specific clause or schedule.

This forum is now closed.

282 Responses to Childcare

karen l says:
February 26, 2013 at 04:22 PM
I think the increase in ratios is an excellent idea. Childminders look after more children on their own than nurseries, with more stringent rules and more staff, can do.

Nurseries used to have a ratio, until a few years ago, of 1:5 for two year olds and 1:4 for 18months. There were no more accidents then and staff managed the group without issue.

It is ridiculous to say that fees will not be reduced. When the numbers increased it added around £36000 to £40000 to the wages bill. How can this not make a difference to costs to parents if ratios are relaxed.

I think it should be given a chance.
Djouhra says:
February 26, 2013 at 04:09 PM
Why should childminder (small business !!!!!) want someone telling them how to run their business and have their work determined for them? Agencies will not lower childcare cost but lower the quality of childcare and it's insulting really that the government think that we are incapable of running our own business . I have been childminding for nearly 10 years with outstanding and good grade and I'm happy with the way I have been managing my business and i dont need agencies to do it for me and I'm not ready to give up
Juliet B says:
February 26, 2013 at 03:22 PM
Re Childminder agencies: as a childminder, I will certainly stop providing this service if I had to pay an agency to register me. There will be lots of people setting up unscrupulous 'agencies' just to overcharge low-paid childminders for putting their names on their register. I have already paid for all the training I had to do [up to Level 3]; I have already paid for, and have been scrutinised by, Ofsted and charged by NCMA yearly for the 'privilege' of being charged to get their insurance. I hope the Government will be pleased with themselves where there are many more people unemployed because they can't find good/affordable childminders to care for their children. But that won't bother them - they have nannies!
Doreen B says:
February 26, 2013 at 02:41 PM
I am a newly registered childminder and would not welcome a childminder agency to overview the role of local authority or ofsted. I would like to be judged, as I am now, on my own merits and it is only by doing so that you improve standards. I do not want to be part of an agency where I feel I have to overcompensate and take a leading role to ensure I achieve a grade that reflects my personal practice and professionalism whilst others do nothing or very little.

I am damned by the weaknesses by others in the agency and feel that standards will form or there will be a multi tiered system where it is know who the rubbish agencies are and those graded good or outstanding will seek to join agencies that will maintain their grading.

Having people judged on their own merits only is the only way forward. There may be other checks and training that need to be provided but I feel this will give poor childminders the opportunity to keep their head low and be ignored. How will this improve quality?!
Roslyn F says:
February 26, 2013 at 02:37 PM
As a very experienced childminder i would hate to belong to an agency. I am self employed, self motivated and trained to a high standard. I would rather retire than join an agency.
Chris J says:
February 26, 2013 at 02:30 PM
I have read the proposal to change childminding by introducing Childminding Agencies which childminders will have to register with, instead of the current Early Years provision from the council with Ofsted regulating and inspecting the childminders. It looks like another level of unnecessary bureaucracy that we will be having to pay for. We, as childminders, are not very well paid. We work long hours and we are currently self-sufficient in finding work and organising our work and accounts. There are so few children in our area that need childcare that most childminders I know have vacancies, so to think about calling for more childminders or for childminders to look after more children is going to lower standards of childcare. Those who decide to continue in this career will either be earning less, or working more, giving less quality time to each child and reducing the childminding setting to a small nursery setting. This is not what we want. We want to continue to give a high level of care to a few children in the family friendly setting of our own homes, to nurture and educate the children the way their parents would do if they could take the time off work. I hope that you will not implement this new system. There have already been too many changes which have eroded our business, please don't let this be another one. Childminders are the best providers for early years care. We love and enjoy our job and our children and we would like to remain as we are please.
val72 says:
February 26, 2013 at 02:27 PM
Does the government have more important subject to deal with than the status of the chilminder ? Why change something which is already working well.

Most of us chose to be self employed and do not want to be part of an agency. We want to be considered as professional chilcare provider and therefore need to be inspected on a regular basis.
Our image is important, the safety of the children is paramount ( another crazy idea : increasing the ratio of children / per carer !)
Parents should be able to make their own choice based on our experience, references and report.
I would also be happy to pay a little more for our yearly Ofsted fee.
Tesni says:
February 26, 2013 at 01:42 PM
Pay for inspections.......with what exactly???? For the little money we earn any extra is all spent on resources and courses that Ofsted insist we have.I am infuriated by all the extra cost!!!!

Why would we want to join an agency when the FIS and council list work so well. I assume of course that there would be an extra fee to provide for these "agencies". This is why its so easy for parents to look at their local listings for childmindres and not have to pay any joining fees or added paper work like the nanny agencies.
Kristine B says:
February 26, 2013 at 01:15 PM
These changes will not increase the number of childminders, in fact I think many childminders will stop minding if they are faced with an agency attempting to manage their business as set out in this bill. Childminders want to find their own customers and they do not want to face another expense for the service they rather not have. Also, childminder costs are much lower than nurseries to begin with and this bill will not reduce these costs. Costs seem to be set by area and many childminders negotiate their fees with the parents needs. Childminding is a very rewarding career, but these proposed changes will not have the impact you are setting out, it will be exactly the opposite outcome.
Mary Rose says:
February 26, 2013 at 01:06 PM
The whole pressure on childminders from government is really upsetting -we charge half of what Nanny's (who do not need to do ANY paperwork) and are much cheaper than nurseries -we have had our childminding support groups axed, our local one o'clock clubs taken away and now this...oh and we are expected to take on more children also....

Related information

What is Public Reading?


Public Reading is an initiative to give members of the public the opportunity to provide their views on Bills before they are made into law. This is the first Public Reading to be run by the House of Commons and is a pilot of the process. Comments on the Bill will be made available to the Committee of MPs responsible for examining the Bill in detail so that they can take them into account when deciding whether to make changes to the Bill.

About the Children and Families Bill


The Children and Families Bill contains provisions to change the law in several areas relating to children and families.

Explanatory Notes


The Government publishes explanatory notes alongside a Bill to assist readers in understanding the proposed legislation

Additional Comments?


Comments on areas not covered by the listed Bill topics, or broader comments on the Bill as a whole (including anything that you think should have been included in the Bill but is not) should be posted as an additional comment. As this Public Reading is a pilot, we are also keen to hear your views on the public reading process itself.

Public Bill Committees


A Bill Committee is appointed for each Bill that goes through Parliament and is named after the Bill it considers. Public Bill Committees have the power to take written and oral evidence. The Committee examines the Bill line by line and reports its conclusions and any amendments to the Commons, where MPs debate the Bill further.

Pre-legislative Scrutiny


Some provisions in the Children and Families Bill were published in draft form last year so that MPs could scrutinise them and recommend changes to be made before the Bill itself was introduced to Parliament. Four different Committees from the House of Commons and the House of Lords examined draft clauses.