Childminding

This will provide more information about registered childminding and will help you decide whether it’s the right career for you. There will also be a chance to meet your local PACEY Childminding Support and Development Officer and ask questions. The session will look at:

• The benefits, rewards, and challenges of childminding
• Registration requirements
• Further support and training.

To find out when your next pre-registration information evening is running or if you have any questions regarding the sessions or process you can contact PACEY by emailing: childminding@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

At the end of the pre-registration session, dates will be given for the Ready to Mind childminding training course. You will be given all the information required to book this course.

What is included in the Ready to Mind training:

• Four evening sessions of online training
• Support during the training and by telephone and email between sessions
• Ongoing support after the course finishes.

Course outline

Understand how to set up a Home-based Childcare Service Course (eight hours over four evenings online), including a two-hour child protection session.

First Aid course (12 hours)

A paediatric first aid certificate is a requirement of the early years foundation (EYFS) stage statutory framework.

The Government are offering £600 to help towards the cost of registering as a childminder. Once registered with Ofsted, you can apply for this funding to help recoup some of the costs of setting up your business.

You can find more information on the registration process and Ofsted registers on the GOV.UK website.

You will have to be 18 years old. You and all the adults living or working at the home you want to mind from will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. You will be inspected by Ofsted initially to register you and then again every three to five years.

Ofsted operates two registers

The Early Years Register is for all childcare providers looking after children under five must register on this and follow the EYFS.

The Childcare Register, this register is for providers looking after children under eight years, and is divided into two parts:

• The Compulsory Childcare Register. All childcare providers looking after children between the ages of five and eight must join this register and meet the requirements
• The Voluntary Childcare Register. This is for providers who do not have to register with Ofsted, i.e., look after children older than eight years only, but would like to register with Ofsted so parents can benefit from tax credits and childcare vouchers.

Most childminders join all three registers so they can care for children of all ages and you can apply online with Ofsted. 

For you to be approved by Ofsted, you must have:

• Completed a DBS check for yourself and everyone over 16 years in the home you will be minding from
• Completed all relevant courses (see above)
• Have your health declaration check signed by your GP.

You will need to provide the following details to Ofsted before you can register:

• Your signed health check
• Registration fee
• Completed DBS checks
• Two references from people who know you in a caring capacity.

Ofsted will need to inspect the home you want to mind from, as well as an interview with you. A registration certificate will then be posted to you once you have proven suitability. You cannot start looking after children before you receive your certificate.

It takes approximately 12 weeks to become registered with Ofsted. You will have to attend information sessions and training before you can register with Ofsted.

The local authority works with Ofsted and all childcare providers to ensure that children get the best start in life. Once you become a registered childminder, you will have access to training and support from PACEY our commissioned partner, to improve your practice. You can also get your details published on the Cambridgeshire Online Directory.

Being a professional childminder can be so rewarding. Working from home and running your own business. Here are some of the benefits our childminders would like to share.

Watching children grow

"One of the most rewarding aspects of childcare is watching the child in your care that arrives as a little baby grow and become a person in their own right; who has views and expectations within the setting."

"They continue to develop into teenagers and then young men and women who even now stop in the street and acknowledge you with fond memories of their childhood with you, and even come to us to care for their own offspring. Then you know that you got it right."

Sharing in a child's development

"Watching and sharing in a child's development; seeing them excel and flourish and knowing that you have influenced and helped them."

Watching children play and have fun

"My absolute favourite time with the children is when they’re simply given the opportunity to be children, and I have a moment to appreciate it."

"Rolling down hills and jumping in muddy puddles, I can see how the children thrive from just being outdoors and having fun in a loving and caring environment. I want my children to enjoy their childhood and leave the setting with memories they’ll cherish forever."

Meeting the needs of the child

"For me the best thing about being a childcare professional is being able to run my own business to suit the way I work and to meet the needs of the children who attend."

"We love outdoor play in any shape or form, be it in the mud kitchen, at a playground, going to the market or supermarket, the post office, on a bus. The children always respond well to these activities and all seven areas of learning and development are met through this medium."

Sharing knowledge and experience

"It's lovely to be able to support new parents. I was really pleased when one of the new mums sent me a text saying how grateful she was for the support that I had given her in such a variety of ways, and how much it had helped."

Are you inspired? If so, contact PACEY about childminding in Cambridgeshire.