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Childminders

2. How to become a childminder

Step 1

Attend an Oldham childminder briefing. Use this opportunity to start building up a professional network. This will help with your registration. It will also help with the ongoing development of your business. The goal is to create a play-based/child-led curriculum. It will be in a high-quality learning environment.

Read and fully understand the 'Become a childminder: pre-registration briefing' presentation. Read and fully understand the 'Early years (under 5s) foundation stage framework (EYFS)'. Be fully aware of any set-up costs, the approach you would like to follow, and why you have chosen that particular approach.

Decide whether to register with Ofsted or a childminding agency. If you register with a childminder agency, the process will depend on their rules. Understand how rewarding and demanding the role can be. Also, know what the ongoing training expects. This can mean attending training in the evenings after work or at weekends. Assess the need for additional childminders in your area. Be aware of the need to be flexible as each child is unique and no two days are the same in this profession

Step 2

Book onto, and a ‘Preparing to work in home-based childcare’ course. Contact education providers in your area such as Oldham Lifelong Learning, or take the course online via providers such as PACEY. Be aware of the courses you will need to do to deepen your understanding of how young children learn best. They will help you understand how young children learn, the EYFS, language learning, and child development.

Paediatric First Aid is often included in the course cost or registration with an agency. You will need to ensure that any First Aid course you are completing meets the requirements of Ofsted. This will need to be renewed every three years. You should access Safeguarding training. It will enable you to implement policies to safeguard children. The training should follow Oldham’s Local Safeguarding Board (LSCB) guidelines. It is strongly recommended that you access Food Hygiene Level 2 training before applying for registration.

Begin to think about how the profile of your business will be raised so that families know that there are spaces available. Consider your hours of work, both for you and your family, so that a work-life balance can be maintained.

Step 3

Apply for disclosure and barring checks for yourself and anyone over 16 living in your household. (If you are registering with an agency they may undertake these for you). This must be in place when applying for registration.

Notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) that you are a "data controller" to ensure you comply with data protection law. You can either complete your notification online www.ico.org.uk or request the forms by calling the office 0303 123 1113. There will be a notification cost. Complete Ofsted’s health declaration booklet form and take your completed form to your doctor to sign. This will usually incur a fee. Complete your Ofsted application (if registering individually) from the Ofsted website and pay your registration fee

Ensure your car insurance covers business use and that any car seats meet the current standards

Step 4*

Once Ofsted receives your full application they will arrange to come and undertake a registration visit at your home. Public Liability insurance will need to be in place before this visit takes place. At the registration visit Ofsted will identify if they intend to register you and onto which registers. Review the podcasts available Registration visit - Google Doc

Step 5

You will receive your registration certificate from Ofsted. It is only once you receive your registration certificate that you can start looking after children.

Further information

Start-up grant information

* Registration with an agency will mean that any subsequent steps will change as they will register you if you decide to go down this route. Individual agencies will determine their own processes.