Page Content
Job profiles
Childminder
Hours
40 per week
Starting salary
£8,000 + per year
If you love children and like the idea of working from home, this could be perfect for you. Childminders look after children in their own home, whilst the children's parents are at work or studying. They could look after babies and children under five during the day, or older children after school and in the school holidays.
You need to be aged at least 18 to become a childminder. You do not need any qualifications, but you do need to be registered with Ofsted before you can look after children under the age of eight.
To become a childminder, you will need to have patience and a sense of humour. You will also need to be aware of health, safety and hygiene. Knowledge of child protection issues is also important.
WorkDesc
The work
As a childminder you would:
- make sure that the children you are looking after feel secure, and are safe, warm and well fed
- plan, prepare and serve them meals
- change nappies and make up bottles for babies
- provide a range of play activities, both indoors and outside, to help children develop
- take children on outings, for example to the park or to toddler groups
- take older children to and from playgroup or school.
You would need to carry out parents' requests concerning their children's diet, routines and religion, and share information about their children with them.
HoursDesc
Hours
You will be able to set your own hours to some extent, but these will have to fit in with the needs of parents. Some childminders offer a weekend and/or overnight service for parents who work shifts.
Depending on the size of your home, you can be registered to look after up to six children under the age of eight. This usually means no more than three children under the age of five and only one under the age of one. This includes your own children.
Your home will be inspected to make sure it is safe and hygienic, and you may need to make some changes, such as fitting safety gates.
IncomeDesc
Income
The National Childminding Association (NCMA) Membership Survey 2011 reports that average fees charged by childminders range from £3.90 to £5.02 an hour for each child, depending on the area of the country.
Childminders need to make arrangements for paying their own tax and insurance, and pay costs such as for meals, and toys and equipment. The childminder start-up grant can help with this (see entry requirements below for more information).
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
You need to be aged at least 18 to become a childminder. You do not need any qualifications, but you do need to be registered with Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) before you can look after children under the age of eight.
Your first step to becoming registered is to contact the Families Information Services (or similar) at your local council, who will tell you when there is a childminding pre-registration information meeting in your area. At the meeting, you will be given an application pack and details of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This sets standards for learning, development and care of children from birth to five years old.
Once you have completed the application and returned it to your Ofsted regional centre you will then:
- have an Ofsted home inspection and an interview to make sure you are a suitable person to care for children
- have a medical check
- complete an introductory training course and a first-aid certificate.
You will also need clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for yourself and anyone else in your home aged over 16. See the CRB website for details.
Visit the National Childminding Association (NCMA) website for more details about childminding, registration and inspection.
Once you are registered you can start work as a childminder. By joining the NCMA you can get advice and support for all aspects of your work.
You could get help with the costs of setting up your childminding business by applying for a childminder start-up grant. To apply for a grant and for more information, contact the Early Years team at your local council.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
If you look after children up to the age of five, you will need to show that you meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Visit the NCMA website for details.
As a registered childminder, you will receive EYFS training from your local authority. Local authorities and regional branches of the NCMA also usually offer short courses and one-day training sessions on subjects like child protection, disability awareness, play, baby massage and sign language.
You may be encouraged to work towards relevant parts of the Level 3 Children and Young People's Workforce Diploma. See the NCMA website or contact your local authority Early Years team for information on training.
You will receive an Ofsted inspection at least once every three years to make sure that you are providing the expected standard of care.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become a childminder, you will need to have:
- a love of children and a commitment to giving them high standards of care
- patience and a sense of humour
- flexibility
- good communication skills
- an awareness of health, safety and hygiene
- knowledge of child protection issues
- the ability to keep written records and do simple financial calculations.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) 
Royal Exchange Buildings
St Ann's Square
Manchester
M2 7LA
Tel: 0845 640 4045
www.ofsted.gov.uk
Scottish Childminding Association
Suite 3
7 Melville Terrace
Stirling
FK8 2ND
Tel: 01786 445377
www.childminding.org
Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education (CACHE)
Apex House
81 Camp Road
St. Albans
Hertfordshire
AL1 5GB
Tel: 0845 347 2123
www.cache.org.uk
National Childminding Association
Royal Court
81 Tweedy Road
Bromley
Kent
BR1 1TG
Tel: 0845 880 0044
www.ncma.org.uk
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
You will be self-employed, usually working in your own home. Some childminders are paid by local authorities, for example for looking after children at risk of neglect or abuse.
With experience you could become a network coordinator, supporting other local childminders, or a tutor on childminding courses.
With relevant qualifications you can move into a related job such as a nursery nurse, playworker or teaching assistant.
Please see the below job profiles for more information.
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
LMIData
Related industry information
Industry summary
Early years, children and young people’s services are represented by the Skills for Care and Development Sector Skills Council. This includes those working in early years, children and young people’s services, and those working in social work and social care for children and adults in the UK. The social care sector comprises two sub-sectors:
- Adult social care – with a workforce of nearly 1.5 million, accounting for 5% of England’s workforce, and 38,000 employers
- Children and young people – with an estimated workforce of 2.7 million
Early years, children and young people’s services provide publicly funded services accessed by between 1.5 and 2.5 million families per year, including early years education, childcare, children’s social care, family support, child protection, fostering and adoption services. There are more than 500,000 workers delivering these services in England.
[N.B. Following the change of Government on 11th May, all statutory guidance and legislation referred to here continues to reflect the current legal position unless indicated otherwise, but this document may not reflect Government policy.]
Key facts:
- The children and young people’s social care workforce includes:
- Over a quarter of a million people working within early years and childcare settings, with 165,200 employed in full day care and 58,300 workers in sessional day care
- An estimated 111,484 nannies
- An estimated 1,152 portage workers in England (who provide a home-visiting service for pre-school children who have developmental or learning difficulties, physical disabilities or other special needs)
- About 1,985 in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)
- An estimated 7,500 residential childcare workers in children’s homes and 2,100 in care homes for disabled children
- 25,460 full-time equivalent social workers
- Approximately 37,000 foster families in England
- Approximately 14,000 learning mentors
- 2,247 educational psychologists
- Between 3,000 and 5,000 education welfare officers in England
- 65% of full day care provision is privately run, with 22% of settings run by a voluntary organisation.
- The majority of sessional care settings are run by voluntary organisations or are privately run.
The children and young people’s workforce includes a wide range of workers, jobs and professional occupations, including:
- Early years and childcare – Early years/nursery teachers; Nursery nurses/workers; Portage workers; Nannies; Home Child carers; Heads of children’s centres; Volunteers in childcare settings
- Children and young people’s social care – children and family court advisory and support service officers, foster carers, residential childcare workers, children and family social workers
- Learning, development and support services (LDSS) – learning mentors, educational psychologists, education welfare officers, behaviour and education support teams, family support workers
National and regional data
[N.B. National and regional data are currently unavailable.]
Career paths
Our Job Profiles
Further sources
View full Job market information
News
