Barnsley Early Start and Family Services
Childminding allows you to work from your own home to provide care and learning opportunities for other people's children.
More and more parents are looking for good quality childcare. They're also looking for childcare that's flexible enough to meet the needs of their busy lifestyles and cater for differing work and shift patterns. Lots of parents need childcare outside the usual Monday to Friday, nine until five routine.
Is childminding for you?
As a childminder, you'll be self-employed and running your own business. You have to be registered with Ofsted and you must work to the same regulations as most other childcare settings.
We run free 'Childminding - is it for you?' sessions that provide information to help you decide whether childminding is the right career for you.
Once you've attended, we'll invite you to come along to a pre- registration course before you register as a childminder. You'll need to attend for a total of 20 hours over a ten week period.
What you'll need to become a childminder
To become a childminder you need to:
- be over 18 years old.
- attend the free 'Childminding - is it for you?' information session.
- attend a childminding pre-registration course (20 hours over a 10 week period, £121 payable to BMBC).
- complete a Paediatric first aid course (from £50 to £70, payable to BMBC).
- meet the required Ofsted registration requirements.
- be DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked, and have annual update checks. Anyone over 16 living or working at your address will also need to be checked (£65 per person, payable to Capita).
- have a health check with your GP (cost variable, payable to your GP).
- be registered by Ofsted (£35 payable to Ofsted)
- be registered to care for up to six children, including your own under eight year olds, depending on the size of your house.
- be insured for public liability (variable costs and packages).
Once you become a childminder
Session times
You'll be able to choose when and what time you'll offer your sessions. You'll need to offer flexible hours that parents using your service will be looking for, and come to an agreement that suits their needs.
Some childminders offer weekend and even overnight care. If you decide to offer this, you'll need to state this on your Ofsted registration certificate.
Charging for your service
You can set your own charges and fees for your service and receive payment directly from parents. We can give you an idea of the average prices that childminders may charge for the area.
For more information
Call us on 0800 034 5340 or
How we support you
We offer childminders:
- advice and support
- 'Childminding - is it for you?' information session and pre-registration course
- support for Ofsted readiness
- free training and occasional grants
- career development opportunities
- quality improvement programme support
- free advertising through the Family Service Directory