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Sign in or register for an accountThis information is to help you decide if you want to become an Ofsted registered childminder and the next steps for registration.
A childminder is someone (other than a parent, relative, person with parental responsibility or foster parent) looking after one or more children under the age of eight years, in their own home for over two hours a day for reward. Childminders can choose the hours that they wish to offer and the ages of the children that they care for.
They may wish to care for young children under five years or prefer to care for older children before and after school and in the school holidays. Childminders are able to provide a variety of flexible hours, offering anything from full day care, early mornings, late evenings, overnight or weekend care. Childminders provide care for babies, toddlers and school age children in their own home.
A childminder may care for a maximum of six children under eight years at any one time. Three of these children may be under school age and usually only one of those may be a baby under one year of age. The childminders own children are taken into account and counted in these numbers. Ofsted will assess the number of children you can care for during the registration process.
As a registered childminder you will be able to:
You will need to attend a childminder briefing session, which costs £25 for Salford residents and £35 if you live outside Salford Local Authority, and is offered in the daytime or evenings. This is where you will find out all you need to know about childminding, the registration process and the Preparation for Registration childminding training course which currently costs £250 for Salford residents and £500 if you live outside Salford Local Authority.
To become a registered childminder with Ofsted you will have to demonstrate that you can meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (September 2021)) which includes safeguarding and welfare and learning and development requirements. This is fully covered on the childminder training we offer should you decide to proceed with a career in childminding.
We are currently offering Salford residents the opportunity to attend our Preparation for Registration childminder course and receive the cost of the course back when you become an Ofsted Registered Childminder.
You will also be offered a free place to attend our Starting Life Well Child Protection course.
To find out more contact our Starting life Well Team via email at SLW@salford.gov.uk or call 0161 778 0384 (option 2).
Terms and conditions:
The Starting Life Well Service have a team of dedicated, professionals who are here to offer support and training to meet the needs of your organisation, our service covers areas such as:
To book a place on the childminder briefing session, check the dates that are available.
This page was last updated on 9 October 2024