Childminding as a Career

Are you interested in caring for children?

Can you provide a safe, stimulating environment within your home?

Childminding can offer you:

• An opportunity to earn a living by caring for other peoples children in your own home.
• The chance to become a self employed daycare provider.
• The opportunity to stay at home and care for your own children as well as caring for others.
• The opportunity to share in the care and development of children from birth to 12 years of age.
• Eligibility to benefit from the Childrens Tax Credit.

What Is A Registered Childminder?

• Registered Childminders are self employed daycare providers who work in their own home to provide care and education for other peoples children within a family setting. Unlike nannies and au pairs, they are inspected and registered by Social Services on a regular basis.
• Registered Childminders may be registered to care for up to 6 children between the ages of 0 - 12 years of age (including their own children)
• Only Registered childminding is eligible for the Childcare Element of the Working Tax Credit for working parents

What does registration mean?

A Childminder MUST BY LAW register with the local Health and Social Services Trust. The purpose of registration is:

• To protect children
• To provide reassurance to parents using childcare
• To ensure that childminding services meet acceptable standards

To achieve registration a Childminder is required to comply with standards of safety, equipment, numbers of children etc. The home environment is checked to ensure that it meets the standards required and that it is suitable to care for children. References and health checks are required as are police checks on all individuals in the household over the age of 10. The Children (NI) Order 1995 states that registration should be completed within three months of receipt of the completed application form. Following on from registration, childminders are inspected annually by the Health and Social Services Trust.

NICMA recognise that childminding is a professional day care service and as such, the registration process is the first step towards the provision of quality childminding.

To enquire about becoming registered as a chilminder please contact your local Health and Social Care Trust Click Here for contact details.

Are you childminding without Insurance Protection?

Benefits Of Registered Childminding.

Childminding is a unique daycare service for children aged 0 –14 years in that it supports the effective learning of children in their early years by providing opportunities for individual attention as well as the rich learning environment of the home and local community.

The benefits of quality childminding include: -

• Individual Needs Met - Children benefit from the individual attention they receive in a childminders home and the interaction with other children of all ages. Babies, particularly, benefit from the individual, family type care provided by childminders. Childminders and children have access to small and large group activities via Drop In centres, Childminding groups, outings and High/Scope programmes.
• Low adult – child ratio – childminders are registered to care for up to 3 children of pre-school age and 3 children of school age. This low adult – child ratio allows for children’s individual needs to be met.
• Flexibility – Children can be cared for on a part or full time basis from the age of a few months, throughout their pre-school, nursery and school years. Childminding can be provided during out-of-school and holiday periods. Parents varying shift patterns can be accommodated ensuring that there is consistency with the same carer.
• Quality - A stimulating environment within a home based setting, which meets children’s individual needs. Registration of childminding services is the starting point for quality provision with many childminders accessing NICMA’s Quality Assurance initiatives.
• Sharing - Families with one child can benefit from using the services of a childminder. Their child is cared for in an environment with children from a range of ages and backgrounds. It can provide an extended family experience for families with one child.
• Part of the community - Children are cared for in their own community, enabling them to build and develop their own local connections and providing opportunities for close links with community based services and with local schools.
• Partnership with Parents - Parents and children develop a trusting relationship with the Childminder ensuring that the care provided is appropriate and adaptable to their changing individual needs. Childminders can offer support to parents to enable them to balance work and family responsibilities.
• Real life learning – Children looked after by a childminder enjoy real life experiences like cooking, shopping, gardening, mealtimes etc. From these everyday activities the children can learn basic science, maths, social skills and language skills.
• Support and back up - Childminders can provide support to parents by offering homework supervision, back up and emergency care where required
• Equality of Opportunity – Childminding offers all children equality of access to opportunities to learn and develop, taking account of the child’s age and stage of development, gender, ethnicity, special educational needs and any disability. It also offers children with special needs or disabilities the opportunity to be cared for in an inclusive setting with children of differing abilities, ages and backgounds. The children are able to attend the same childcare setting as their siblings.
• Family friendly – Childminding offers parents the opportunity for all of their children to be cared for at the one setting regardless of age, stage and ability. Childminded children are not segregated because of age or stage. This encourages siblings to bond and so encourages family relationships to fully develop.

If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Registered Childminder, contact NICMA for a free information pack: "How to become a Registered Childminder" or download NICMA's booklet 'Childminding as a Profession - a guide to registration' or contact your local Health and Social Care Trust Click Here for details.

Please note that this information pack applies to legislative requirements specific to Northern Ireland