CYP Now - Childcare: Ofsted inspection changes 'could put children at risk'

Ten thousand children have been taken out of dangerous or inadequate childcare by the early years watchdog Ofsted, but many more could be left in unsafe or poor quality settings because of planned changes to the inspection system, warns a leading children's charity.

Last week Ofsted published its Making a Difference report, which showedhow it dealt with some of the 1,100 childcare providers judgedinadequate in the 15 months up to June 2006. Of the inadequate providerswho were checked again most had improved, but 180 resigned theirregistration before they were re-inspected and 11 were forced to closeby Ofsted.

However, there are fears standards will slip with the proposed OfstedChildcare Register for childcare for the over fives. Anne Longfield,chief executive of the charity 4Children, said: "We're very concernedthat the current level of guidance and support will be lost in the newchildcare register arrangements with proposed inspections of only 10 percent of providers each year. This approach can only work if the qualityimprovement function is taken up more robustly by localauthorities."

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