The number of childminders has almost halved over the past 20 years. In a bid to tackle this, the government is attempting to encourage more people to enter the profession by creating childminding agencies.
Unveiled in January’s More Great Childcare reforms, ministers want agencies to help cut the bureaucracy associated with childminding, such as setting up as self-employed and registering with Ofsted. Agencies will also provide training and match children with minders.
The Department for Education has set up a task and finish group, charged with developing the details of how agencies will work and exploring who might run them, including nurseries, children’s centres, primary schools and private providers.
Ros Marshall, chief executive of nursery chain Kids Unlimited, says nurseries are in a good position to extend their remit to childminders. “We already have teams that administer things like registering with Ofsted and visit nurseries for quality assurance and improvement,” she says. “If that could be further enhanced to help networks of childminders, it’s worth looking at.”
But she admits that she is waiting for more details on the proposals and associated funding before deciding if she will establish an agency. “Arguably, as a larger provider, we would have the infrastructure in place,” she says. “But on the face of it, I’m not sure it will be hugely profitable.”
Deborah Lawson, general secretary of teachers’ union Voice, says few primary schools are in a position to set up childminding agencies, arguing that the associated expenses could be prohibitive.
“Schools currently have capacity issues,” she says. “I’m anticipating that our members will tell us that setting up an agency would be a distraction from the core purpose of delivering education, when there is so much change happening at a fast pace.”
