Ofsted's recent report on the proposed inspection framework for childminder agencies suggests there is strong support for plans to inspect only agencies and not the individuals who sign up to them.
The report reveals that 61 per cent of respondents – a mix of about 600 childminders and parents – agreed or strongly agreed with plans to require inspectors to make an "overall effectiveness" judgment of agencies, with only 26 per cent disagreeing or strongly disagreeing with the plan.
Yet figures published by the inspectorate just days before the report reveal a dramatic slump in the number of childminders, with 2,281 leaving the profession over the past six months alone and more than 3,500 since the start of 2013, when the government first unveiled plans for childminder agencies.
Early years organisations have warned that the fall could be linked to the introduction of childminder agencies, which have been piloted by the government since last summer and are set to go live in September.
However, Nick Hudson, Ofsted's director for early years, has rubbished the claim, saying it is too early to link the policy with the number of childminders leaving the sector. "I struggle to see a link; these figures are retrospective over a given period," he says.
"I suspect that there's a link with our registration process. If the registration process is making it a tougher process for people to get registered, I think that will affect the number of providers."
Inspection concerns
Publication of the report, which outlines how Ofsted intends to inspect agencies from September, has reignited the concerns of providers, who have been anxious about Ofsted's intention to inspect only agencies since the plans were announced in January.
Childminder Penny Webb is particularly concerned that the plans place responsibility for monitoring the quality of individual childminders firmly at the door of agencies.
"The whole process of creating childminder agencies and in effect handing over responsibility to a third party is doomed to fail," she explains.
"By Ofsted's own admission, they find the current inspection process difficult to manage at arms length, and are now taking inspections of further education colleges and schools back in house – if that's the case, why are they thinking of handing it over to someone (agencies) out to make a profit?"
She is also puzzled by Ofsted's decision to put agencies in charge of training childminders. "They are very concerned about the quality of training, but they are pressing ahead with this, where the agency will be the one making those decisions," she adds.
Webb is also concerned about how parents will be able to choose an appropriate childminder if there is only information available about the agency and not the individual.
"I'm worried about how parents will compare settings – not just childminders, but with day settings – because there won't be individual reports for them to call up.
"It could mean a parent has to register - and pay to register – with a number of agencies to have the full availability of childminders in their area."
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, says the inspectorate's report has only created more questions, rather than providing the sector with answers.
He is also concerned about how Ofsted will deal with issues that he says require clarity within the three months before agencies go live.
"The scope of this consultation was always too narrow, as the focus was on the quality of service provided by agencies, and not the quality of care provided by the childminders themselves," he says.
"As a result, while this report has given the sector a slightly clearer idea of how agency inspections will work in practice, the bigger concerns about the potential implications of removing individual inspections for registered childminders have been ignored.
"It is still unclear what will happen if a childminder previously rated 'good' or 'outstanding' registers with an agency that is subsequently rated 'requires improvement' – will they, by default, be seen to require improvement as well, even if the quality of care they provide is excellent?"
Negative impact
Liz Bayram, chief executive of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (Pacey), fears the proposed framework could impact negatively on the quality of care provided by childminders signed up to agencies.
"We have anxieties that yet another layer of regulation between the provision and inspection of childcare services will serve to confuse parents and runs counter to Ofsted's ambitions to simplify the inspection landscape and focus on improving outcomes for children," says Bayram.
"Pacey still feels there remains a fundamental disconnect between the agency model and the need to deliver, measure and continuously improve quality of care."
Meanwhile, Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, has welcomed some elements of the inspection framework, but has concerns about how closely Ofsted will monitor agencies.
"We are pleased to see Ofsted has listened to our call for no notice inspections, which puts childminder agencies on the same footing as nurseries," she says.
"As agency childminders will be taken out of direct regulation by Ofsted, the agencies must be closely scrutinised to ensure they are fit for purpose. We would like to see annual inspection of agencies and have urged the Department for Education to implement this from the outset."
Despite the concerns, Ofsted's Hudson has defended the plans.
"Childminder agencies represent a new concept in the early years landscape and we plan to judge them on a similar basis as other providers when they come into being later this year. Our measures will help to give reassurance to parents about the childminder who looks after their loved ones, and to childminders who may be considering joining an agency."
OFSTED'S PROPOSED INSPECTION FRAMEWORK FOR CHILDMINDER AGENCIES
- To give no notice of inspections.
- To require inspectors to make an "overall effectiveness" judgment on the overall quality of a childminder agency.
- To rate agencies against the same four-point scale it uses when inspecting other childcare settings.
- To allow inspectors to take into account the outcomes of an agency's self-evaluation when passing judgment.
- To publish agency inspection reports on Ofsted's website.
