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.
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