Becoming a childminder

The Childcare Act 2006 requires local authorities to secure sufficient childcare provision for the needs of working parents in their area for children up to the age of 14 (or 17 for disabled children).

We have undertaken a review of registered childminder places and this has shown that we have sufficient childminders in the borough with high vacancy rates; so the Quality Childminding Development Workers will not be running training courses this financial year.

However, we recognise that people may still wish to pursue becoming a childminder. Therefore, if you wish to register as a childminder, you will need to complete the following courses:

  1. 12 hour paediatric First Aid course
    This costs £62 and can be booked by calling Lynn Joy on 07710 799 456 or emailing jilt@btinternet.com.
  2. Safeguarding course
    You can book onto this by emailing belinda.r.riley@gmail.com or calling on 07968 509 695. The cost is £45.
  3. Unit CYPOP 5 of the Children and Young People’s Workforce Diploma - Understanding how to set up a Home Based Childcare Service
    This course is offered by NEWTEC (East London Childcare Institute) in Stratford. Attendance is once a week for 12 weeks, and is run on both weekdays and Saturdays. You will learn how to produce Policies and Procedures, how to work in partnership with parents, how to budget and set your fees, have an introduction to the Early Years Foundation Stage, and much more besides. We have secured an introductory price for the first twelve people of £195. After this, the price will rise slightly. Please call Elizabeth Freer on 020 8496 3577 for more information and contact details. There are other local providers who run the course, for example Lloyd Park offer it for £375. Please contact us if you wish to have details of these providers.

Once you have completed these three courses, please contact the Childminding Business Support Officer on 020 8496 3577 who will provide you with a registration pack for Ofsted, and a certificate to show you have done the Local Authority approved training. Please be aware that Ofsted will ask you for proof that you have done a Local Authority approved course when they visit you, and we give them the names of childminders who have not complied with this. You will also not have access to the free training we provide registered childminders if you do not take these three courses.

We do expect all our childminders to have a certain level of literacy so will signpost you to ESOL classes if we feel you would benefit. Unit 5 requires Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy.

For further information, please contact us on 020 8496 3577 or email elizabeth.freer@walthamforest.gov.uk.