Would you like to work in your own home? Would you like to work hours to suit your own family? Have you thought about registering as a childminder?
If you are interested in registering to become a childminder you need to contact South Gloucestershire's Children and Young People Information Service on 01454 868008. You will then be invited to attend a FREE, pre-registration information and briefing session. The briefing will give you all the information that you will need to help you decide if childminding is for you. These run at approximately 6-weekly intervals and give advice on how to register with Ofsted, including how to fill out your application form and what help and support you will receive.
Should you decide to become a childminder, you will need to attend an introduction to childcare practice course which is unit 1 of a level 3 qualification. These run for seven weeks, with one 2½ hour session each week, normally held during the evening.
The course covers the following topics:
- Keeping children safe
- Establishing routines for childminding play
- Providing basic play and other activities for children in the home-based setting
- Helping children to settle into your childminding setting and managing children's behaviour
- Initiating relationships with parents and treating children with equal concern
- Child protection
- The business side of childminding
- The role of the Learning and Schools Effectiveness Section in supporting childminders
- A grant (SureStart childcare places grant) may be available to help with costs associated with starting out as a childminder
Support for childminders
The Childminding Development Team provides ongoing support to all prospective and registered childminders. Look at our 'Support for childminders' page which you can link to from the 'More in this topic' part of this page for more information.
Latest news
Since 1 April 2005 the Childminding Development Workers have supported childminders in South Gloucestershire to achieve 16 ‘outstanding’ inspection reports and 126 ‘good’ inspection reports, as graded by Ofsted. The number of childminders judged ‘outstanding’ in South Gloucestershire is higher than the current England average.
The hard work and dedication of the development workers has directly contributed to improving childminding services for the residents of South Gloucestershire Council and the children that attend those settings. The quality of this work can be seen in the inspection outcomes.
The team has had a significant impact in improving the standards of childcare for childminders in South Gloucestershire and work hard to promote the role of childminders in providing a valuable service to parents requiring flexible high quality childcare.
Still interested?
For further information and to book your place on a pre-registration briefing session, please contact the Children and Young People Information Service on 01454 868008.