Registered childminders are professional day carers who work in their own homes to provide care and learning opportunities for other people’s children in a family setting.

More than 300,000 children in England and Wales are looked after by almost 80,000 childminders. And no other sort of paid childcare is so highly rated by parents.

Regulation

By law, all childminders must:

Childminders are usually registered to look after up to three children under 5 and three children aged 5 to 8, including their own children. They may also look after older children up to the age of 14.

All childminders who are registered with Ofsted or CISW have been checked by the CRB, are insured, have first aid training and have had a health check. As well as induction training, many childminders undertake childcare qualifications or attend workshops on subjects like nutrition, sign language or business management.

NCMA

The National Childminding Association of England and Wales (NCMA) is a national charity and membership organisation that speaks on behalf of registered childminders in England and Wales. It promotes quality, registered childminding so that children, families and communities can benefit from the best in childcare and education.

Ofsted

Ofsted is a non-ministerial government department established under the Education (Schools) Act 1992 to take responsibility for the inspection of all schools in England, whether state or independent. Its role also includes the inspection of local education authorities, teacher training institutions and youth work. During 2001, Ofsted became responsible for inspecting all 16-19 education (through college inspections and 14-19 area-wide inspections) and for the regulation of early years childcare, including childminders.

How does Ofsted check the standards are met?

Ofsted carries out four main regulatory functions in order to ensure that day-care providers and child minders meet the national standards:

• Registration – Child minders and day-care providers normally have to be registered by Ofsted. Registration includes checking the suitability of any person who works with children or lives on the premises where children are looked after or has regular contact with children. It also includes checking the premises to make sure they are safe and suitable for childcare.

• Inspection – After registration Ofsted aims to inspect childcare providers within seven months and then at least once every three years to judge the quality and standards of the childcare.

• Investigation – Ofsted investigates any complaints or concerns about a childcare provider made by parents, members of the public or arising from inspection, to make sure that the provider continues to be qualified for registration.

• Enforcement – Ofsted uses information gathered during an inspection or investigation to take action to ensure that day-care providers and child minders continue to meet the national standards. Ofsted takes enforcement action on an escalating tariff according to the risk to children. In serious cases this action may mean cancelling the registration of the child minder or day-care provider.

How can I tell if a childcare provider is registered with Ofsted?

All registered providers have a certificate of registration which they are required to display. Parents can ask to see the provider's registration certificate, or they may contact Ofsted on 0845 601 4771 to check that providers are registered.

How do I complain about or compliment a childcare provider?

Ofsted take all allegations about the quality of childcare very seriously and always investigate any incidents or concerns reported to us. These include concerns from any parent or other member of the public that a registered provider may no longer meet the national standards, or that someone may be providing childcare without being registered.

If you wish to tell Ofsted about any concerns that you have about a day-care provider or child minder, call Ofsted's helpline on 0845 601 4772. You will be asked for more details, so you should be ready to give as much information as possible. Ofsted will not tell the provider your name, unless you agree to Ofsted doing this. However, if any action resulting from a complaint goes to a court or tribunal, it may not be possible to keep your identity a secret at that stage.

Ofsted's role is not to prove or disprove a complaint. Instead they investigate to make sure that the provider continues to be suitable for registration, and to meet the national standards, minimum criteria for registration set by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Any action that Ofsted takes about a child carer's registration is explained in the inspection report, which tells you:

• the nature of the complaint

• which national standards were not complied with

• what action Ofsted took or required the provider to do.

If there is no action, then Ofsted judges that the complaint did not affect the registration of the provider.

If you are pleased with your childcare service you should tell your child minder or day-care provider. You can also tell Ofsted in writing or by telephone. They will record your views and their inspectors will take them into account at the provider's next inspection

How can I find out about complaints made about childcare or nursery education providers?

Since November 2004, Ofsted have included details of complaints in our inspection reports. These details relate to complaints since 1 April 2004, the provider's registration with Ofsted or their last inspection date, whichever is the later.

Anyone can ask a provider to see their complaints record. It is up to the provider to decide whether or not they are willing to share the information.