Guidance

Childminders on the voluntary Childcare Register: Ofsted requirements

Requirements you must meet if you are a childminder registered with Ofsted on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register.

• From: Ofsted
• Published: 9 August 2022
• Last updated: 1 November 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

This guidance is for childminders on the voluntary Childcare Register only. If you’re also on the Early Years Register, you need to follow the early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework. Find out more about the Ofsted registers.

Once you’re registered with Ofsted you must meet these ongoing requirements. We will check this if we carry out an inspection.

Child welfare

You must:

• keep the children safe from harm
• make sure that at least one person looking after children has an appropriate first aid qualification
• be present on the premises at all times while providing the childcare – the only exception to this is that a childminding assistant can look after children on the premises for up to 2 hours a day if their parents have given their permission
• make sure that anyone under the age of 17 who works with children is always supervised by someone aged 18 or over
• make sure that no one smokes or consumes/is affected by alcohol or drugs on the premises during childcare hours or around any children being cared for, including medication that might affect their ability to look after children
• make sure that children’s behaviour is managed in a suitable way
• not use corporal punishment, and you must make sure that no one else looking after children, or living or working on the premises, uses corporal punishment on a child

Safeguarding

You must have, and follow, a written policy to safeguard children from abuse or neglect.

You must not let children have unsupervised contact with anyone who does not have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with barred lists.

Checking suitability

You and anyone else looking after the children must be suitable to work with children. You must have an effective system in place to ensure this.

You must make sure that everyone who looks after children has obtained an enhanced DBS check with barred lists.

Anyone aged 16 or over who lives on the domestic premises where childcare takes place or works there during childcare hours must have an enhanced DBS check with barred lists and be suitable to be in contact with children (see ‘People connected with Ofsted-registered childcare’).

Qualifications and training

At least one person looking after the children must have either:

• a minimum level 2 qualification in an area of work relevant to the childcare provided
• training in the common core skills

Your premises and equipment

Your premises and equipment must be safe and suitable for childcare. You must:

• make sure that no child can leave the premises without someone who is providing childcare being aware, unless the child is not a young child and you have agreed with the parent that they can leave by themselves. A child is a young child up until the 1 September following their fifth birthday. Providers and parents can use their discretion in agreeing a higher age restriction for allowing children to leave unsupervised
• make sure that no one can enter the premises without someone who is providing childcare becoming aware
• do everything necessary to minimise any health and safety risks to children and staff from the premises, equipment or activities

You must display your registration certificate on the premises. If applicable, you must also display any notice of suspension there for the period of suspension.

Organising your childcare

You must make arrangements with other childcare providers or with parents for occasions when you cannot provide childcare.

You must not refuse to look after a child or treat them less well than another child because of any of the following:

• the child’s race, home language, family background or gender
• the religion or belief of the child or the child’s parents
• any disability or learning difficulty that the child may have – this means that you must follow your legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 (for example, the provisions on reasonable adjustments)

You must have public liability insurance. This covers death, injury, public liability, damage or other loss.

Looking after children on non-domestic premises

If you are a childminder working from domestic premises, you are also permitted to work some of your time from non-domestic premises, such as a church hall or community centre. Use our guidance to apply to work from non-domestic premises.

You can provide childcare on non-domestic premises where this is permitted by your registration and can seek approval of these non-domestic premises if you wish to do so. However, you must always let us know the address of your new non-domestic premises so we can add this to your Ofsted registration.

If you are a childminder without domestic premises, you will spend all of your time working from non-domestic premises. Under this registration, you are not permitted to work from any domestic premises at any time.

Complaints

You must:

• have a written complaints policy and fully investigate each complaint
• keep written records for 3 years of any complaint, the investigation outcome and any action taken
• respond (in writing, if requested) to the parent who made the complaint, setting out the findings of the investigation and any resulting actions – you must do this as soon as reasonably possible but within 28 days of the complaint being made
• provide, if we ask for it, a summary of complaints made in the last 12 months and any action taken, or a list of all complaints made in the last 3 years, within a reasonable timeframe that we specify

Keeping records and providing information

You must record the following for each child:

• their name, home address and date of birth
• their parents’ names, home address and telephone number
• the days and times when they attend the childcare

You must also record, as soon as reasonably possible:

• any accidents that happen on the premises
• any medicine given to a child, or that a child takes themselves, including the date, circumstances, person who gave it and the parents’ consent
• the name, home address and telephone number of everyone living on the premises or working there during childcare hours

You should keep this information for 2 years from the date it was recorded.

Giving parents information

You must give the following to parents whose children you look after:

• information about the children’s activities
• copies of your written policies
• information about Ofsted’s role in registering and regulating childcare
• if you are registered as a ‘childminder without domestic premises’ you must inform parents that you are not permitted to provide any provision under your registration from any domestic premises, which includes the drop-off and/or collection of a child.

Giving Ofsted information

You must tell us about any serious childcare incidents. You should do this as soon as possible but within 14 days. Find out what serious incidents you need to report and how to tell Ofsted.

You must also tell Ofsted about any changes to:

• your full name, address, telephone number
• the address where you provide childcare, working hours and number of children you look after (including any children you are related to)
• any people living on the premises or working there during childcare hours (see ‘Childminders: report new people in the setting’ and ‘Childminders: tell Ofsted about adults leaving the home’)

Published 9 August 2022
Last updated 1 November 2024 + show all updates

1. 1 November 2024

   Updated to include a new childcare provider type, ‘childminders without domestic premises’, which was introduced by the Department for Education’s EYFS framework on 1 November 2024. We have also clarified that anyone aged 16 or over living on the “domestic premises” where childcare takes place must have an enhanced DBS check. Finally, we updated the amount of time a childminder can provide childcare on non-domestic premises, under ‘Looking after children on non-domestic premises’.

2. 24 October 2022

   We have confirmed that the requirement regarding the age of children leaving the premises unsupervised is in line with the legislation. We have worked with the Department for Education to agree additional wording, so that providers and parents can use their discretion in agreeing a higher age restriction for allowing children to leave unsupervised.

3. 9 August 2022

   First published.