Childcarers want tighter regulation

Early years organisations responding to the Government's consultation on proposals for 'light touch' accreditation for previously unregulated childcare have welcomed the move to extend parents' access to tax credits from April 2005, but questioned whether the approval scheme goes far enough. The National Childminding Association said it was concerned that there were 'significant risks' attached. In an open letter to minister for children Margaret Hodge, NCMA chief executive Gill Haynes warned of 'the potential for confusion among parents over the difference between a childcarer who must be registered with Ofsted and a childcarer who can voluntarily choose to be approved...