A childminder is a childcarer like any other

As a professional childminder for over six years who is currently doing a fast-track NVQ 3, I am horrified that the Government has deemed it OK for us to smoke in front of children and to be able to smack them with their parents' permission. I work in partnership with all my parents and pride myself on the professional working relationships I have established with them. Is the Government trying to tell us that we are not professionals and should therefore have different standards to any other childcare professionals? I do not see myself as different. I provide a caring,...