DfE gets tough on childminder funding

Nursery World has learned that childminders in several local authorities around the country are having additional requirements placed on them and are being made to 'jump through hoops' to access funding.

Although it is not yet law, the Government has said that it intends to make it a legal requirement that local authorities must pass on the funding for free early education places.

New DfE 'statutory guidance', which came into force on 1 September, states that local authorities 'should' offer funding to all providers rated good and outstanding.

Providers that are rated satisfactory can also access funding for threeand four-year-olds, and in some cases for two-year-olds, when there is a shortage of places.

The guidance goes on to say that local authorities should not undertake a separate assessment of the provider.

There are reports that some childminders are facing additional conditions, such as accreditation or qualification requirements, before they can apply to deliver the free entitlement.

Stacey Green, a childminder in Sefton rated good by Ofsted, told Nursery World that the council requires childminders to go through an accreditation process of six visits before they can even apply for funding.

This is the same process previously required to join a childminding network.

Ms Green, who is more than halfway through the process, said that before the new statutory guidance, only childminders within Sefton Council's accredited network received the funding. Until recently, the network was at full capacity and not accepting any more childminders.

When she contacted Sefton Council for clarification, the childminder was told that 'From the Department for Education response it is clear they are moving towards all childminders with a good or outstanding Ofsted inspection being able to take funded children, saying local authorities should fund them. However, the question for Sefton is whether we wait for this to become law.'

Ms Green said, 'My postcode is one of four in Sefton classed as high need. Fifty-eight providers in Sefton have funding to deliver the free entitlement, and just one of these is a childminder.

'Lots of childminders in the area are not interested in delivering the threeand four-year-old places or the two-year-old places as they feel the children would need extra attention depending on their needs.'

She went on to say that the additional conditions being placed on childminders go against what Sefton Council has said previously about two-year-olds being better off in smaller settings.

A childminder in Shropshire has also said that her council will not offer the funding to childminders rated good and outstanding if they are not accredited. She expressed concerns about being pushed into joining an agency by Shropshire Council.

Both Sefton and Shropshire councils were contacted for a comment, but failed to respond.

Nursery World asked a number of other local authorities about the delivery of funding to childminders.

Despite the majority of them stating on their websites that they only provided funding to accredited childminders, most said they were now following the new statutory guidance.

However, West Sussex County Council said it still requires childminders to hold a relevant Level 3 qualification.

The DfE has responded by saying that local authorities must not deviate from the guidance unless they have good reason to.

A DfE spokesperson said, 'Our guidance to local authorities is clear that all good and outstanding providers - including childminders - are automatically eligible for two-, three and four-year-old funding.

'There is no requirement that childminders must be part of a network or be qualified to Level 3 to receive funding. Local authorities must not depart from the guidance unless they have good reason to do so. Waiting until the law is changed is not an acceptable reason to refuse to allow good and outstanding childminders access to funding.'

CHILDMINDER AGENCIES

Last week, the Department for Education (DfE) named the 20 organisations that will pilot childminder agencies over the next 12 months.

However, childminders in some of the areas in which the agencies are being trialled have said they have not been contacted by the organisations and have not received any information from them.

This is despite the DfE stating that the pilots started in the summer and will continue into 2014.

Childminders reported being 'kept in the dark' by Hampshire County Council, with only a handful having received an email inviting them to a meeting about the agency.

Wigan Council was also cited by childminders as not having publicised its agency.

On the other hand, one childminder warned others in the sector that even attending a meeting held by Family Link Stockport about its agency could be deemed as showing an interest in signing up.

After Nursery World went to press, Wigan Council's co-ordinator for childminders and out-of-school clubs Angela Holland, sent the following statement.

'Wigan Local Authority values and respects the contribution childminders in Wigan play in delivering good quality, safe, secure and highly flexible childcare services. At the beginning of the year following the publication of 'More great childcare', the local authority consulted with childminders across the borough identifying their concerns and expectations of what a childminder agency in Wigan would look like. Childminders identified they did not want to be employed and would prefer to remain self-employed however they would consider what an agency could offer them in terms of training, support and reducing any costs to run their services.

'As a result Wigan submitted a joint proposal to the DfE along with Salford and Rochdale Local Authorities to look at different elements of what would be involved in setting up and running a childminder agency. The main focus being to identify a sustainable model that would keep the cost to childminders to a minimum. A news update was sent to all childminders in August 2013 to inform them that Wigan, Salford and Rochdale's joint proposal had been successful and that work was due to start to look at elements of an agency.

'Wigan's focus has been around the recruitment of new childminders accessing pre-registration training and support. Childminders attending a network meeting on the 2nd October 2013 were given an update of what had been undertaken so far and further updates are due to be released to childminders in the borough not involved in the network.'