Mind that child

As the roads become more choked with traffic and nannies find that travel to work can add tediously to an already long working day, it's no wonder that I'm getting phone calls asking for information about how to register as a childminder. It is the nanny's way of 'working from home'.

Ofsted has taken over from local councils the responsibility for screening and regulating people who wish to be registered to care for children in their own homes. In fact, it is illegal to care for children in one's own home for money and not be registered with Ofsted. If you decide to work from home your premises will have to be suitable, safe and secure and you will need to provide appropriate furniture, toys and equipment for young children. If this means you would have to add safety equipment such as fencing or stairgates, or buy toys, you may be able to get a Quality Start grant.

Initially, prospective childminders should phone the Ofsted information line and get the phone number of your local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership. You will be invited to a pre-registration meeting, where you will be given the relevant forms to fill in and told exactly what will be involved in registration and how long it is likely to take - currently about three months from applying to be a childminder to becoming registered, according to Ofsted.

Your home will be visited and inspected before registration, and you will be advised of any changes you have to make. You and anyone else in the home over the age of 16 will have to undergo a police records check, and you will need written confirmation from your GP that you have no health problems that would make you unsuitable to care for children. You will also be responsible for collecting payments from the parents of the children you care for, keeping certain records and paying your own income tax and National Insurance.

Some aspects of childminding may seem familiar to nannies. Childminders, too, from time to time encounter parents who are late getting back from work, or who fail to pay on time. The well-established childminder will take prompt action, invoking the contract she has signed with the parent and charging for extra time - something nannies are often hesitant to do. As in any working relationship, the more open communication, the better; but the relationship is different because, where an employer can set the day's agenda for a nanny, a childminder organises her own routine, often for children from more than one family.

Carolyn Lynn, in Stilton near Peterborough, is someone who became a childminder gradually. She gained her NNEB from Norland college in 1989. After her probationary year she took a sole charge job looking after two boys aged three and six. Meanwhile she got married and continued to care for the boys after the birth of her own daughter, Chloe. Her employers thought that having a baby at work was a benefit to their sons. When Chloe was a year old the family no longer needed a nanny, but Carolyn had no trouble finding another job where her daughter could come to work with her. Even when her son Max was born, three years later, she was able to get a job where she could bring both children to work. When her daughter was ready to start school Carolyn registered as a childminder. She now works from home caring for a toddler for two days a week, a three year old on two other days, and a little girl before and after school. She keeps one day a week free to organise herself and do things as a family during school holidays.

She says, 'I loved taking my children to work and they certainly got on very well with the children I cared for. But I know that children find their first year at school very tiring and I wanted Chloe to be able to come back to her own house where she could invite her new school friends round to play or just relax in her own space.

'My house is now very child-friendly. I have a large garden and lots of toys for both boys and girls. I still organise my days much as I did when I worked as a nanny. The children do art and craft activities, hear stories, and play in the fresh air, and I take them to toddler group activities.

'As a childminder I have to do a lot of paperwork. I record the arrival and departure times of each child. I make a note of any accident or bump or child complaining of feeling ill and inform the parents the day it happens. I also have to keep accounts of all the payments I receive and the money I spend on food, materials, outings or any other expenses. I am deemed to be self-employed, so I have to submit my accounts to the tax office every year and pay my own income tax and National Insurance. When I worked as a nanny I would simply have a chat to the parents about anything that had happened during the day, and they sorted out all my deductions before my salary went into the bank.

'When I first registered I joined the National Childminding Association, who gave me a lot of useful information and all the books necessary for the record keeping. They also provide a handbook for guidance and run an advice and information line.

'I suppose the only drawbacks to childminding are the paperwork and, in common with anybody else who is based at home, the feeling that you never quite get away from the workplace. But I still really love what I do. I have never had to advertise for children. As soon as it was known that I had registered, people were calling to see if I had vacancies.'

One of Carolyn's satisfied customers says, 'I decided to take my son to a childminder rather than have a nanny in our home, because I wanted him to have other children for company rather than having to be taken out to socialise. I picked Carolyn because she is qualified and experienced and I knew she would give him high-quality care. He is a bright, lively little boy and benefits immensely both from being with Carolyn's children and all the physical and mentally stimulating activities he enjoys every day.'

Janette Tusnia qualified as a nanny in 1976. She has worked as a nanny and a nursery nurse, married and had her own daughter, who is now 21. She now works from her own home in Cambridge as a registered childminder. She says, 'I could go back to nursery nursing or to being a family nanny, but I enjoy the independence of working for myself. I am registered to care for up to three children up to five years old and up to three over five years old. I love the variety of working for different families and the flexibility to choose my employers.

'Some of the children are here full-time and some on a part-time basis. I make sure that each day we have a balance of activities. We do painting, playdough and craftwork alongside music, action songs and stories. Unless it is pouring with rain we go out for a walk every day, and in fine weather we go to the park or have picnics. We also go to mother-toddler groups. For the over-threes I provide pre-school preparation activities, such as matching and counting that children would probably do at a nursery. I also encourage the children to develop their self-help skills such as putting on coats and helping to tidy away toys.

'The parents know that I provide quality care for their children. They are happy to pay me more than the average childminder's rate. I never have to advertise. As children leave to go to school, their places are filled quickly, purely through recommendation.'

Veronica Hayes gained her NNEB in 1965. She recalls, 'I worked as a nanny in London when I left college, but when my son was born we moved to a village, so I registered as a childminder. I suppose I ran my home like a mini-nursery. There were lots of toys and activities for the children, we spent time in the garden every day and there was water and sand play. I didn't have a car, so any outings were based in the village. I was very involved with the playgroup and school and local activities for children. I was always at home for my own children, and as they grew older they would play with the young ones. In fact, my daughter eventually qualified as a nanny. The house always seemed to be full of children, noise and toys.

'When my youngest son went to secondary school I took a break and we re-decorated the house. My husband got a job where he could do his paperwork at home, and suddenly I realised I wanted to separate work and family life - to go out to a job and come back at the end of the day to a tidy, peaceful house. I went back to working as a nanny until I retired last year.

'For the whole of my working life I have cared for children and loved it. I can't honestly say whether I preferred being a nanny or a childminder - the way I chose to work fitted in with my needs at the time.'

Helen Kewley is the proprietor of Nice Nannies Now in Huntingdon

CONTACTS

* The Ofsted website is at www.dfes.gov.uk/daycare

* The Ofsted help and information line is 0845 601 4771

* National Childminding Association (NCMA) helpline (open 10-12am and 2-4pm weekdays) is 0800 169 4486