Latest report on cost of childcare: is a childminding agency coming?

It isn't that stupid when you consider the history of baby farms and childcare in the 19th century.

Anyone can be a parent, yes, but people generally have children because they want to raise them and do it well, and there are monitoring systems in place (like HVs) and measures to protect children (like SS). Nannies have a huge variety of motivations for becoming nannies and don't always treat children appropriately. However there is no barring system, no body to complain to - in short no equivalent of SS to intervene when necessary. 99% of the time it isn't going to be needed. That still leaves 1%. The status quo relies on parents doing their due diligence but in 5+ years there have been some utterly crazy posts on here from people who genuinely thought what they were proposing was sensible in terms of childcare arrangements.

It would not be unreasonable to relax the strictures on CMs but bring all forms of childcare in line with each other as far as safeguarding goes. If your nanny already has a CRB, a first aid cert and some form of training which covers safeguarding etc then there would be no additional red tape beyond a form she would have to fill in as things currently stand. There is a powerful argument for (re)defining what an au pair is and exempting them from such a scheme, which would probably have to be self-funding. I have no idea where the best part of the £100+ you hand over to OFSTED every year goes for the vOCR.

You can have a homely environment within a regulatory framework. Nannies registered with OFSTED are no different from ones who are really. The difference between a CM and childcare in your home is nothing to do with the level of regulation. You control your home, you can't control a CMs that your child goes to for example.

Now I do think there's too much daily box ticking and paper trailing for CMs around the EYFS but that can be relaxed without losing sight of safeguarding.

It scares me that anyone can be a nanny and OFSTED for them is a joke, but people think it means something. Thankfully rarely an issue, but potentially devastating.

Asmy, why is that? Genuine question

"I do not think you can compare the care provided by holiday clubs with that of c/ms"

I couldn't agree with you more. I think that there is a danger that we move towards a 'two tier' arrangement with those that can afford it paying for kindergartens and/or childminders and those that are supported by benefits only able to afford inadequately resourced, low staff/child ratio, poorly regulated kid's clubs.

I agree italiana, the level of care, ratios, etc are completely different. Unfortunately sometimes parents have to base decisions on cost not quality.

"So, in actual fact, there are very little savings for parents in all this?"

Not unless they switch from childminders to after school/holiday clubs, or childminders have to drop their rates to match them as HSMM as already done.

I am not aware of any proposals for further changes to childcare vouchers.

I have reduced the price of my holiday care, as holiday clubs round here are very cheap and many include food.

So, in actual fact, there are very little savings for parents in all this?

Many childminders don't do after school at all - the after school clubs and children's centres having taken their business - and they're not doing anything regarding the expensive nurseries.

Yes Italiana you are right, they are stressing about the cost of CM inspections. They inspect us for 6 children and then the nursery up the road for 200 children. Cost per child is massively different.

Tanith I think that the problem is not the comparison with nurseries, it is the comparison with after school clubs. The perceived gap is in supply of affordable childcare for those aged 5-7 - mainly because under Universal Credit parents whose youngest child is of school age will be "encouraged" to work for 20 hours a week.

The way the numbers work is that on minimum wage the clawback of UC will only leave them with £2.17ph in their pocket. With the childcare subsidy at 70% this means that they can only afford to pay £7.23 for childcare (for all their children) otherwise they will be worse off working. So 2 children at a childminder @ £4.50ph is a non-starter - but 2 children at an after-school or holiday club at £2.50ph each would only leave them 67p better off: you see the problem?

Thanks Grim, Stomp and Mr A for the links. Interesting reading.

its worth taking the time to read the lady's blog Italiana not just the one post. Sorry must dash.

What I am struggling to understand - perhaps someone more knowledgeable/intelligent can help me here - what I really do not get is:

They say childcare costs are too high. Parents are paying more in childcare than they do on their mortgages. We are the most expensive country for childcare because all the others are more heavily subsidised .

So, instead of tackling nursery costs (the childcare option that is often very expensive and paying out minimum wage to their staff, and has benefitted from millions of pounds of Government money not available to childminders), they are going after childminders. Why???

I really don't get it! How will making us take on more children for less money make any difference at all to the nurseries? It's not going to reduce childcare costs. If anything, it's going to put childminders out of business.

I don't understand

There's a bit of confusion here.

This is the article from last Thursday's Telegraph referring to this report from the Centre for Social Justice.

GrimAndHumourless's link was to the article in the Telegraph today (Tuesday) which doesn't really say very much (sorry Grim, not your fault!)

I think that a number of people that have been 'involved' in consultation on this have a lot to learn about how government works.

However it is interesting to note that the CfSJ report does NOT recommend either a central agency for childminders (that would be pretty unlikely from a Conservative coalition with a localism agenda anyway) OR local childminding umbrella agencies (the discredited Dutch/Liz Truss model). In fact whereas Liz Truss's report recommended the creation of childcare oligopolies through the withdrawal of Tax Credits/childcare vouchers from childminders falling outside the umbrella organisations, the new report recommends the extension of these state subsidies to users of informal childcare!

thank you Stomp