How do you even find a childminder???

[Applemuncher]

Hi - I'm 21 weeks pregnant with my first child and am looking for a chilminder for 2 days a week when the baby's born.

Due to financial constraints, I'm likely to be going back to work when the baby is around 3 months - I know it's going to be really hard so I'm trying to 'control' the situation by planning.

I began looking for a childminder and I really liked the information available on childcare.co.uk but there aren't many on there - I know I can get a list of registered childminders but the list doesn't tell me much.

Anyone got any tips on where I can find a good one?

good question, I have looked online for when DS starts school but there aren't many - there must be some that aren't online

Ofsted will have a list of registered cms in your area... also health visitors, midwives, local sure start and childrens centre... local toddler groups and some schools have a list..

good luck..

Try childcarefinder.direct.gov.uk/childcarefinder/

or ask for a list at your local family & childrens centre
or phone FIS (was CIS)

The best (and FREE) way is to contact your local council's Families Information Service.

If you can't easily locate that on your council website (or County council website) then have a look on the Find FIS section of FamiliyInformationServices.org.uk

FIS gets notified by the regulator every 2 weeks about new childcare providers, thus their list is the most comprehensive.

Thanks - Sadly the FIS just gives a link to my local councils website which is really poor and doesn't give any childminder details.

Can you call the FIS? When I called mine they emailed me a list of all the registered childminders in my area with email addresses and/or phone numbers.

You need to call or email FIS. Not all childminders like their details being available online.
For online listing use the direct.gov site - but the data is not complete and can be inaccurate.

What are you actually trying to find out? You say you can get a list, so isn't that what you are wanting?
To get anymore than just a list, you will need to contact individual providers.

I would ring the ones closest to you and make an appointment to go and visit them, I wouldn't sign up with one yet though, I would wait until baby is about 6wks old then visit your top 2 choices and make a decision then.

Check their Ofsted reports online but the most important thing imo is how you feel when you go round. hth

The Family Information Service is the place to go to find everything out. They are fantastic.
Also if you ring your council they will provide you with the information you need.

Where are you based? (not address, just area)

Try your netmums local childcare board as well.

Ofsted don't have any sort of workable list because they publish inspection reports for childminders only by registration numbers and not names or addresses. Directly contacting your local FIS and then going to each childminder that looks good/has vacancies and speaking to them about what you're looking for is the way to go.

hi applemuncher you could try going to your local childminder drop in,see if you get on really well with any of them and see if they have spaces for when you neecd care i know i go to cm drop ins and lots of cms have spaces.it would be a way of getting to know what is available in your area.lots of parents come to these groups!!!!good luck which area are you in ?

Or you could ask about on here?

My details are not on the council site (as they kept putting up personal details) and I don't use childcare.co.uk as its very very expensive!

childcare.co.uk is free to list your details, I get lots of enquiries every week, but now rarely have any have any places available.

Whereabouts are you, cm's on her may be able to help

Just going off at a bit of tangent here - but I wonder if there's anything that might mean you could stay home a little longer if you wanted to?

For example - are you on a mortgage? Do you know if your lender does mortgage holidays?

I found out by accident that ours would give us 6 months off paying the mortgage for certain reasons - maternity being one of them. It made all the difference for us. (They add money on to the loan for doing this).

Have you explored all the benefits you're entitled to as a parent? Working tax credits / child tax credits were also great for us - I don't know how much the tories have cut yet, but it's certainly worth checking. We were entitled to more than we expected - we didn't even know it existed and so didn't claim for the first 3 months - doh!

The NCMA (National Childminding Association) will be able to give you the contact details for their local representative who will know all the local childminders.

In Cambridgeshire we have opportunitylinks.org which has all the details of all types of childcare, there may be something similar in your area.

good luck