Childminder Address Details Online? Will it make finding a childminder easier?

[nannynick]

Today Ofsted has released a Consent Form for Childminders to complete (Ofsted says it is being sent to all Registered Childminders in England) with regard to the publishing of contact information on the Ofsted website.

The form contains the statement:
"I give my consent for Ofsted to include my name, full postal address and telephone number on its website"

Ofsted says: "As we already publish contact details for other types of childcare providers, we are making it easier for prospective parents to make contact with providers across the whole childcare sector."

It appears to me to be an Opt In scheme, so if childminders do not complete the consent form, then they won't have their contact information available on the Ofsted website - it will remain how it is currently - an inspection report linked to a registration identifier (URN).

At this stage there are no plans to make only some parts of the contact information available... it's either Name, Address and Phone, or Nothing.

This DOES NOT affect Home Childcarers. It is only Registered Childminders, so only those who are on both parts of the Childcare Register. For those with a Childcare on Domestic Premises registration, they are also being included in being sent a consent form.

The current start date for publication of the contact information is September 2012, for which forms must be returned by 31 March 2012. Forms can be returned after that date and forms can be re-completed at any time should your contact details change.

If you decide you no longer want your contact information to be available via the Ofsted website, you need to contact Ofsted (National Business Unit) and they will remove the data within a few days of notification.

Further information for childminders about this is on the Ofsted website: Childminder Consent Form. The above is a summary I have written to save you the hassle of reading the 3 documents.

Will this make it easier for parents to find childminders?

What are the positives of this?
What are the negatives of this?

Personally it would make me feel vulnerable. But I wouldn't let anyone thru my front door without an appointnent anyway but this would make me very warey.

On the fence here
On one hand i have nothing to hide

The other hand its very handy for anybody to find out where i live and where i work alone all day

I am going for it.

I am very quiet at the moment, and am right on the Essex/Suffolk border, and am registered with Essex, but get more business from Suffolk as I am nearer to villages/towns in these areas, but get concerned that if people call the Suffolk FIS, I am not on their list. And if someone really wanted to stalk a childminder, they could contact the FIS for a list of names and addresses anyway. I have weighed it up, and will see if I get any business this way. What is the chance that someone who isn't looking for childcare will go on the website just to get an address. Nearly everyone around me knows who I am and what I do, so isn't exactly a secret. If I do get any problems though I understand you can be immediately removed if you wish.

I'll let you know if I pick up a stalker .

Just wanted to say that as a parent, I found it difficult that when I was looking at the FIS, they only published the first part of the postcode. I don't drive so was looking for someone near to me, and it seems a hassle to call every childminder in your postcode (and there are a lot!) to find out where they are.

I won't be giving my consent for many many reasons!!

In the above situation I would suggest to parents to give a general email stating your preferred area and send it to all cm's in your postcode, I get lots of these.

I wont be sending it back.
I have decided to stop childminding in a few years, so will not taking any more children on.
Im also aware there are websites that people can look at and get you address etc
I really dont need or want to be on yet another..

So what will stop people from going onto the Ofsted website and taking all of your details (including the EY number) and filling in their tax credits with that information and fake invoices?

true Paula

If once tax credits gets an application, if they then write to the childcare provider, then that might help identify fake applications. Details of other childcare providers (such as nurseries) are already online, so that particular problem I would expect already exists.
I guess that Ofsted are not thinking about that as it isn't their problem. Ofsted I feel are just trying to make it easier for parents to find childcare providers.

Anyone had one the letters arrive yet? I wonder when they are being sent out.

i haven't had mine yet

Can understand could b good for business advertising as Rosie says but of course extreme caution needed when someone wants to look around setting tho expect we all do that anyway.

I don't see the need. It's not exactly difficult to find childminders in a particular area - you don't need to know the exact address details, just who is in your town. I won't be giving consent. I arrange first visits for times when DH is about, I don't have my address on any of my advertising material.

Other childcare providers may have their addresses online, but they are not someone's home.