What does it mean when a childminders ofsted account is closed?

[Olive1988]

Hello - please could someone tell me what it means when someone's ofsted account is closed but they are still operating as a childminder? Could this just be an admin error or will there be a reason behind it? I am due back to work soon and the childminder we are due to be using account has closed on ofsted with the message "cannot provide name or address". I have the ofsted number and remember the reports from when I first looked so it is definitely her account. I don't know what to do as don't want to raise it or start on the wrong foot if it's nothing to worry about but obviously don't want to send my baby somewhere that there might be... Can anyone help?

They may have reregistered under a buisness name? So instead of calling herself Sue Brown she is now "Sues Childminding"

Is there anything registered at her address?

Where are you reading that message? My name and address aren’t available on the ofsted website because I haven’t given my permission but I’m still registered.

It's a while since I used a childminder but if I remember rightly, the only way to look them.up is using their Ofsted number. This is because they are individuals working at home rather than e.g. a nursery with separate premises. It doesn't mean anything dodgy, it's just to protect their own personal data.

But you should be able to look up the Ofsted report using her Ofsted number.

Not sure if I explained very well... If you type ofsted and the number into Google this is what comes up, but if you search the number on the ofsted site nothing comes up and if you search our town the lady definitely is not registered. She said she needs to change her name with ofsted could this be something to do with it?

No I’ve changed my name and you keep the same registration number.

Sounds like she’s de-registered herself. You can’t use her.

Why would she have deregistered herself? Is this definitely what it means? X

Does this mean she is working illegally? & it would be illegal for us to use her too? X

Well it’s either that or she’s been closed by OFSTED for some reason. I would give her the benefit of the doubt. You won’t know why until you ask her, I can’t possible know her reasons.

You can only search for me by my Ofsted number and I don't have my address listed on the site. I'm very much legally registered!

Ask if she has a new reg number op

Send her that screen shot and ask her what it means.

I'm with GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

I would ring Ofsted on Monday - give them her name and reg no. and tell them you are about to use them but don't seem able to access their latest report. See what they have to say.

I think as do as Georgie suggests, then call Ofsted for their explanation and see if it all adds up.

I wouldn’t entirely rule out an admin error. Ofsted changed their computer system some months ago and it didn’t altogether go well: government systems are provided by the lowest bidder. I have personal experience of them losing some essential information in the process. I had to undergo what they described as a 'compliance interview' because THEY had made a mistake. Of course they never admitted it was a mistake; they merely called it a 'data transfer issue'.

I wonder if they have registered as a different type of provider, such as childcare on domestic premises. I'm not sure if that would result in the Childminder registration being closed and a Childcare on Domestic Premises one being opened - anyone know?

Another possibility is that they have decided to only care for children over 8 years old and thus no longer are required to be registered.

I think you are best showing the childminder what the Ofsted website is showing and ask them about it - maybe it is an error, or maybe they have a new registration URN for some reason.

@Olive1988 Have you found out the answer yet, from the childminder or from the regulator?

The address being withheld is common for childminders who don't want strangers to knock on their front door. You should be able to find her using her registered number though (regardless of what her name is). She should have a registration certificate she can show you and you should be able to use the number on this to look her up. Call ofsted. It could be an ofsted mistake, or she could be unregistered.

It could be something as simple as them being cancelled for not paying their annual registration fee, if they've moved home address recently then they might not have received their invoice. This is still technically unregistered care though. They may have resigned and re-registered so they would have a new URN. Like nannynick said, if they had re-registered as childcare on domestic premises (where more than 3 adults work together to provide care in a house) then they can resign their childminder registration.

I would definitely bring it up with them because there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation or they might not even know about it and they might need to speak to Ofsted 😊