CM CLUB PLEASE READ .....sorry its a long one but important.

[tigersmum]

STEEP RISE IN REGISTRATION FEES COULD UNDERMINE CHILDMINDER SUSTAINABILITY, WARNS NCMA
The National Childminding Association (NCMA) has warned that government plans to dramatically increase the fees for childminder registration could significantly undermine the sustainability of childcare places. The Department for Children, Schools and Families' Future Approach to Fees and Subsidies consultation, launched this week, outlines plans to increase the fee for childminders joining the Ofsted registers by over 400 per cent over the next three years.

It includes proposals to raise the fee for registering on the Ofsted Childcare Register (OCR), compulsory for those childminders looking after children aged 5-7 years, from £15 to £103 as of September 2008 and to introduce staged increases in registration fees for the compulsory birth to 5 Early Years Register (EYR) from £20 in 2007 to £100 in 2010.

Andrew Fletcher, Director of Communications at NCMA, said:

"NCMA is very concerned that the new fees represent a significant new financial burden for registered childminders, at a time of considerable policy change. The majority of childminders are single person businesses, run from home, who put the well being of children before business concerns. An increase of 400 per cent for the EYR over three years and 686 per cent for the OCR over one year is disproportionate and likely to have a significant impact on the sustainability of childminder businesses, half of whom earn less than £7,000 per year. In addition, those childminders currently caring for children aged 5-7 that will have very little time to prepare for the higher OCR charges.
"NCMA supports the government's commitment to making childcare available, affordable and of high quality. However, these proposals risk undermining the strategy, by reducing the number of childcare places available, limiting parental choice and reducing quality outcomes for children. "
NCMA encourages registered childminders to respond to the consultation outlining their concerns, via a link on the NCMA website, ww.ncma.org.uk.

I can deal with the EYFS coming in but that would be the final straw I think!! Especially in my town, which is classed as an area of social deprivation where cm's hourly rate is very low, over £100 a year is shocking!

that's just going to increase the number of unofficial/unregistered childminders - stupid w*ers

Presumably to drive parents to nurseries instead as the governments preferred option ?

How are they going to get away with this, are they mad, as has been already said we will just have more unregistered CM's and all the problems that will come with it.

Do the government want all our children to be little regimented little soldiers that all go to Nurseries which have to be run a government regime that leaves nothing for the individual child.

What the hell is this government doing now? There is NO WAY I can afford to pay £103, where I live in Tameside, Greater Manchester it is also classed as an area of social deprivation with 3 or 4 Suretstart centres in regeneration areas.

We find it VERY difficult to fill our places and you are lucky if you can get £3.50 per hour around here.

Helen

That is absolutely outrageous! It will cost more to register as a childminder anually than it does to register as a nurse every 3 yrs! ( approx £50 every 3 yrs for nurses)

They're bringning it into line with the registration fee for nannies.

Equally crap: we have to pay £100 A YEAR on top of our nanny's gross salary and employer's costs. And the paperwork is just aimed at CM - all of the info is totally unsuited to nannies working in their employer's home. It even gives the "setting" as her address, and not ours. We cannot expect her to pay the fee when the only reason she needs to be registered is so that we can use our childcare vouchers.

All of that money so that Ofsted can tell her that she shouldn't be smacking children.
Gosh, that would never have occured to me. What amazing value for money, eh?

And if you challenge Ofsted, the only reply that you ever get is, "we're only doing it to protect children" - as if that line rendered you immune from having any of your policies questioned, ever. Grrr

NCMA encourages registered childminders to respond to the consultation outlining their concerns, via a link on the NCMA website, www.ncma.org.uk.

LINK HERE in case that's easier for you

IIs the goverment going to top up child minders wages so we can help keep ofsted inspectors on top wages.Why expect us to help keep them in work .

Now why don't they bring down the fee for nanny registration in line with CMs? That would make it equal

now seriously considering a career change to work for OFSTED

You would hate working or Ofsted... drove me nuts

Some time ago there was mention of Ofsted aiming to be cost neutral. There is a document somewhere which gives the actual cost of childminder registration and inspection - think the figure was around £250 per year, per childminder. Thus I am not surprised that they are looking at increasing fees.

I discussed this proposed fee increase with other CMs this week. For someone like me, who has no small children of my own to consider (mine are - supposedly - adults), and often working to my full capacity, the new costs are not so much of a problem.

However, apart from CMs who are unable to fill their places, there are several minders I know who have two under 5s of their own, others who choose to childmind very part-time or who offer ad hoc care, or some who only have a schoolchild after-school, and they are really earning very little money.

I can really see a situation where CMs give up their registration but continue working cash-in-hand. (And that's without even mentioning the new EYFS!)

• totally agree with you!!!

Just wanted to say I have just seen this after receiveng my NCMA newsletter today.

If you look at the fee as a percentage of your profits its like an extra tax.

Have you all filled in the consulation document then and put your views forward? I jsut did and encourage everyone else to do the same.

I have!