Schools, early years and childcare

A childminder is a self-employed person who looks after a small group of children in their own home. They must be inspected and registered by Ofsted (www.ofsted.gov.uk) for a specified number of children aged 0 to eight years. Childminders are not required to be registered to care for children over the age of eight, but can become part of the Ofsted Voluntary Register (OCR). The voluntary part of the Childcare Register offers the choice of registration to providers who are not eligible for compulsory registration. These are mainly people looking after children aged eight and over, or providing care in the child’s home. The OCR enables eligible parents to claim help with their childcare costs through the childcare element of working tax credits.

The Childminders helpsheet (pdf 39KB) provides more information on this type of childcare. To use this file you will need adobe acrobat reader. If you do not have this on your computer, please use our advice page to download it.

If you would like further information on childminders and a list of those with current vacancies in the Medway area please call Medway Family Information Service on 01634 335566, email familyinfo@medway.gov.uk or visit www.childcarelink.gov.uk/medway.

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