How to become a childminder

To become a childminder you can either apply to register with Ofsted or join a childminder agency.

Register with Ofsted

To register with Ofsted to look after children in your home.

You will need:

• a UK criminal record certificate
• criminal record certificates for anyone aged 16 or over in the home
• first aid training for the age group you will look after
• childcare training - speak to your local council
• health declaration booklet
• contact details for 2 references

If you or any of the adults who live in your home have lived abroad in the last 5 years, you’ll need a certificate of good conduct from the relevant embassy.

How much it costs

It usually costs £35 to register with Ofsted.

Find out about other costs.

How long it takes

It should take you about 30 minutes to fill in the form.

It usually takes up to 12 weeks to process your application.

You can apply to register with Ofsted by calling 0300 123 1231.

Further support is available on the GOV.UK website

Register as a childminder with Ofsted

Join a childminder agency

@Home Childcare

@Home Childcare is a Nottinghamshire based Ofsted accredited community of professional childminders. We provide an everything-under-one-roof service for childminders including fully funded pre-registration training. Our service is a quality improvement model. This means we provide continual support to help you to be a Good or Outstanding childminder, which in turn, helps children to receive the best start in life. Our inspections are graded the same as Ofsted and we provide on-going training to ensure our entire inspection process is transparent.

As a community interest company, our focus is on removing barriers to enable more people to register as childminders. That’s why we fund your business start-up to help you launch your business and to reach more parents looking for childcare. Our start to finish registration process generally takes around 2 - 3 months, depending on your suitability checks.  

You can contact @Home Childcare by calling 0115 978 3399, or visit the @Home Childcare website for more information. 

The agency recently received a very positive Ofsted inspection, the full report can be viewed here: @Home Childcare Inspection Report

Some remarks from the Ofsted inspectors include:

“Childminders are fully prepared for the responsibility of running a business and providing care and education for children in their own home. The agency has high aspirations for the childminders it registers.”

“Childminders praise the agency for the regular support that it offers and the reassurance this affords them in knowing they are ‘doing it right’.”

Rutland Early Years

Rutland Early Years, is a regulatory body, registered and recognised by Ofsted. We follow the same inspection framework and use the same grade descriptors as Ofsted, so you can be certain that the quality assurance standards are the same.  For applications to the agency, we work with local authorities, Ofsted and our DBS partner to process your checks as efficiently as possible, aiming to get you registered as quickly as we can.

As of  2014, childminders are able to choose to register with a child minding agency, or Ofsted.  Which ever route you choose, Rutland Early Years are here to support you. For Ofsted registrations, should you want support in setting up your Ofsted registered childminding business, or someone just to give you a health check prior to your inspection, or support with any element of your business, Rutland Early Years can support you with that.

You can contact Rutland Early Years by calling 07908 882120, or visit the Rutland Early Years website for more information.