Setting Up a Childminding Service

What is a Childminder?

A Childminder cares for a small group of children of mixed ages in the childminder’s own home.

Children are offered affection and positive relationships within a safe and healthy environment where their developmental and recreational needs are met. Childminders offer a flexible service, tailored to each child, thereby helping parents and guardians to balance their work and family commitments. A Childminder negotiates and agrees her/his terms with parents. The child’s welfare must be the prime consideration of the Childminder. Childminders have sole responsibility for the health, safety and wellbeing of each child entrusted to their care.

Benefits of Becoming a Childminder

If you enjoy working with children, why not consider becoming a Childminder?

Childminding can offer you an opportunity to:

Earn a living by caring for other people’s children in your own home
Become self-employed
Offer the National Childcare Scheme (NCS)
Stay at home and care for your own children as well as caring for others
Avail of the Childcare Services Relief with Revenue
Avail of information, networking and training supports from your local County Childcare Committee (CCC)
Access the Childminding Development Grant and other funding opportunities
Meet other Childminders in your area and get to know your local community

Steps to become a professional childminder

Contact the Development Officer in your local County Childcare Committee.
Participate in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) such as First Aid, Children First E-Learning programme and CPD resources available on First 5
Arrange a support visit (where applicable) to access advice on the physical layout and set up of the service.
Organise 2 written references and take copies to share with potential parents.
Organise insurance cover.
Develop your own Childminding Policies & Procedures by consulting the samples available in the ‘Childminding Sample Policies & Procedures’.
Develop your own Childminding Record Keeping system by consulting the samples available in the ‘Childminding Sample Record Keeping Forms’.
If required to do so, register your childminding service with Tusla.
Register your new childminding business with Revenue.
Decide on your fee policy and preferred hours of work etc.
Request that your contact details be included in your local CCC Directory of ELC/SAC Services.
Participate in organised childcare networks to meet other Childminders.
Design a flyer and place in your local supermarket, library, parent & toddler group preschool / school etc.
Place advertisement on social media platforms or in the local newspapers.

Support & Resources for childminders

Contact us to receive this Childminding pack & more

Westmeath County Childcare Committee supports Childminders to

avail of relevant up to date childminding information
develop appropriate Policies and Procedures
access funding supports such as The Childminding Development Grant and Learner Fund Bursary for Childminders
participate in local network opportunities with other Childminders
avail of local training opportunities
register with Tusla (if applicable)
connect with parents who are seeking childminding care
have their names included on a public list of Childminders which is made available to parents

Contact us at Westmeath CCC on 044 9335454 or info@westmeathchildcare.ie
Also check out our Childminders Support Pack for more helpful documents.

You can find other CCC details at the following link: https://myccc.ie/

First 5

The First 5 website provides childminders with specific childminding resources, it also has other Practice Support sections.

Covid-19 Guidance childminding section included here
Pre-School at Home
Practitioners

It’s important all childminders routinely view the website as it is updated regularly with government advice and resources. There will be new resources e.g. Tip sheets, posters. Ensure you are aware of the most recent updates to the Childminding section.

Child Protection and Welfare

It is important to note that all Tusla registered Childminders must have Garda Vetting, but best practice is that all Childminders and your emergency backup contact should be Garda Vetted.
This service is free unless you have lived in other countries for more than 6 months.

Barnardos
To apply for Garda Vetting, contact Barnardos’Vetting Service directly: Phone: 021 4547060 Email: vetting@barnardos.ie

New Child Safeguarding website: Cosiane Leanai

Childminding Ireland provides a childminding specific insurance package

The National Action Plan for Childminding (2021-2028)

The Action Plan is a pathway to be developed over the next 8 years that sets out steps towards regulation, support and subsidies, for all paid, non-relative childminders. The Action Plan will involve change and significant benefits for childminders, children and the families using their services.

The Action Plan follows through on the following commitments:

The Programme for Government – to examine options to accelerate access to subsidies for non-relative childminders.
First 5 – to promote and support the registration of paid, non-relative childminders currently eligible to register with Tusla and to extend regulation to all other paid, non-relative childminders on a phased basis over the lifetime of the Strategy.

It will, within the first 2-3 years, enable childminders to have access to subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme, making their services more affordable to parents.

The National Action Plan for Childminding, aims to support children and their families to experience the benefits of quality childminding in a relationship-based, home-from-home, family-life environment.

The National Action Plan for Childminding was launched on Thursday 15^th April. Further information is available on the NEW Childminding website: www.gov.ie/childminding

And the You tube video summary of National Action Plan for Childminding is now live