Childminders: training qualifications and

professionalism in England

Workshop presentation for

Quality Employment in Care Work with Young Children

European conference,

Brussels April 21st- 22nd 2008

Sue Owen

Director, Early Childhood Unit, National Children’s Bureau, England

What are the elements of professionalism for childminding?

To quote Moss (2003): Improved employment

conditions Rising levels of educational

qualifications Job related training The prospect of career

progression Distinctive pedagogical

approaches

Some factors which research studies have shown to be important in predicting higher quality provision:

“Intentionality”, the positive choice to be a provider Training to do that specific job Support networks and contacts Adequate regulatory standards Small to moderate sized groups of children Good communication between provider and parent An orderly physical environment appropriate to

children’s activities A wide range of activities and toys A safe and healthy environment A sensitive and responsive relationship between

provider and child.

Also: a good general level of education

Clarke-Stewart, 1987; Pence and Goelman, 1991; Hennessey and others 1992; Galinsky and others, 1994; Kontos and others, 1995

Mandy Riley: registered childminder in Middlesbrough in the north east of England

A childminder for 2 years, she began when her own child needed childcare

Had always loved children and enjoyed having them around “my house was always filled with children anyway”

Had a background in care work as a health care assistant and training for playgroup work

6 weeks introductory training pre-registration (required)

Paediatric first aid (required) Criminal Records Bureau checks

(required)

After registration:

Diploma in Home Based Childcare (nationally accreditation qualification at level 3)

Short training courses including: Parents Early Years and

Learning (PEAL)has registered for accreditation

Common Assessment Framework (CSF)

Supporting Inclusion Early Years Foundation Stage

training (Communication, Language and Literacy and Social and Emotional Development)

And….. Mandy has a waiting list, all

through word of mouth contacts

She is part of her local authority’s network on listening to the voices of young children and speaks about this at conferences but has not joined a quality assured network

She has made a video on her children’s development of their fire drill

The ChildmindersBrian Jackson, New Society 1973

“I suspect, the biggest group of all are what we might call maternal minders. They half see minding as a career. They are not grasping for money…they are not cruel….They see the “good” child as the quiet, undemanding, physically static child. The talking, playing, exploratory creature is the “naughty” child.”

How far does her training pattern meet the requirements we considered yesterday?

on-going, not one-off leading to recognised

qualifications accessible in terms of finance and

timings arising from their own debates

and situations linked to improved pay and

conditions (career progression and status)

Diploma in Home based Childcare training figures for 2007

New courses

enrolments completed passed

Unit 1 347 4461 4144 3728

Unit 2 43 602 408 372

Unit 3 45 584 362 358

Unit 4 33 510 352 356

Unit 5 28 422 273 273

Other current statistics

• There has been an increase in childminders undertaking training from 61% in 2003 to 88% in 2005. Most childminders contribute to their own training costs

• The proportion of childminders reported as holding “any relevant qualification” has risen from 34% in 2001 to 64% in 2003 and 65% in 2005.[

• There is a substantial increase in the proportion of childminders holding at least a Level 3 relevant qualification (from 16 per cent in 2003 to 26 per cent in 2005 and 26.2 per cent in 2007).[

• 65,000 people have registered to undertake the Introduction to Childminding Practice (level 1) qualification since Sept 2000; 8500 to under the Developing Childminding Practice (one of the units of a level 3) qualification and 5000 the Certificate in Childminding Practice (level 3) qualification

Quality assurance:

• There are around 400 quality assured childminding networks in England and Wales of which 383 are NCMA Children Come First quality assured networks

• This means there are over 10,000 NCMA quality assured network childminders

• Additionally, 3347 childminders are undertaking Quality First, NCMA’s individual quality assurance scheme

Relationship between training and professionalism

“The majority of childminders do see themselves as professional childcare workers. Yet less than a quarter considered it very important for childminders to have a childcare qualification and only a third thought it was very important for childminders to attend training courses…The majority of case study childminders felt that a childcare qualification was less important to them in their work than the experience of being a parent…Those with a childcare qualification were much more likely to say that it is training rather than the experience of parenting which is more valuable” Mooney A, Knight A, Moss P and Owen C (2001) Who Cares?: childminding in the 1990s, London , Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Family Policy Studies Centre

Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) A graduate in every childcare setting the Children’s Workforce Development Council

(CWDC) published the updated Early Years Professional National Standards on 18 July 2006.

Those awarded EYP status must demonstrate through their practice that they meet standards regarding:

• knowledge and understanding; • effective practice; • relationships with children; • communicating and working in

partnership with families and carers; • teamwork and collaboration; • professional development.

There are 39 standards in all. Guidance to the standards is being drafted.

Contacts and more information:

Sue Owen (NCB)sowen@ncb.org.ukNCMAwww.ncma.org.uk