Pre-Reg Childminder Advertising - When Can I Start Advertising?

[Wiggle Wiggle]

Hello All!

I am a newbie to this site and I am currently going through the registration process. I have had my registration visit last Friday and was deemed suitable to be a childminder (Phew!!) subject to checks. Please can anyone inform me when I can start advertising? I understand that if you act as a childminder and not be registered that it is illegal. However, as I have now been through the registration visit and will not act as a childminder until all the checks are in place, I have my insurance, register as a Food Handler and with Data Protection etc. and have in my hand the most precious Certificate of Registration. Can anyone please inform me if I would be acting illegally if I started to advertise. All information gratefully received.

Equally if anyone had any ideas on how the advertising of their childminding business worked best, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Thank you in advance.

P.S. I honestly have to say this is a great website! Very informative. This is my first post so very excited!:clapping:

[LauraS]

If you have your certificate of registration then you are registered, right? Or am I missing something?!

I have had enquiries from three sources - word of mouth (teachers at my kids school telling other parents, relatives telling friends etc), childcare.co.uk (but in my experience, steel yourself to put up with a considerable proportion of timewasters and no-shows) and FIS.

If you are willing to do school runs, get in touch with the local school and find out if they will pass out leaflets for you in the kids bags or on the school noticeboard/newsletter. Also in the window of shops local to the school. :)

[Wiggle Wiggle]

If you have your certificate of registration then you are registered, right? Or am I missing something?!

I have had enquiries from three sources - word of mouth (teachers at my kids school telling other parents, relatives telling friends etc), childcare.co.uk (but in my experience, steel yourself to put up with a considerable proportion of timewasters and no-shows) and FIS.

If you are willing to do school runs, get in touch with the local school and find out if they will pass out leaflets for you in the kids bags or on the school noticeboard/newsletter. Also in the window of shops local to the school. :)

Thank you Laura. This has been most interesting in terms of advertising sources. I will definitely look into these.

No I have not received my registration certificate yet as the checks have not been completed, even though it has now been over two and a half months since putting in my application. One reason for this is that over 8 weeks has been lost as Ofsted did not request a Children's Service Check on one of us correctly and the original request made in May and chasers were sent to the wrong place!! It was only through my own investigative work that I got to the bottom of it and it is still not through. It is a little frustrating at present as I was hoping to be registered well before September so that I could advertise, then stop working and start childminding. Now that it is less than 5 weeks to September I am starting to be concerned that if I do not advertise soon that I will miss out especially on School Age Childcare which I plan to do.

Therefore, I am wondering if I will be illegal if I start to advertise without having my registration certificate in place without all the checks??

Obviously I would not start childminding until I had my registration certificate.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance.:)