response from the department of education to my email about agencies....

[VeggieSausage]

Wed, 21 Aug 2013 at 16:22
16:22
Message starred
Department for Education response: Case Reference 2013/0046922
FROM Unmonitored.ACCOUNT@education.gsi.gov.uk TO You
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Unmonitored.ACCOUNT@education.gsi.gov.uk



Dear Ms xx

Thank you for your email of 23 July, addressed to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, about childminder agencies. As I am sure you will appreciate the minister receives a large amount of correspondence and is unable to respond to each one personally. On this occasion I have been asked to reply.

The government recognises the important contribution made by childminders in providing quality childcare. Yet the number of registered childminders has almost halved between 1992 and 2011, from 106,000 to 57,500. We want more childminders to enter the profession and we think that the creation of childminder agencies, in addition to support for independent childminders, will help us achieve this.

In ‘More Affordable Childcare’, we announced that all good and outstanding childminders will automatically be eligible to receive government early education funding from September. At the moment local authorities act as gatekeepers to this funding. This change will mean that over 70% of childminders would be able to receive this funding. Less than 10% of childminders currently offer funded places. It will remain the case, however, that a childminder will have to be Ofsted-registered, either independently or with an agency, before they can access early education funding, to ensure that quality is maintained. 'More Affordable Childcare' is available here;

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload..._Childcare.pdf

The department wants to emphasise that no childminder will be forced to join an agency. Some childminders, especially those entering the profession, may want to join an agency for support in starting up their business, training and development, and accessing parents.
We welcome the input of experienced childminders, and we have completed a number of consultations aimed at parents, nurseries, local authorities, childminders, health professionals, teachers and academics. From March to May 2013 we ran a consultation on ‘proposed changes to the role of the local authority in early education and childcare’ and have recently announced next steps which build on responses to the consultation. We are also currently consulting on ‘The Regulation of Childcare’, until 30 September. Further information is available on the department’s website at here

Thank you once again for writing on this important matter.

Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0046922. If you need to respond to us, please visit: www.education.gov.uk/contactus and quote your reference number.

As part of our commitment to improving the service we provide to our customers, we are interested in hearing your views and would welcome your comments via our website at: www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey

Yours sincerely




Caroline Walsh
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
Home - The Department for Education



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[hectors house]

Well done for e-mailing - I just don't understand why they can't figure out for themselves why the number of childminders has halved and why creating agencies is suddenly going to make people register!

Be interesting to compare the replies other people get - I'm still waiting for my reply from Department for Education.

[AgentTink]

Here is my responce that i have just received to a letter i wrote saying how all i wanted was for them to confirm that i am opposing childminder agencies, and could they confirm that my letter from February was counted as one of the 21 letters of they classed as opposing childminder agencies under the freedom of information request someone recently asked for.

Surprising they didnt answer either question and i got a responce very similar to yours

Thank you for your email and enclosure of 24 July, about 'More Affordable Childcare'.

The government recognises the important contribution made by childminders in providing quality childcare. Yet the number of registered childminders has almost halved between 1992 and 2011, from 106,000 to 57,500. We want more childminders to enter the profession and we think that the creation of childminder agencies, in addition to support for independent childminders, will help us achieve this.
In ‘More Affordable Childcare’, we announced that all good and outstanding childminders will automatically be eligible to receive government early education funding from September. At the moment local authorities act as gatekeepers to this funding. This change will mean that over 70% of childminders would be able to receive this funding. Less than 10% of childminders currently offer funded places. It will remain the case, however, that a childminder will have to be Ofsted-registered, either independently or with an agency, before they can access early education funding, to ensure that quality is maintained.
The department wants to emphasise that no childminder will be forced to join an agency. Some childminders, especially those entering the profession, may want to join an agency for support in starting up their business, training and development, and accessing parents.
We welcome the input of experienced childminders, and we have completed a number of consultations aimed at parents, nurseries, local authorities, childminders, health professionals, teachers and academics. From March to May 2013 we ran a consultation on the proposed changes to the role of the local authority in early education and childcare and have recently announced next steps which build on responses to the consultation. We are also currently consulting on ‘The Regulation of Childcare’, until 30 September. Further information is available on the department’s website here

We are working with Ofsted to make the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) clearer, as outlined in ‘More Affordable Childcare’. Whilst providers should ensure that the individual needs of children are met, the only requirements for written assessments for learning and development are a progress check for parents for children aged two and the EYFS Profile assessment in the summer term of the reception year.

Thank you once again for writing on this important matter.

[Bambini2]

Identical to the reply I just received and have just posted in Independent Childminding Chat.

[loocyloo]

Here is my responce that i have just received to a letter i wrote saying how all i wanted was for them to confirm that i am opposing childminder agencies, and could they confirm that my letter from February was counted as one of the 21 letters of they classed as opposing childminder agencies under the freedom of information request someone recently asked for.

Surprising they didnt answer either question and i got a responce very similar to yours

Thank you for your email and enclosure of 24 July, about 'More Affordable Childcare'.

The government recognises the important contribution made by childminders in providing quality childcare. Yet the number of registered childminders has almost halved between 1992 and 2011, from 106,000 to 57,500. We want more childminders to enter the profession and we think that the creation of childminder agencies, in addition to support for independent childminders, will help us achieve this.
In ‘More Affordable Childcare’, we announced that all good and outstanding childminders will automatically be eligible to receive government early education funding from September. At the moment local authorities act as gatekeepers to this funding. This change will mean that over 70% of childminders would be able to receive this funding. Less than 10% of childminders currently offer funded places. It will remain the case, however, that a childminder will have to be Ofsted-registered, either independently or with an agency, before they can access early education funding, to ensure that quality is maintained.
The department wants to emphasise that no childminder will be forced to join an agency. Some childminders, especially those entering the profession, may want to join an agency for support in starting up their business, training and development, and accessing parents.
We welcome the input of experienced childminders, and we have completed a number of consultations aimed at parents, nurseries, local authorities, childminders, health professionals, teachers and academics. From March to May 2013 we ran a consultation on the proposed changes to the role of the local authority in early education and childcare and have recently announced next steps which build on responses to the consultation. We are also currently consulting on ‘The Regulation of Childcare’, until 30 September. Further information is available on the department’s website here

We are working with Ofsted to make the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) clearer, as outlined in ‘More Affordable Childcare’. Whilst providers should ensure that the individual needs of children are met, the only requirements for written assessments for learning and development are a progress check for parents for children aged two and the EYFS Profile assessment in the summer term of the reception year.

Thank you once again for writing on this important matter.

practically the same as i got and i also asked if i was one of the 21 letters opposing agencies?!

[sarah707]

So they just have the one letter template then... do they think we don't talk to each other?!?

I am still waiting for my reply ....

[VeggieSausage]

I was going to respond that maybe more childminders would offer funding if they paid their hourly rate rather than working at a reduced rate.....here it is £3.90ish and the average hourly rates are £5-£6 per hour.....

[AliceK]

I was going to respond that maybe more childminders would offer funding if they paid their hourly rate rather than working at a reduced rate.....here it is £3.90ish and the average hourly rates are £5-£6 per hour.....

£3.69 for funded hours here. My hourly charge is between £4.00 - £4.20.

xxx

[SYLVIA]

I was going to respond that maybe more childminders would offer funding if they paid their hourly rate rather than working at a reduced rate.....here it is £3.90ish and the average hourly rates are £5-£6 per hour.....

This is what minders round here in orpington feel too. I'm not working for less an hour. A couple of pre-schools here may have too close because funding doesn't cover the overheads