Childminders, funding and related children
We have been collecting information on the Independent Childminders Facebook group for PLA to take to Dfe on our behalf about the funding and related children.
As promised the Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA) have written to the DfE earlier this week and asked them to re-look at the issues surrounding related children and funding.
PLA have summarised the comments everyone made about why you feel you would be able to offer more funded places if you were allowed to receive funding for your own related children including -
• For most childminders, their ‘related child’ is not their own child
• There was evidence of a reluctance to offer the 30-hours, and even continue childminding, due to the related child issue
• There was a recognition that controls would need to be put in place to stop parents trying to obtain funding for simply looking after their own child – example comments below
• There were a number of childminders who stated they offer their related children a space for free, although it was highlighted that while this might save the government money in the short term, in the long term, it could threaten the sustainability of childminders (as that child would be taking up what would be a funded place for free).
PLA also shared information about the issues many childminders have with the ‘free’ entitlement – ‘the argument being that enabling childminders to offer funded places to related children would not only remove a barrier to doing so for some childminders but would also be a good way for DfE to tangibly demonstrate that it values childminders and is listening and responding to their concerns, as many childminders feel very negatively about the whole scheme at the moment.’
DfE replied to say, ‘Thank you so much for this material, it’s incredibly useful and we’ll definitely use it in our thinking.’
So, they know what we are thinking now and we can only wait and see what the future holds. It might take some time to untangle things because it is part of the Childcare Act, but, as PLA say, ‘with the 30-hours coming up, and government so worried about childminder involvement, this is the perfect time to be pushing for it!’
Thank you to all those members who contributed to my polls and gave me the information needed to help PLA make this submission to DfE on our behalf. At least we know we have done our best!
