Funding

2004-06 Funding

More information on these grants can be found in the 2004-2006 Sure Start Guidance which can be found under the publications section of this website. Local authorities should contact their regional teams if they have any queries.

Support Childminder Scheme

The Support Childminder scheme was introduced in 2004 and aims to provide support for prospective and new childminders from the point of initial interest through the registration process and training to the early years of childminding. A total of £20 million has been made available for local authorities for 2004-2006 and each local authority has been allocated £25,000 to support coordination. The balance has been allocated based on the 0-14 population projections for each local authority at 2004. Each scheme should include the following elements:

• A set of 'Support Childminders', each supporting a group of new/prospective childminders (depending on the priorities in each area) until they become operational
• At least one Support Childminder Coordinator
• Contact with potential childminders through informal grapevines, contacts outside schools etc
• Coordination of Support Childminders and management of any payments made to them or any recognition scheme.

Childminder Start Up Grant

An amalgamated strand has been set up to allow greater flexibility with the creation of new childcare places. The funds will cover the costs associated with Out of School childcare, Childminder Start Up and childcare provision in Further and Higher Education institutions. £78,802 million of revenue funding is available to support the creation of some 171,000 new places (approx. 68,200 in disadvantaged areas) between 2004-2006. The funding is paid directly to local authorities and allocated according to their discretion.

Local Authorities will be able to determine the best of way of using childminder grants during the registration process - some items of expenditure might be better addressed prior to registration.

Childminder Start Up Grants can cover:

• toys and equipment
• NCMA or equivalent membership
• insurance
• minor premises adaptation (guards, fences, safety glass etc)
• any registration and inspection fees (at no more than currently charged rates)
• initial induction/training, including first aid training etc. (again at no more than currently charged rates).

The basic principle is that local authorities should use the start up grant in the most appropriate way to remove barriers to recruitment. Simply using the grant to provide a standard package for prospective childminders may not represent the best use of it.

Research was carried out in 2002 on the operation of this grant. Download the research brief and report

Childminder Sustainability Grant

Funding is available within the new sustainability grant to ensure that childminders serving areas of disadvantage do not stop childminding because of a short-term lack of children. Funding can be used in a variety of ways as long as it increase the sustainability of childminders by addressing their vacancies.

Examples are:

Grant scheme - for individual childminders at the rate of up to £100 for five weeks (with any one childminder able to have up to two payments in any 12 months). To qualify the childminder must give evidence of at least a two week vacancy and advertising of that vacancy, and live or operate within a disadvantaged area;

Providing funds to address the needs of childminders who may have difficulty filling vacancies becuase of lack of suitable toys, customer service or marketing skills e.g. by paying for a childminder to attend a course on marketing;

Creating facilities for marketing childminders and their vacancies;

• Enhancing other support for existing childminders, e.g. new toys in local toy libraries
• Developing buisness skills of childminders
• Employer schemes - encouraging employers to reserve places with childminders and guarantee some income.

Childminder networks

Childminder networks offer a number of benefits for local authorities, childminders and parents. Robust childminder networks can help with the retention of childminders and raise quality. Networks are increasingly being linked with children’s centres and extended schools, in line with the ten year strategy which states that all children's centres should collaborate with childminders and support good quality childminder networks.

The children’s centres practice guidance published in November 2005, lays out guidelines showing how children’s centres and childminders can work together to support good quality childminder networks ensuring childminding becomes part of an integrated offer of services to parents. The range of childminder services available through children’s centres will vary depending on local need, but centres should offer genuine choice and tailored support to parents.

The support available to childminders in networks should include:

• arrangements for childminders to use centre facilities, like toy libraries, meeting rooms, stay and play sessions and so on
• vacancy co-ordination – helping parents to find the right childminder, including arrangements for cover if a childminder is on holiday or unavailable for any reason
• inclusion in staff training and opportunities to meet other early years professionals including teachers, with crèche facilities for the children the childminders are caring for while they are attending these sessions
• and representation at meetings for centre staff and agencies delivering children’s centre services

Childminders who are members of networks benefit by receiving support and advice from the co-ordinator and other networked childminders. They also have enhanced opportunities for training and career progression as well as access to shared resources such as toy libraries. Parents and children using a networked childminder benefit from the quality assurance aspect and the flexibility of cover which networks can offer. The support of a network can be particularly valuable in enabling childminders to deliver some specialist care for particular groups such as children in need, disabled children or teen parents. Networks can also include home-based childcarers or others providing care in the parents’ home.

Research was carried out in 2002 on the operation of this grant - you can download the research brief, report and good practice guide by clicking on the relevant words. Through the Sure Start Unit strategic contract with NCMA a document outlining sustainable networks was produced in April 2004 which can be downloaded here.

A telephone survey of local authorities took place in Summer 2004 to find out the number of networks, their characteristics and what funding was used to set them up. This report can be downloaded here.

Working with the National Childminding Association

There are a range of services which the Sure Start Unit is supporting through a strategic contract with the National Childminding Association (NCMA) during 2005-06 — focusing on support for networks, quality assurance, training, helplines and publications available to all registered childminders, not just NCMA members.