LSCB guidance
Supporting Childminders – An Advisory Resource for Local
Safeguarding Children Boards.
This document has been developed by the National Childminding
Association in conjunction with the Department for Education (DfE),
to assist Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) to consider
how local safeguarding arrangements can support the specific
requirements of childminders with their safeguarding
responsibilities and to promote the significant contribution that
childminders can make in the prevention of abuse or neglect.
As with all childcare professionals, childminders have a
statutory responsibility to report any concerns they have regarding
the welfare of children in their care; however the working
processes, support services, guidance and training available for
them often do not take into account the environmental and practice
considerations of the home based childcare environment.
These include the lack of an organizational framework making
them more susceptible to allegations or complaints, the personal
consequences to a childminder when reporting their concerns and the
lack of a designated officer within their practice to seek advice
from or report their concerns to – instead having to refer directly
to social services.
As referred to by Lord Laming, Education and Early Years
providers are "vital partners in protecting children and they need
to be willing and proactive in discharging their statutory duty to
cooperate on child safeguarding." NCMA believes that it is
important that LSCBs develop working practices to strengthen ties
with the home-based childcare workforce and use this guidance to
consider the current support and communication channels with this
sector.
To make best use of this document, NCMA would like LSCBs to take
into account the important role that childminders can play in
safeguarding children and young people and review their current
working processes (aided by the audit tool supplied) to identify
areas where there is the potential for improvement to strengthen
links with registered childminders.
During this process, NCMA will be happy to work alongside LSCBs
in strengthening their ties with the childminding workforce and
work in partnership in the future to ensure children’s services are
more inclusive of home-based childcare. Further information can
also be provided on the range of services and support that NCMA
offers its members.
For more information about how NCMA can work with LSCBs, please
email info@ncma.org.uk.