Katy Morton interviews the children and families minister David Johnston about current issues facing the sector.
New childminders registering with Ofsted or agencies will soon be able to apply for the Government’s start-up grants. Given the closure of the biggest agency, Rutland, and another no longer accepting members, where does it leave agencies?
With Rutland, we monitored the situation incredibly closely. We wanted to make sure that the individuals who were registered with Rutland were reassured and had options to remain in the profession. By working collaboratively, we were able to create a bit of breathing space. We’ve seen quite a number of childminders transfer over to either a different childminder agency (CMA) or to Ofsted.
Following Rutland’s ‘ineffective’ Ofsted grade and the announcement of its closure, we have made sure that we have the right contingency plans in place should this happen again. We hope it doesn’t, but if it does, there are certain things in place, including making sure that local authorities don’t cut off funding right away, but wait until an agency’s reinspection.
