Agreement template: guidance for childminder agencies and local authorities
Published 5 March 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/information-sharing-agreement-template/agreement-template-guidance-for-childminder-agencies-and-local-authorities
Purpose of the agreement template
The Department for Education (DfE)’s agreement template aims to help facilitate clear, transparent and strong working relationships between childminder agencies and local authorities.
It is not a legally binding agreement and anything included is not a legal requirement unless otherwise stated.
The agreement template aims to:
- bring consistency to relationships between childminder agencies and local authorities
- improve information sharing and mutual understanding
- ensure that relevant information is exchanged in the right way and at the right time so that childminder agencies and local authorities can carry out their roles as efficiently and effectively as possible
- act as a starting point for discussions between individual local authorities and childminder agencies about how they intend to work together
- set out specific and reasonable turnaround times for tasks carried out by childminder agencies and local authorities – informed by discussions with childminder agencies and local authorities
Collaborative work and working together
The terms collaborative work or working together refer to the way local authorities and childminder agencies exchange information. This is necessary to enable:
- childminders and providers of childcare on domestic premises to register with a childminder agency and provide childcare places
- childminder agencies to quality assure and support childminders and providers of childcare on domestic premises
- local authorities to carry out their functions in relation to childcare and safeguarding
DfE’s role
DfE produced the agreement template to help local authorities and childminder agencies with information sharing. We do not have a role in how this template agreement is turned into a final agreement between individual local authorities and childminder agencies.
We support the content of this agreement, including the suggested actions and timeframes, and expect that childminder agencies and local authorities will work collaboratively, with or without this template agreement.
Following the creation and sharing of this template agreement, and with input from childminder agencies and local authorities, we will monitor whether information sharing improves and consider further steps if appropriate.
Local authorities’ role
Local authorities have informed the content of this document and will decide whether to use the template agreement to help manage their relationships with childminder agencies.
If a local authority chooses to use the template agreement, the local authority will negotiate the final content with the childminder agency and agree a timescale for reviewing the agreement.
DfE will ask for feedback from local authorities that use the agreement to find out if it has helped improve the flow of information with childminder agencies.
Childminder agencies’ role
Childminder agencies have informed the content of this document and will decide whether to use the agreement template to help manage their relationships with local authorities.
Where a childminder agency chooses to use the template agreement, they will negotiate the final content with the relevant local authorities and agree a timescale for reviewing the agreement.
DfE will ask for feedback from childminder agencies that use the agreement to find out if it has helped improve the flow of information with local authorities.