Guidance

Childcare protocols between Ofsted and other organisations

How Ofsted will work with other organisations.

• From: Ofsted
• Published: 18 June 2013
• Last updated: 28 February 2025
  Show all updates

  1. 28 February 2025

     Added protocol between Ofsted and childminder agencies.

  2. 22 December 2023

     Removed the protocol between Ofsted and the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Defence Children Services, at the MOD's request, as the inspection arrangements to inspect British education provision abroad ended on 13 December 2023.

  3. 19 September 2023

     Updated the ‘Protocol between Ofsted and services managed by local authorities: early years’. For clarity, the following protocols have been brought together in one overarching protocol which sets out how we work with local authorities in relation to early years providers: the protocol between Ofsted and local authorities with environmental health responsibility, the protocol between Ofsted and building control departments, the protocol between Ofsted and local authority children services and the protocol between Ofsted and Local Safeguarding Children Boards. We have also added the ‘Protocol between Ofsted and services managed by local authorities: children’s social care providers’.

  4. 2 March 2023

     Updated the Women’s Aid Federation protocol. Updates include changes to the terminology used to reflect how Ofsted regulates and inspects childcare in women’s refuges, clarification on the working relationships between Ofsted and Women’s Aid, and changes to the layout. References to ‘previous internal systems’ have also been removed.

  5. 17 July 2020

     Updated the 'Protocol between Ofsted, the Ministry of Defence and the Directorate of Children and Young people' and the 'Protocol between Ofsted and local authorities on sharing information about childcare providers'. Converted documents to a more accessible format.

  6. 17 February 2020

     Updated 'Protocol between Ofsted and the MOD and its approved organisations with regard to childcare provision' to a more accessible format, adding links to legislation and clarifying processes.

  7. 24 January 2018

     Minor updates to the protocol between Ofsted and fire rescue services: contact details and minor amendments to reflect changes in terminology.

  8. 16 October 2017

     Minor updates to contact and address details.

  9. 24 November 2016

     Published today: updated Women’s Aid Federation protocol. There are updates to Ofsted’s organisational structure and contacts details, new terminology and reference to childminder agencies.

  10. 18 June 2013

      First published.

Documents

Protocol between Ofsted and childminder agencies

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Protocol between Ofsted and services managed by local authorities: early years childcare providers

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Protocol between Ofsted and services managed by local authorities: children’s social care providers

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Protocol between Ofsted and local authorities on sharing information about childcare providers

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Protocol between Ofsted and the MOD and its approved organisations with regard to childcare provision

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Protocol between Ofsted and fire rescue authorities

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Protocol between Ofsted and the Women’s Aid Federation of England

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Details

Working arrangements for childcare protocols between Ofsted and other organisations to ensure working practices are consistent with the role and responsibilities of the appropriate organisations.

Protocol	Date updated
Protocol between Ofsted and childminder agencies	27 February 2025
Protocol between Ofsted and the Ministry of Defence	17 July 2020
Protocol between Ofsted and local authorities on sharing information about childcare providers	17 July 2020
Protocol between Ofsted and the MOD and its approved organisations with regard to childcare provision	17 February 2020
Women’s Aid Federation protocol	23 November 2016
Protocol with fire rescue services	24 January 2018

The other protocols are for reference only.