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Register as a childminder or childcare provider (England)

1. Overview

You must register with Ofsted or a childminder agency if you want to be paid to look after children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day in England.

You don’t need to do anything if you’re exempt from registering.

You must apply to:


  • the Early Years Register to only look after children aged 5 and under
  • the Childcare Register to only look after children aged 5 to 7
  • both registers to look after children of any age under 8

The Early Years Register is for children from birth up to the 31 August after their fifth birthday. You must be on the Childcare Register to look after children after that, up to their eighth birthday.

You can get an unlimited fine, be sent to prison, or both if you provide childminding or daycare services without being registered.

You can register as an individual or as an organisation.

There are different rules for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Joining the voluntary part of the Childcare Register

You can apply to join the voluntary part of the Childcare Register if you want to do childcare for which registration isn’t compulsory, for example look after children aged 8 and above.

If you join the register voluntarily you’ll get a certificate. The parents of the children you care for may also be able to get other types of support, like help with childcare costs.

You’ll need to pay the registration fee and annual fee, and you can be inspected.

Who can register

To apply you must:

You must also fill in the ‘Health declaration booklet’ if you’re either:

  • applying as a childminder on the Early Years Register
  • working directly with children

Who can’t register

You can’t register if you’re disqualified, for example:

  • you’re barred from working with children
  • you’ve been refused registration in the past or had your registration cancelled (other than for not paying your annual fee)
  • you live in the same home as someone else who is disqualified

You may be able to apply to waive your disqualification, for example if you work for a provider who is exempt from registering.

How long it takes

Registering usually takes up to:

  • 12 weeks for childminders and home childcarers
  • 25 weeks for a childcare provider on domestic or non-domestic premises

2. What to register as

You’ll need to say what type of childcare you want to provide when you apply.

You may need to register as more than one type of provider. For example, you must register as both a childminder and a childcarer on domestic premises if you work with 3 or more other childminders or assistants on some days.

Type of childcare you want to provide What you register as
Taking care of children in a home that’s not their own (usually your own) with up to 2 other people Childminder
Caring for children of up to 2 families at the same time in their homes, for example a nanny or an au pair Home childcarer (voluntary part of the Childcare Register only)
Caring full time for children in someone’s home with at least 3 other people Childcare on domestic premises
Taking care of children outside of someone’s home (such as on school premises or at a nursery) Childcare on non-domestic premises

If you’re a childminder or provide childcare on domestic premises, you can apply to work on non-domestic premises for up to half of your time.

Registering as an organisation

You can register as an organisation, for example a partnership, company, committee or statutory body.

You must appoint a ‘nominated individual’ to make the application.

You must also make sure:

  • someone is managing the childcare (this person can’t be the nominated individual)
  • anyone working with children is suitable (for example, they must be checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service)

3. How to apply

  1. Contact your local council to find out which training courses you’ll need to do.

  2. Apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check through the Ofsted portal.

  3. Fill in and submit a health declaration booklet if you’re applying as a childminder on the Early Years Register or working directly with children.

  4. Apply online - you’ll need a Government Gateway account to log in. If you’re applying to both registers, apply using the Early Years application form.

Fees

You must pay a fee to be registered.

It’s free to join the Childcare Register if you’re already on or applying to the Early Years Register.

Type of childcare Early Years Register Childcare Register (compulsory or voluntary) Both registers
Childminder £35 £103 £35
Home childcarer - £103 (voluntary only) -
Childcare on domestic or non-domestic premises £220 £114 £220

If you only provide childcare on non-domestic premises, you’ll have to pay the fee for each premises you provide childcare on.

Get help and advice

Contact your local council if you have any questions about becoming a childcare provider.

Contact Ofsted if you have any questions about the application process.

Ofsted
Telephone: 0300 123 1231
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

4. After you apply

When you submit your application Ofsted will:

  • check your references
  • review any checks with your doctor, your local council and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
  • check on anyone else who will be living or working at the premises where the child will be cared for

They’ll also usually interview you and may inspect your premises. This is known as a ‘registration visit’.

Getting a registration visit

You’ll only get a registration visit from an Ofsted inspector if you’ve applied to the Early Years Register.

If you’re applying for both registers, Ofsted will look at how well you meet the requirements for the Childcare Register when they inspect you for the Early Years Register.

Find out how to prepare for your registration visit in part 2 of the registration handbook.

If your application is approved

You’ll get a certificate of registration if your application is approved.

Details about your registration will be published online.

If you applied as a childminder or to provide childcare on domestic premises, you can ask for your address not to be published.

If your application is refused

Ofsted will send you a letter called a ‘notice of intention’ which will tell you why you’ve been turned down.

You’ll also be sent a leaflet on how to object.

Object to a decision

You can object to a decision if you’ve been sent a ‘notice of intention’.

You must object within 14 days of the date on the notice.

Ofsted will consider your objection then tell you if you’re still refused registration, or can’t provide childcare on a certain premises.

If you don’t object, or Ofsted doesn’t change its decision, you’ll get a second letter called a ‘notice of decision’. This is the final decision to refuse registration or approval of a certain premises.

Appeal a decision

You can appeal to an independent tribunal if you get a notice of decision.

You must appeal within 28 days of the date that you’re sent the notice.

Withdraw your application

You must tell Ofsted if you want to withdraw your application. If you don’t, the application will continue and may be refused if you don’t meet all the requirements.

If your registration is refused, you’ll be disqualified from providing registered childcare in the future.

You can’t provide childcare on a premises that isn’t approved.

You usually can’t withdraw your application if you’ve been sent a notice of intention.

5. After you're registered

You must continue to meet the registration standards for the whole time you’re working as a childminder or childcare provider.

You’ll be monitored through regular inspections and must pay an annual fee.

Keep your details up to date

You must tell Ofsted about any changes that affect your childcare.

You can use Ofsted Online to report changes to:

  • the premises
  • contact details
  • the staff or adults living on the childminding premises
  • childcare hours
  • the registered person or nominated individual

You’ll need to log in using your Government Gateway ID and choose ‘self-service’.

You can read a full list of changes you must report. If you’re on the:

Reporting accidents and incidents

Use the early years incident online form to report:

  • allegations that someone living, working or looking after children on the premises has committed serious harm or abuse
  • anything that might affect the suitability of someone on the premises to look after children
  • a serious accident, injury or illness to a child, for example food poisoning
  • a child’s death

If you want to work on new premises

You must apply for approval if you want to provide childcare on a new non-domestic premises.

Your application is approved or refused in the same way as your original registration.

If you currently only work on domestic premises

If you’re a childminder or provide childcare on domestic premises, you can apply to work on non-domestic premises for up to half of your time.

You’ll need to get approval for each premises you want to provide childcare on.

Tell Ofsted about a change

When it’s not possible to notify Ofsted in advance, you must tell them as soon as you can. It’s an offence not to tell Ofsted within 14 days of a change happening.

Ofsted
enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 123 1231
Textphone/minicom: 0161 618 8524
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Find out about call charges

Or write to:

Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

Remove yourself from the register

Contact Ofsted if you want to be removed from either the Childcare Register or the Early Years Register.

Resigning from the register doesn’t affect any future application you make to provide childcare.