Register as a childminder in England

The rules here are for England.

Check you need to register

You must register as a childminder if you look after children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day, you are paid (including payment in kind) and you are not related to them. Providing unregistered childcare, or working from premises Ofsted has not approved, is a criminal offence. Nannies, tutors and babysitters who look after children between 6pm and 2am do not have to register, and a family friend who looks after children for less than 3 hours a day does not either.

You cannot register if you are under 18, do not have the right to work in the UK, are barred from working with children or disqualified, or have had a registration refused or cancelled before (other than for not paying the annual fee). You also cannot register to work from home if a disqualified person lives or works there.

Choose where and how you register

You register with Ofsted or with a childminder agency, not both. You can be a childminder based at home, or based outside the home if you always work from somewhere that is not a home, such as a village hall. Either way, you can work alone or with up to 3 other people, including other childminders, assistants, apprentices, students and volunteers. If 5 or more people work together at any one time, you must register as a childcare provider instead. A childminder based at home can also apply to work some of the time from non-domestic premises.

Get your checks done before you apply

Ofsted checks that you and everyone connected with your registration are suitable. You must have the right kind of DBS check before you submit your application, or it will be delayed. Anyone aged 16 or over who works in your home while children are there, such as a cleaner, needs an enhanced check with barred lists of the usual type. Ofsted arranges its own checks, including with the children's services department of every local authority where you have lived in the last 5 years, so you do not need to contact them.

Complete training, insurance and your premises

To join the Early Years Register you need child protection training, which Ofsted will test at your registration visit, and a current full paediatric first aid certificate, renewed every 3 years. The compulsory part of the General Childcare Register instead requires child protection training and a relevant childminding course. You must understand and be able to put the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) into practice. No qualification level is required.

You must carry appropriate insurance, such as public liability insurance, for the premises where you look after children. Your home must be fit for purpose for the ages of children you will have, including floor space and outdoor space, and any building work must be finished before your registration is granted. Banned dog breeds, including XL Bully types, must never be kept at or be present on the premises. If you keep digital records of children, you also need to pay the data protection fee to the Information Commission (formerly the ICO).

Apply and prepare for your registration visit

You apply online. Ofsted rejects applications that do not have the right documents. You pay the application fee when you apply, and it is not refunded if you withdraw.

Everyone joining the Early Years Register has a registration visit once all checks are complete. The inspector looks round all of your home and garden, checks your identity and documents, and tests your knowledge of the EYFS, your safeguarding responsibilities, and safer eating and safer sleeping. Take photo ID, two proofs of address, your employment history, your first aid and childcare training certificates, DBS certificates for you and household members, and your driving licence, car insurance and MOT certificate if you will drive children.

You cannot look after children until you have your certificate of registration.

Stay registered

You pay the same fee each year on the anniversary of your registration, and Ofsted cancels registrations that go unpaid. You must tell Ofsted within 14 days if your name, address, contact details, childcare premises or the hours you work change, and when anyone new starts helping with childcare or turns 16 in your home. Anyone who helps care for children cannot start until Ofsted confirms in writing they are suitable. Ofsted inspects within 18 months of registration, and then within a 4-year window.