Let childminders work in own homes, landlords urged

Childminders should be allowed to work from their rented homes to boost childcare availability for families, the government has said.

Children's Minister Claire Coutinho has written to housing associations, social landlords and developers in England to urge them to review restrictive clauses in tenant contracts.

But the Early Years Alliance said this would make only a small difference.

The government has promised a huge expansion of free childcare in England.

However, organisations representing the sector have warned there are not enough places to deliver this pledge, and childminders say they are leaving the job because government funding does not cover their costs.

The number of childminders operating in England has more than halved over the past 10 years, the Department for Education said.

It said blanket bans in tenancy agreements on using a home for business purposes was one reason more people were not signing up to be childminders.

One in eight prospective childminders who did not complete the registration process were unable to do so because they could not secure permission to work from their home, according to data collected by the agency Tiney.

The government said childminders living in leasehold properties were sometimes blocked by restrictive covenants, which say the properties cannot be used for business purposes.

It added that some renters also found their tenancy agreements prevented them from registering their business, or that their landlords' mortgage agreements included restrictions from the lender.

Minister Ms Coutinho said: "Too often prospective childminders are having the door slammed in their faces because they face a blanket ban on working from home.

"However, parents tell us time and again how much they value the flexibility and quality that childminders bring so we are making sure that we are supporting the workforce to deliver what parents need."

The government has already made other proposals to encourage childminders to remain in the profession, including allowing them to work in groups of up to four and spend more time working outside their own homes, such as in a community centre or village hall.

It said it would consult on reducing registration times to around 10 weeks and ensure childminders are paid monthly by local authorities.

Childcare start-up grants, worth up to £1,200, are also being launched.

However, the Early Years Alliance, which represents the sector in England, accused the government of wasting time and resources "by putting forward changes to minor challenges that in reality, will make a small amount of difference".

Chief executive Neil Leitch said the latest announcement would "fail to rectify or even slightly remedy the issues facing England's childminding sector".

He said childminders continued to be "underfunded, undervalued and underappreciated" and the sector needed "a long-term plan supported by realistic funding".

The government said it had already boosted the funding rates paid to early years providers, including childminders, to deliver free hours - from an average of £5.29 to £5.62 for three and four-year-olds, and from £6.00 to £7.95 for two-year-olds.

However, the sector says the cost of providing these places in much higher and childminders have told the BBC this is a major reason many are leaving the sector.

The changes will be phased in, starting with 15 hours free childcare per week for eligible parents of two-year-olds from April next year. This will be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from September next year, with 30 free hours available from September 2025.

Meanwhile, the government is urging parents to check they are claiming all their existing free childcare entitlements, with just 10 days to go to register for the autumn term.

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