Apologies - the month ran away with me. 
 
Here’s a useful checklist of changes from April 1st if you employ a childminding assistant:

• Statutory increase to minimum wage from 1st April –

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

• Increase in employer national insurance contributions from 1st April –

https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-rates-letters

• Redundancy rates increase from 6th April. See this useful calculator –

https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-redundancy-pay

• From 7th April, the statutory rates of maternity, paternity, adoption, shared-parental and parental bereavement pay will increase from £184.03 to £187.18 per week. The lower earnings limit will increase from £123 per week to £125 per week.
• Refer to the Neonatal Care Law from 6th April for babies born on or after this date –

https://www.acas.org.uk/neonatal-care-leave-and-pay

• Statutory sick pay to increase £118.75 per week from 6th April.
• Annual leave and pay records must be retained for 6 years.
• Harassment legislation updated - you must take positive, proactive and reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, including risk assessing and taking steps to mitigate the risks. Attending training is not enough.

Note the Employment Rights Bill is currently under consultation and further changes will be introduced during 2025 – 2026.
 
Things to do:

• Make sure staff wages reflect the changes.
• Do you need to update your staff handbook?

 
If you are unsure or have any questions, I always found ACAS a useful starting point. 

The EYFS 2025 – legislation from 1st September 2025 – introduces a new requirement to safer recruitment.

The EYFS 2025 wording will state – ‘Childminders and any assistants must be suitable; they must have the relevant training and have passed any required checks to fulfil their roles. Childminders must obtain a reference for any childminding assistants they employ. Childminders must also ensure any person who may have regular contact with children (for example, someone living or working on the same premises where the childminding is being provided), is suitable.’
 
The EYFS 2025 will go on to state that you must request a reference from the applicant, before employment. Therefore, if you are an employer or intending to take on an assistant (childminders) or staff member (group settings), you will need to update your safeguarding policy to include the ‘Procedures to follow to check the suitability of new recruits.’

Note that DfE has confirmed to Childcare.co.uk that this does not mean every childminder needs a Safer Recruitment Policy. However, if you are taking on or have assistants in your childminding setting, you must have a policy, and it must include the latest statutory safer recruitment information.
 
Documents you will need
The summary of changes to the EYFS to the EYFS from Sept 2025 is here –
https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2024/10/Summary-of-EYFS-changes-for-publication-PDF.pdf
The safeguarding statutory guidance ‘Working together to safeguard children’ is here –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2
There is also some useful recruitment information in the schools guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) which the EYFS states early years providers, ‘may also find it useful to look at’ here –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2
 
Plan ahead

• Policy – write your Safer Recruitment Policy. Childcare.co.uk has a sample policy for gold members here – https://www.childcare.co.uk/childminderpolicies/safeguarding
• Job specification – put together a job specification, so you can compare it to the applicant’s completed application form information. 
• Job description – share your job description with applicants so they know what will be expected of them before their interview.
• Safeguarding Policy – send a copy of your Safeguarding Policy to your applicants as part of the pre-interview process. You can then ask questions about the policy when conducting the interview.
• Application form – ensure the applicant has completed your application form fully, so you can gather as much information as possible about them before interview.

Childcare.co.uk has paperwork available for gold members here –
https://www.childcare.co.uk/childminders/assistants-and-staff
 
Check suitability
The EYFS states, ‘Childminders must tell assistants that they must disclose any convictions, cautions, court orders, reprimands and warnings (see footnote 16) that may affect their suitability to work with children (whether received before or during their employment at the setting).’

• Interview questions – put together your questions, ensuring you ask the same questions of each applicant. Note that you must comply with the Equality Act 2010 when asking questions.
• Conduct the interview – include safeguarding questions, suitability questions (linked to health and DBS), information about your setting etc. make notes as you interview so you can look over them later. You should also inform the applicant that you will be asking for a reference before employment and that they will be subject to an enhanced DBS check and Ofsted approval.

 
Make the offer
The EYFS states that you must, ‘Record information about the identity checks that have been completed.’
Keeping Children Safe in Education states, ‘All offers of appointment should be conditional until satisfactory completion of the mandatory pre-employment checks.’
The EYFS 2025 will state that you must request a reference from, ‘The candidate’s current employer, training provider or education setting and have been completed by a senior person with appropriate authority.’ Note that you cannot accept references from a family member.
The EYFS states, ‘Practitioners must only work directly with children if the medical advice received confirms that the medication is unlikely to impair that person’s ability to look after children properly.’


Additionally, when you have offered the job, you will need to –

• Check their online presence (KCSIE) and record what you have found.
• Check their identity –

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/identity-proofing-and-verification-of-an-individual

• Check qualifications if relevant –

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-qualifications-achieved-in-england

• Complete a DBS check - https://www.ofsteddbsapplication.co.uk/
• Do additional checks if the applicant has lived abroad –

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

• Check their right to work in the UK – https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work
• Report to Ofsted using the ‘Report new people in the setting’ form –

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/childminders-report-new-people-in-the-setting

• Ask them to speak to their doctor to check any medication they are taking does not impact on their ability to work with children.

Note that if your new employee is unsure about whether their DBS check or medical check will state they are suitable to work with children, they must not be employed to work with children until Ofsted has completed their suitability checks.
 
Plan for employment
The EYFS states – ‘Childminders must not allow anyone whose suitability has not been checked by Ofsted … including through a criminal records check, to have unsupervised contact with the children being cared for.’
 
If you want to employ your assistant so they can be in ratio when their Ofsted suitability letter has come through, you will need to register as an employer with HMRC and sign up with NEST to ensure you are meeting your statutory pension duty.

• Contract – you must provide a contract of terms and conditions of employment from day 1.

https://www.childcare.co.uk/childminding-contracts  

• Pension – offer them access to a pension provider.

For example, NEST is the Government pension scheme - https://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb/nest.html

• HMRC as an employer – https://www.gov.uk/register-employer

Note that you will also need to source payroll software, and your assistant must receive a payslip with their wages.
 
Check ongoing suitability
The EYFS states, ‘A childminder must notify Ofsted of any significant event which is likely to affect the suitability of any person who is in regular contact with children on the premises where childcare is provided. The disqualification of an assistant is an example of a significant event.’
 
Changes that affect suitability are known as ‘transferable risks’ – while you have safely recruited the assistant, they might not continue to be suitable to care for children because of changes in their health or home and family life.

• On your attendance register, include a statement that reminds your applicant that they must inform you about any changes to their suitability.
• Ask your assistant during supervision meetings whether there are any changes.
• Request a suitability check in writing, at least annually, to ensure your assistant does not have any changes they need to report about their suitability to work with children.

 
New EYFS wording under ‘Suitable people’ from September 2025: 
‘Childminders who are employing assistants must obtain a reference before employment. 
Childminders should:  

• Not accept open references e.g. to whom it may concern.
• Not rely on applicants to obtain their reference.
• Ensure any references are from the candidate’s current employer, training provider or education setting and have been completed by a senior person with appropriate authority.
• Not accept references from a family member.
• Obtain verification of the individual’s most recent relevant period of employment where the applicant is not currently employed.
• Secure a reference from the relevant employer from the last time the applicant worked with children (if not currently working with children). If the applicant has never worked with children, then ensure a reference is from their current employer, training provider or education setting.
• Ensure electronic references originate from a legitimate source.
• Contact referees to clarify content where information is vague or insufficient information is provided.
• Compare the information on the application form with that in the reference and take up any discrepancies with the candidate.
• Establish the reason for the candidate leaving their current or most recent post.
• Ensure any concerns are resolved satisfactorily before the appointment is confirmed.’

‍
‍Note that ‘how to ensure safer recruitment’ will also be part of the required designated safeguarding lead (DSL) safeguarding training which all childminders must complete every 2 years.
 
​I hope this is helpful. Sarah. 

Photo - Childcare.co.uk assistant / staff documents page. 

If you employ staff in your early years setting, it is important to keep yourself updated with changes to legislation.

There are a number of statutory changes coming into effect from April 2024 including –

**Statutory flexible working – flexible working will be available to staff from day 1 from 6th April. More information linked to the Employment Rights (Flexible Working) Act 2023 is on the ACAS website –
https://www.acas.org.uk/flexible-workinghttps://www.acas.org.uk/flexible-working

**National minimum wage and national living wage will both be increasing. The national living wage will be payable from age 21 (not age 23) from 1st April and will be £11.44 (an increase from £10.42). More information here –
https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

**There will be changes to redundancy protection for employees on maternity, adoption and shared parental leave from 6th April as detailed in the Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023. More information here – https://www.employmentlawwatch.com/2024/02/articles/employment-uk/uk-redundancy-protection-significant-changes-from-april-2024/

**Paternity leave rights will change from 6th April. It will be available to take in 2 blocks of 1 week instead of 2 consecutive weeks and the notice periods will be shortened to provide flexibility. More information in the Gov.uk link below.

**Carers leave rights will change from 6th April as stated in the Carers Leave Act 2023 – carers leave will be a right from day 1 of a staff members' employment and will include up to 1 week unpaid leave. More information here –
https://www.mha.co.uk/insights/upcoming-changes-to-carers-leave-regulations

**There will be cuts to employee national insurance from 6th April which should save your staff money each month. More information here –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-bulletin-december-2023

Notes:

**If you use a payroll company you should speak to them to ensure they are ready to make the changes to the minimum wage and national insurance payments. If you do your own staff wages, you will need to check staff ages and reflect the increases in their April pay. 

**If you have a staff handbook, you will need to update wording in relation to, for example, paternity and carers leave rights. 

Please note - this blog does not constitute NOT legal advice - please follow links, read the HMRC and ACAS website information, speak to your HR company (if you have one) and check information for yourself.

You can keep updated with all the changes on the Gov.uk employer bulletin. This is the latest February edition –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-bulletin-february-2024/february-2024-issue-of-the-employer-bulletin  

I hope this helps. Sarah. 

​This information is taken from a very old blog (10.2019) and includes updated information 

A lot of childminders work with assistants and have asked for support in how manage staff files. This blog aims to answer many of the questions.
 
Safer recruitment procedures:
Ideally, you will have received safer recruitment training. 
.        Safer Recruitment Policy.
·        Person specification.
·        Job description.
·        Application form *highlight safeguarding.
·        Interview
Note: plan your interview questions carefully and consider the Equality Act 2010.
 
Ask your applicant to bring:
Ideally, there will be a colleague with you at the interview to support you.
·        Referee details x 2 – not references, you need to talk to them or email.
·        Confirmation of name – for example, birth certificate *photocopy.
·        Confirmation of address – for example, driving licence *photocopy.
·        Proof of right to work in the UK – for example, NI number *photocopy.
·        Employment history *check and photocopy.
·        Qualifications *check and photocopy.
·       Any other certificates they might have available for working with early years children – for example, Paediatric first aid, safeguarding etc *photocopy.
 
To comply with the EYFS assistants must be able to:
·        Communicate in English.
·        Understand written English.
·        Understand and use the EYFS.
·        Deploy so children’s needs are met.
Think about how you will check compliance during the interview process.
 
Ask your applicant to complete and sign:
·        Suitability check (safeguarding and health) – if you want them to work before the DBS comes back.

Note: with parents written permission, a childminding assistant can be left unsupervised with children for up to 2 hours a day. However, while your assistant can start working at this point, they must not be left unsupervised with children until you / they have completed the following steps…

Before your assistant starts:
·        Buy or add to your insurance *display the certificate.
·       If your assistant is going to take children in their or your car, they must have business class 1 insurance *keep a copy of the certificate in their file.
 
Before assistant is left unsupervised with children
·        Follow up the references *in writing where possible.
·        Complete a home-based Ofsted (Capita) enhanced DBS check.
·        Complete the Ofsted ‘new adults in the home’ form to inform Ofsted.
·        Receive a suitability letter from Ofsted *note that this can take months and you cannot increase ratios or leave staff unsupervised with children until it’s back and you have the Ofsted suitability letter.
·        Request written permission from parents for them to be on their own for up to 2 hours a day with children *note you cannot do this until they have a suitability letter.
·        Plan training *assistant to complete Paediatric first aid training and induction training including health and safety, safeguarding and emergency procedures.
·        Print / prepare an attendance register – staff must sign in and out every day.
Note: you can have more than 2 staff registered to work with you but if you have more than 2 staff plus yourself on the premises you must change your registration to childcare on domestic premises.
 
Staff file
You will find it helpful to put together a staff file for each staff member and to keep all their safer recruitment information together in the file. This might include as a minimum, for example:
·        Record of name and home address.
·        Emergency contact information.

• References and suitability checks.
• DBS issue number and date.
• Induction training.
• Ongoing suitability and medical disclosures.
• Staff register.
• Payroll details - not usually inspected by Ofsted but might be required if audited by HMRC.
• Paediatric first aid certificate.
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
• Supervision meeting details etc.

Note: for childminder assistants, changes related to the DBS check including disqualification, disqualification by association or medical suitability must be reported to Ofsted.
 
Further documentation:
The following staff documentation is required:
·        Contract of employment.
·        Job description.
·        Attendance register *must show time in and out and any unsupervised time with children.
·        Staff handbook.
·        Regular ongoing training *focus on safeguarding.
·        Annual suitability check *ask if there are any changes.
 
Before payments are made:
·        Register with HMRC as an employer.
·        Ask for your assistant's bank details and NI number.
·        Register as a pension provider - for example, NEST.
 
Policies and procedures:
Policies / Procedures to support a childminder who works with assistants will include:
·        Information Sharing Policy *include information about confidentiality.
·        Suitability *disqualification / disqualification by association.
·        Disciplinary Policy *include procedures for dismissal.
·        Grievance Procedures.
·        Staff Behaviour Policy *to comply with Keeping children safe in education.
·        Updated Safeguarding Policy *include information about whistleblowing and mobile phone and camera.
·        Medication Policy *include information about what to do if your assistant is prescribed new medication and medication storage.
·        Staff Wellbeing Policy.
 
Other policies to share include safeguarding / child protection and complaints. Staff should sign to confirm they have read and understand the policies. 

Hi everyone, I have been asked to share information about how much staff cost in a typical childminding setting.

Disclaimer: this list is not exhaustive and all costs will vary depending on what you are doing and how much knowledge you already have of the safer recruitment process. However, I hope this provides a useful starting point...
 
There is no doubt that working with staff can be a positive experience, but you do need to think about the practicalities.
 
First of all, you must think about staff wages – how much can you afford to pay your staff member? For example, do you want to / can you afford to pay them the minimum wage or a higher rate?
 
The answer to this question usually starts with working out how many extra children you will need to take on in your childminding setting so you can pay your staff member. For example, if your staff member costs you the national living wage of £10.42 / hour (from April 2023) it’s not just £10.42 – it’s all the other costs as detailed below and might mean your income just to pay that staff member needs to be closer to £11 or even £12 an hour to make your staff member affordable.
 
What will happen if you cannot find the extra children straight away? You might think that you need a staff member to support 1 family who need an extra day ... but your staff member will cost you significantly more than the income brought in by 1 extra child.
 
This means that you will need to cost it out – to work out how many children you will need to care for so you can pay your staff members’ wage. Questions to ask yourself include:
**Will the children need to attend full-time or part-time?
**What happens if parents ask for a term-time only contract – will you need to advertise for and bring in extra holiday only children?
**What happens if the staff member only wants to work term time – will you be caring for extra children in the holidays so you can have a term-time only staff member?
 
Initial costs to budget
Initial expenses which you might need to pay if you have a staff member in a childminding setting include, for example –
**Cost of you attending / completing safer recruitment training.
**Your Local Authority might require to you apply for planning permission before you can take on an assistant and / or increase your ratios. There will be cost implications for the application and it might not be granted. Think about how you will pay your assistant if you cannot increase your ratios before or after the planning process has completed.
**Recruitment costs – if you have to pay a recruitment service or advertise the position.
**Any ‘reasonable adjustments’ you might need to make to your house and / or garden access to ensure you are inclusive and compliant with the Equality Act 2010.
**Contracts, policies and procedures and other documents for Ofsted and safer recruitment – these will take time to put together and update regularly.
**Printing costs - staff handbook, contract, policies etc. 
 
When you find your staff member
There are some initial set-up costs including, for example:
**DBS disclosure fee – and the update service for at least the first year – if the cost of the DBS takes the staff member’s wage to below minimum wage for their age.
**Paediatric first aid training course – must be updated every 3 years.
**Local Authority safeguarding training course – if available.
**Assistant insurance – Childcare.co.uk include it as standard for gold members who have opted into the insurance offer, but you might be charged extra by your insurance company.
 **If your assistant is doing a level 3 (or similar) early years course, you will need to pay training costs additional to any grant they might receive. They will also need to be provided with 20% off the job time which you pay them for at their normal wage – and during which time they accrue holiday pay.

Important note
The Ofsted letter to state an assistant is suitable to work with you can take some months to come through. During this time, your assistant can work fully supervised, but you cannot increase your ratios and you cannot leave them in sole care of children – think about how you will pay your assistant if you cannot increase your ratios while Ofsted process the application.
 
Ongoing staff costs
You will then need to consider, for example:
**Holiday pay – all staff are entitled to 5.6 weeks holiday pay a year.
**Uniform – if you expect your assistant to wear something specific – for example, a black t-shirt with logo and ‘smart’ trousers or shoes and buying the clothing will take them below minimum wage.
**Ongoing training and professional development – you must pay them for their time, as well as travel and any course fees, if you expect them to do professional development outside work hours.
**National insurance if your staff members earns more than £9,100 for the year at 13.8% (correct 02.2023).
**Sick pay depending on what is detailed in your contract.
**A contribution to their pension if they choose to save for their pension through NEST or similar – this is a contribution of a minimum of 3% of their qualifying earnings. They can choose to opt out but you must offer a pension to them if they are older than 22 years and earn over the current threshold of £10,000/year (2023).
**Meals / snacks – will you expect your staff member to bring their own food from home or will you provide them with food and drinks through the day? If you are providing food, you should cost it into your budget.
**PAYE payroll company – or online software – if you choose to use a paid service to support you with pay, tax, national insurance, pension, holiday pay etc rather than the HMRC free payroll tools. There is also end of year reporting which will take your time to complete.
**Will you need to buy your employee any equipment to do their job? For example, they might need to do record keeping for a college course or take notes if you send them on training. You should not assume they will provide these resources themselves.
**You might need to provide extra food, toys and games if you have to take on extra children.
**Consider maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and parental bereavement pay if your employee or partner is pregnant. To comply with the Equality Act 2010, you cannot ask about whether a potential employee is or intends to get pregnant.
**You might find that you need extra floor space to care for the extra children you need to take on to pay your assistant – where will that be? How will you arrange it?
**You will want to treat your staff member well – this might mean, for example, buying them gifts on their birthday and at significant times through the year such as Christmas and maybe taking them out for a meal or paying for other social functions.
**If you employ an apprentice or young person to be your assistant, you will have to pay them more as they move up the age ranges or when they have qualified. You should cost this increasing wage into your business planning.
 
Most importantly
Don’t forget perhaps the most important factor – your time. You will need to set aside your time to interview, train and support your assistant; documentation will take time to complete; you will have to learn how to do payroll and provide a payslip; there are other ongoing supervision and training requirements in the statutory framework and more. Your time is valuable and all these jobs will need to be done outside of normal working hours.  
 
You might find it helpful to consider whether you will be working harder – and your house subject to more wear and tear – and higher heating bills and food costs vs the benefits of taking on an assistant and growing your business.

I hope this helps as a starting point - your business  plan will further support the process. 

Best wishes, Sarah. 
 
.......................................

Picture (C) Google imageS | HMRC. 

Childminders, when you take on a staff member / an assistant, you need to follow Safer Recruitment Procedures.
 
This means, for example, that you ideally need to complete a safer recruitment training course, so you have up to date information about what procedures to follow.

**Useful links at the end of the blog (correct 23.2.2023)
 
It also means that you will need a Safer Recruitment Policy which you can use to help you make sure you follow all the steps needed to keep children in your setting safe.
 
Ofsted state, in the early years inspection handbook (point 99), that they will check recruitment records during inspection.

Records are usually kept together in the staff member's staff file which includes everything about their journey with your setting from their application form ... to notes about how they have answered your interview questions... to their job description, which details their roles and responsibilities.
 
Their staff file must also contain details about their DBS check, which must be applied for at the same time you inform Ofsted they are working for you, by using the ‘new adults in the home’ form.

Don't forget to update your insurance to add a staff member and put your cover certificate on your noticeboard to share information with parents. If they don't see your noticeboard, you might send them a copy. 
 
Induction training is detailed in the EYFS (requirement 3.22) and must cover, as a minimum, information about their roles and responsibilities, emergency evacuation procedures, safeguarding and child protection knowledge – for example, who to contact in the Local Authority if they have a concern about your practice; you will also need to cover health and safety training with them – for example, how to minimise hazards and what to do if a child has an accident.
 
The initial induction training you deliver in house will then extend to cover information about, for example, how to follow your curriculum based around the 7 areas of learning, Ofsted teaching expectations and how to support children to make progress from their starting points. You will add a copy of their completed and signed induction training list, along with training certificates, to their staff file.
 
If you want your staff member / assistant to be unsupervised with children, they must have received their Ofsted suitability letter** first – and they must also complete a 12-hour Paediatric First Aid course. It might also be recommended by your Local Authority that they complete a Local Safeguarding Partners safeguarding / child protection course in addition to your in-house safeguarding / child protection induction training. You must also have signed permission from parents to state that they are happy for your assistant to have sole care of their child before this happens.
 
**Note that the suitability letter is a letter from Ofsted to state that they are suitable to work with children in your early years setting. It will usually arrive in the assistant’s email inbox but sometimes goes to junk / spam, so they should keep an eye out for it after their completed DBS check has been submitted to Ofsted.
 
The Ofsted suitability letter also allows your assistant to be in ratio** (to have their own key children and for you to increase your ratios) and to help children with intimate care routines. You cannot increase your ratios until the suitability letter has arrived. Also, until the Ofsted suitability letter is received, they must be supervised by you at all times – this means you cannot leave them in a room alone with the children or let them, for example, take a group of children outside or on an outing without your direct supervision.
 
**Note about increasing ratios – before you increase your ratios there are further steps you should take. For example, you should check you have enough floor space by measuring your rooms and you should also speak to your Local Authority planning department to see whether you need to apply for and wait to be granted planning permission.
 
You will then add more documents to their staff file – for example, their Ofsted suitability letter and build the file as time goes on by including details about observations of their practice, supervisions (which must be ‘regular’ to comply with the EYFS) and ongoing training certificates.  
 
The staff file should be a complete record of their time working for you in your setting. Record retention for staff files (in normal circumstances) is for 6 years after the employee leaves.
 
The Ofsted early years inspection handbook (point 194) is clear that you will receive a less than good grading for leadership and management if you fail to ensure safer recruitment.

I hope this is helpful. Please message me if you need any clarification.

Sarah. 
​
..............................................................................
Useful links

All links checked as working 23.02.2023 - please email me and let me know if they break - 
​[email protected]. 

Gold Childcare.co.uk members will find a webinar about safer recruitment they can watch here –
https://www.childcare.co.uk/resource-library.

Ofsted early years inspection handbook –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-inspection-handbook-eif.

Ofsted capita DBS (must be home-based, enhanced, child workforce) –
https://www.ofsteddbsapplication.co.uk/

Ofsted 'report new adults in the home' form –
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/childminders-report-new-adults-in-the-home.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2021 –
 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

Staff file walkthrough –
https://independentchildminders.weebly.com/staff/employing-a-childminder-assistant.

Information about staff wages –
https://independentchildminders.weebly.com/staff/minimum-wage-increase-042023.
 

Superseded by increase in 2025

There is a holiday calculator on the HMRC website