Perceptions of the impact of childminding services on child, parent and family outcomes: research findings

7. Raising awareness of childminding

Summary of main findings

• There was a consensus among childminders and parents that there was a lack of awareness of childminding as an option and of what childminders can offer – and therefore a need for greater promotion of it. There was a feeling that national and local government have focused more on nursery provision.
• There was a perception among childminders that parents who did not use childminders thought they were “like babysitters” or that the children are “just sitting watching TV”. A lack of knowledge about the training, qualifications and experience of many childminders, and the regulations they must adhere to, was thought to be at the root of these misconceptions.
• The perceived benefits of childminding set out in chapters 2 and 3 should be the starting point for promotion. From the point of view of parents, the main selling points are the flexible hours, the one-to-one attention and the nurturing, home-from-home setting. Childminders were keen to promote the developmental aspects (including their training and qualifications, the development plans they produce and the records they keep) and the regulations, risk assessments and quality assurance mechanisms that apply to them as well as to nurseries.
• Childminders and parents thought awareness of childminding should be raised, and misconceptions about it addressed, by the Scottish Government (on television and through social media), by local authorities (on their websites) and by health visitors (when meeting parents).
• When asked what might encourage a greater uptake of childminding, parents tended to suggest more funding (including extending funded hours to younger children) and greater clarity about what funding/financial assistance is already available (including information on tax free childcare, tax credits for childcare and universal credit for childcare).
• The need for more childminders to address the difficulty of finding a childminding place was raised by parents.
• The parent of a child with additional needs raised the issue of increasing the support provided to childminders, to expand their capacity to work with these children, as well as signposting to suitably experienced childminders.
• A parent from Africa highlighted the need to raise awareness of childminding and make information accessible to ethnic minority groups and people who do not speak English. It may be that the personal support that childminders could offer parents (for example, about how to negotiate the various early years systems and what local amenities and activities are available) would particularly appeal to, and be beneficial to, those who are new to Scotland.

This section discusses parents and childminders views on how childminding might best be promoted to parents, and draws on their perspectives to make recommendations. It is based on the interviews with childminders and with parents who currently use childminders. As noted in the Methods section above, this research did not include parents who do not use childminders and, as the target audience, it would be worth conducting additional research with them during the development of promotional materials.

The need to promote childminding

There was a consensus among parents and childminders that there should be greater promotion of childminding. It was agreed that there is:

• A lack of awareness of childminding as an option at all. Some of the parents in the study had explored childminding options because they had friends or family members who recommended it or they were aware of local childminders. However, others had not considered it all (tending to assume that their child would go to nursery) until a chance mention from someone. One parent described how she had posted on a local Facebook page asking for nursery recommendations, when someone asked if she had considered a childminder – “I never had. I don’t know why” – and a local childminder proactively got in touch.
• A lack of awareness of what childminders can offer.

There was a feeling among childminders that the Scottish Government and local authorities have focused much more on nursery provision.

“It's been "nursery, nursery, nursery”.”

Childminder for 2.5 years, Edinburgh

“The Government don't see us. We're trying to promote ourselves but it's quite deflating, knowing that we're not getting recognised.”

Childminder for 18 years, North Lanarkshire

However, there were some indications of more recent progress, including from those who had been in the sector for many years:

“Since I started 10 years ago, SCMA and people at the council have fought a lot for us.”

Childminder for 10 years, Aberdeenshire

“I see us moving forward now.”

Childminder for 30 years, Edinburgh

Common misconceptions about childminding

Parents and childminders identified a number of possible misconceptions that they thought should be addressed. The most commonly mentioned were:

• That a childminder is (merely) “like a babysitter”
• That the children are “just sitting watching TV”
• That childminders “just sit and play” with the children.

It was felt that a lack of knowledge about the training, qualifications and experience of many childminders, and the regulations they must adhere to, was at the root of these misconceptions. The above quote may also indicate a lack of awareness about the important role of play in learning.

“It’s not well known how much training and knowledge childminders have to have. They’re just seen as a babysitting service. There needs to be a greater awareness they are qualified. They don’t just sit with them until you pick them up. They do a lot of learning and have skills that are beneficial for kids.”

Parent of 3 year old and 5 year old, Falkirk, using childminder, nursery and informal care from a grandparent

Parents commonly talked about their own misconceptions and things they had not realised that childminders could do until they had looked into it and had one themselves.

“I think there is that old stereotype isn’t there, it is like a dusty old woman looking after your kids in her own home […] and it wasn't until I went to [childminder’s], I actually thought, well hang on a minute, it's totally different. It is actually structured, there is routine, and the kids are fed three times a day and snacks and all this kind of stuff, it was a lot more organised than I expected it to be […] I didn't know that they had to have all these certificates and training and things […] So, I was not aware of it, there was that kind of stringent checks and procedures in place for a childminder, I thought it was a much more informal setting than a nursery.”

Parent of a 1 year old and a 3 year old, Aberdeenshire, using a childminder and informal care from grandparents

Other misconceptions mentioned by parents were that:

• childminders are more expensive than they actually are: “people say, ‘how can you afford that?’”
• that childminders are just for babies and very young children – people do not realise they provide care for children up until they go to school (and, often, beyond that).

There was a view that the term ‘childminding’ itself may be problematic as ‘minding’ conveys something less involved – something akin to just keeping an eye out to check that a child is safe.

“I don’t know if we should be called childminders anymore. I don’t think people realise we've got the same qualifications as a nursery worker. Maybe we could be ‘early years practitioners’.”

Childminder for 26 years, Aberdeenshire

What aspects of childminding should be promoted?

Chapters 2 and 3 of this report set out the perceived benefits of childminding and these should be the starting point for promotion. From the point of view of parents, the main selling points are the flexible hours, the one-to-one attention and the nurturing, home-from-home setting. A further aspect that some felt should be promoted was the fact that some childminders provide funded hours and some can provide as much as 1,140 funded hours.

Childminders were keen to promote the developmental aspects (including their training and qualifications, the development plans they produce and the records they keep) and the regulations, risk assessments and quality assurance mechanisms that apply to them as well as to nurseries. Given that all providers involved in the delivery of funded hours are required to follow the same standards, this should also be included within promotion so that parents are aware all providers (including nurseries and childminders) are required to meet the same standards.

It should be borne in mind that there may a tension between promoting the homely setting and promoting the professionalism of childminders (the latter may be counteracted by the former). This may be mitigated by being careful to promote both aspects at the same time and should be tested with parents.

Where and how childminding should be promoted

Participants suggested that childminding should be promoted by the Scottish Government (on television and through social media), by local authorities (on their websites) and by health visitors (when meeting parents). One specific recommendation was to advertise the fact that a list of local childminders and their inspection reports can be searched for on the Care Inspectorate’s website^[21].

Testimonies from parents could also be used when promoting childminding. When asked what they would say to other parents considering it as an option, responses included:

“100% do it. The main selling points are how personal it can be, how much they help you, they love and care for them, one sole carer, it’s the best thing for children who want routine.”

Parent of 3 year old, using childminder, South Lanarkshire

“I would say definitely go for it but do your research first […] I’d highly recommend it if you find someone that you click with.”

Parent of 2 year old, using childminder, Falkirk

What parents say would encourage greater uptake

When asked what might encourage a greater uptake of childminding, parents tended to suggest more funding (including extending funded hours to younger children) and – just as importantly – greater clarity about what funding/financial assistance is already available (including information on tax free childcare, tax credits for childcare and universal credit for childcare).

Trust was an underlying theme and a concern for parents when considering childminding as an option – and they recognised it as a potential issue for other parents that might inhibit uptake. Promotion of the regulations and quality assurance mechanisms (discussed above) may help address this. The following comment also raises the question of whether funded trials with childminders might be worth considering.

“Childminders don’t have time for trials^[22]. Some people don't trust what childminders do. There's a portal where you can write about childminders but not all parents know about it.”

Parent of 4 year old, using childminder, Fife

The need for more childminders to address the difficulty of finding a place was also raised by both parents and childminders.

The parent of a child with additional needs raised the issue of increasing the support provided to childminders, to expand their capacity to work with these children, as well as signposting to suitably experienced childminders:

“Support childminders with links to training, equipment and have community teams supporting them. They [community teams] are good at going into schools but do they provide the same support to childminders? Could give them work experience in an additional needs school. There should be a directory of childminders with ASN training. [At the moment] you need to find a CM then ask the question. That’s a daunting task for a family that already has a lot on their plate. It’s very word of mouth. We were lucky. Information should be easily and readily available for somebody who needs a specific childminder. I’m not sure who it should be filtered through…. community nurses? They can help signpost where to go to get information. They come to you as soon as you bring baby home from hospital. […] Otherwise you just wouldn’t know where to start.”

Parent of 4 year old with additional support needs, using childminder, Midlothian

A parent from Africa highlighted the need to raise awareness of childminding and make information accessible to ethnic minority groups and people who do not speak English:

“[Promote childminding through] health visitors, the council website - be clear about how much it costs [she found that confusing]. I think the government should reach out to ethnic minority groups and those that can't speak English. Refugees might not be aware of [childminding]. I think there is a language and cultural barrier. Make this service accessible to everybody.”

Parent of a 1 year old and a newborn, using a childminder, Edinburgh

It may be that the personal support that childminders could offer parents (for example, about how to negotiate the various early years systems and what local amenities and activities are available) would particularly appeal to, and be beneficial to, those who are new to Scotland.