Barker , Jo (2012) 'Make yourself at home' : a study of how childminders perceive their role and status. PhD thesis, University of Sheffield.
Abstract
Childminding is an old-established yet under-researched form of childcare in England. Until the Nurseries and Childminders Regulation Act 1948 it was also largely unregulated. In the last decade childminders have experienced changes in legislation and policy which have aligned 7them with those working in the rest of the childcare sector. As a consequence of these changes I believed that the role of the child minder has also changed. The aim of this study is to explore how childminders perceive their role. A survey methodology was chosen to elicit their views using questionnaires distributed to all 434 childminders working in one Local Authority in the North of England. In addition 2 childminders were interviewed, providing in-depth information to accompany the data from the 201 questionnaire returns. The study found the majority of childminders happy in their role, stating that the most satisfying aspect of their job was working with children and nurturing their development. In contrast, the most dissatisfying aspect of their job was reported to be the amount of paperwork they believed they had to complete. Nonetheless, contemporaneous with the increased amount of paperwork there was a perception of raised status amongst childminders. This may also be attributed to the recent move to professionalise the role of all childcare providers via the raising of formal qualification levels through funded training, and the formalising of professional standards and conditions. It is hoped that this study into a group of individuals, undertaking a common role, will reinforce the importance of continued training opportunities and influence the training strategy for the child minding workforce within my Local Authority.
Metadata
Awarding institution: | University of Sheffield |
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Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Education (Sheffield) |
Identification Number/EthosID: | uk.bl.ethos.575448 |
Depositing User: | EThOS Import Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 29 Nov 2016 14:36 |
Last Modified: | 29 Nov 2016 14:36 |
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