'Make yourself at home' : a study of how childminders perceive their role and status.

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.