Child minding and day care

Child minding

From 1 April 2011 the law on the registration and inspection of child minding and day care is governed by the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010. 

If you are already registered as a child minder or provider of day care your certificate will still be valid after 1 April 2011. You will receive a new certificate following your next inspection.  However you will need to comply with the Child Minding and Day Care (Wales) Regulations 2010 and take into account the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Child Care.

Do you need to register for child minding or day care?

When considering whether you need to register please refer to the legislation and national minimum standards which came into force on 1 April, 2011.  A brief summary of the main considerations is given below.

What is child minding? 

Child minding is when a person looks after one or more children under the age of eight on domestic premises for reward.
 
If you are providing child minding you must register with Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW).  You may be committing an offence if you do not register.

However, you may be exempt from the duty to register.   Please see The Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Wales) Order 2010.

You would not need to register for child minding if

• you are a parent or relative or foster parent of the child
• the total period of care in any one day does not exceed two hours
• the period during which the child is cared for is between 6pm on any one day and 2am the following day
• friends care for each other’s child and no payment (whether money or money’s worth) is made for the service
• care is provided by a person employed directly by the parents of up to two families (such as a nanny or au pair) and the child is cared for in the home of either of the families.

If you are required to register as a child minder please complete the application form with the aid of the guidance.

If you need any advice on applying to be a child minder please contact your local Family Information Service (0300 123 7777)

Day Care

What is day care? 

Day care is when a person looks after children under the age of 8 on premises other than domestic premises.

If you are providing day care you must register with CSSIW. You may be committing an offence if you do not register. 

However, you may be exempt from the duty to register as set out in The Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Wales) Order 2010.

You would not be required to register as a provider of day care if

• you provide care to a child/children on fewer than six days in any calendar year and you have notified CSSIW in writing before the first occasion on which the premises are used in that year
• the period or the total of the periods in any one day on which children are cared for on premises does not exceed two hours
• you provide care to a child in a children’s home in respect of which a person is registered under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000
• you provide care to a child accommodated in a care home or hospital or a residential family centre and the care is part of the activity of that establishment
• you provide care for a child staying at a hotel, guest house or other similar establishment  and the care only takes place between 6 pm and 2 am and is given to no more than two different clients at the same time
• you provide care to a child/children at a school and the provision of care is incidental to the provision of education
• you provide coaching or tuition in an activity listed in regulations (i.e.  sport, performing arts, arts and crafts, school study or homework support, religious or cultural study).  However, these activities will need to be registered if the children are below the age of 5 and attend for longer than four hours per day or if the coaching or tuition is provided in more than two of the types of activity listed.

If you are required to register for day care please complete an application with the aid of the guidance. A copy of the application form and guide can be acquired by contacting the CSSIW regional office.  The application forms for day care and the guidance will be available on this website by the end of April 2011.

If you need any advice on applying to be a provider of day care please contact your local Family Information Service (0300 123 777).