Complys
Home → Guides → Childminder compliance in England: registration, EYFS and daily records
Childcare

Childminder compliance in England: registration, EYFS and daily records

Check childminder registration, the September 2026 EYFS framework, ratios, first aid, safeguarding and records with official England sources.

Childminder compliance starts with one deceptively simple question: what sort of childminding are you registered to provide? The answer affects which register you use, which statutory framework applies, who oversees you and which records you need to keep. A nursery checklist cannot simply be copied into a childminder's setting. England has a separate Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework for childminders, and a new version took effect on 1 September 2026.

This guide is for childminders in England. It explains the main decision points and a practical way to maintain evidence without turning a small setting into a paperwork exercise. It does not replace the 2026 childminder framework or decide whether a particular arrangement is safe. If you care for children outside England, use the law and regulator for that nation. If you provide only later-years childcare, check the Childcare Register rules as well as any duties that still apply to your service.

Start with the correct registration route

GOV.UK's registration guidance distinguishes the Early Years Register from the Childcare Register. An England childminder caring for children from birth until the 31 August after their fifth birthday normally joins the Early Years Register, either through Ofsted or a registered childminder agency. A childminder caring for children from the following September until their eighth birthday uses the compulsory part of the Childcare Register, subject to the applicable registration route and exceptions. Do not assume that an Early Years Register certificate covers every later-years arrangement without checking the official guidance for the ages and care you offer.

The 2026 childminder EYFS framework applies to early years childminders registered with Ofsted or an early years childminder agency. It covers childminders working on domestic premises and those registered without domestic premises. The framework is separate from the version for group and school-based providers. Before applying a nursery policy or ratio table, identify the right document for your registration and setting.

The regulator relationship also differs. Ofsted inspects childminders who are registered directly with it. A childminder agency makes quality-assurance visits to childminders registered through that agency. Both look at delivery of the EYFS, but the route for notifications and routine contact depends on who registered you. Keep your registration certificate, contact details and any conditions where you can find them. When the framework says to notify Ofsted or the relevant agency, use the route that applies to your registration.

Registration is an ongoing status, not a one-time application file. If you change where or how you provide care, add an assistant, begin overnight care or experience a significant event, check the current framework and registration guidance for any notification duty before making the change. The childminder framework's notification section contains detailed categories and deadlines. A generic diary reminder is not a substitute for checking the particular event against that text.

Use the current childminder EYFS, not an old nursery template

The Department for Education says that the two current EYFS frameworks have different provider audiences. The childminder version effective from 1 September 2026 covers learning and development, assessment, safeguarding and welfare. It uses “must” for mandatory requirements and “should” where childminders must take the guidance into account and normally follow it unless there is good reason not to. Keep that distinction when turning a paragraph into a local policy. Do not present every example or suggestion as a separate legal duty.

The 2026 update includes changes on safer sleep, a requirement to have regard to screen-use guidance, provisions concerning banned dog breeds and safeguarding clarifications. These are reasons to check the September 2026 version rather than reuse a 2025 copy. The appropriate practical response is to compare the current framework with your premises, children, routines and any assistants, then revise the parts of your practice that need it. A version number at the top of a policy is not enough if day-to-day arrangements still follow old instructions.

For a childminder, the main evidence is that children are safe and developing, and that you can explain the decisions you make. A written record may be important for some matters, but the EYFS does not require you to produce a thick folder for every moment of the day. It requires specific information and records, with room for professional judgement about how best to organise the rest. The current DfE EYFS publication provides the general framework; this page concentrates on childminder-specific choices.

Keep safeguarding workable in a small setting

A childminder may be the only adult present when a concern first emerges. That makes a clear safeguarding route essential. Know how to recognise a concern, what immediate action protects the child, who receives a referral and how you record what happened. If an assistant works with you, make sure they know the route and can act when you are occupied. Keep contact details current and rehearse what happens outside normal hours. The 2026 childminder EYFS safeguarding section is the source for the exact requirements.

Suitability is not the same as simply collecting a DBS certificate. Registration and safeguarding requirements can involve the childminder, assistants and other people connected with the premises, depending on the circumstances. If someone moves in, regularly visits, begins working in the space or takes on childcare duties, check whether the framework and your registration route require a suitability check or notification. Avoid assuming that a check completed for one role automatically covers another. For the distinct DBS question, use the current Ofsted registration requirements or your agency's instructions.

In a home setting, safeguarding also reaches ordinary routines: arrival, collection, meals, sleep, outings and access to parts of the home. Parents need to know who may collect a child and how a change will be confirmed. If an unfamiliar adult is present in the premises, think through access to children and whether the presence changes your suitability or notification position. A childminder working without domestic premises should check the registration condition and the framework's requirement to tell parents that provision cannot be delivered from domestic premises under that registration.

Do not delegate safeguarding responsibility to a software reminder. A record can show what was reported and when; it cannot judge credibility, decide a referral threshold or make a child safe on its own. A childminder or competent person must follow the current safeguarding process and seek urgent assistance where needed.

Apply childminder ratios with their conditions and exceptions

The childminder framework's ratio section says that a childminder may care for a maximum of six children under eight per person providing care. This includes the childminder's own children and other children for whom they are responsible. Within that total, the usual limit is three young children, with normally only one under one. The framework sets out defined circumstances in which a childminder can depart from the usual age mix if individual needs are met, while the overall under-eight limit per person remains. Registration conditions or an Ofsted or agency decision may impose a stricter ratio.

Those figures are a ceiling, not a guarantee that any combination is safe. The framework also requires staffing arrangements to meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. Ask whether you can actually supervise the children present, manage meals safely, respond to an emergency and meet each child's needs. A permitted number on paper does not answer those questions when one child needs close support or a room layout makes supervision difficult.

If you use an assistant, check the person's suitability, induction, training and supervision, and tell parents how assistants are organised. The framework permits children to be left in an assistant's sole care for up to two hours in a single day and requires parental permission even for very short periods. Do not assume an assistant doubles your safe capacity without considering their competence, the children's needs, your premises and any registration restriction. Record the reasoning for unusual arrangements and revisit it when a child joins, a child leaves or an assistant's duties change.

Use a daily attendance view that includes your own and other relevant children. Compare the expected mix with the current framework before accepting a booking, then check again when actual attendance or staffing changes. A ratio tool can help display numbers, but it cannot decide whether a particular group is adequately supervised. That decision remains with the childminder under the framework.

Keep paediatric first aid and assistant learning current

The 2026 EYFS childminder framework requires a childminder to have a current paediatric first aid certificate to register and to continue holding one while registered. At least one person with a current full-course certificate must be on the premises and available when children are present, and must accompany children on outings. The framework's Annex A sets the course criteria and a three-year renewal. Check the certificate against the current criteria and the actual cover for your working hours and outings.

An assistant needs an induction that covers the role, emergency evacuation, safeguarding, child protection and health and safety. The childminder is accountable for the quality of the assistant's work and should be satisfied that the person can perform assigned tasks. Supervision needs to allow concerns about children and practice to be raised and addressed. A certificate for an online course is useful evidence of learning but may not show that someone can manage a real situation in this particular setting. Observe practice where the task calls for it.

Review learning when your service changes. A new age group, different premises, a change in meal provision or an assistant taking on more responsibility may all change what the person needs to know. Keep the source for each training requirement beside the record. Some intervals are set by the EYFS, such as the paediatric first aid renewal. Other review dates may come from your policy, training provider or specific task. Do not describe every local refresher interval as a statutory rule.

Manage the premises, sleep, food and outings

In a childminder setting, a child's ordinary movements matter. The 2026 framework includes specific safer-sleep provisions and says practitioners must have regard to the Department for Education's screen-use guidance. Review where each child sleeps, how they are monitored and how any assistant would respond to a change. Do not rely on an old safe-sleep poster without checking the current childminder text and your actual equipment.

Food and drink arrangements need the child's current information. Before admission, collect the information the framework requires, including emergency contacts and relevant health needs. Make sure anyone preparing or serving food knows how the setting handles a child's allergy. The framework has specific supervision and first-aid provisions while children eat. A generic allergy list is not enough if the person serving food cannot use it accurately in the moment.

For outings, plan supervision, transport, emergency contact and any change in risk. The framework requires children to be kept safe and says the paediatric first aider must accompany them. Think about the children present, the route, who can give help and what you would do if a child became separated. An outing risk assessment can be proportionate to the activity. The framework's risk-assessment section requires reasonable steps to prevent exposure to risk and an ability to demonstrate how risk is managed. It tells childminders to decide where written assessments are helpful for particular issues. It does not turn every routine decision into a mandatory stand-alone form.

Check the suitability of the space in which care is actually delivered. A childminder registered without domestic premises must keep that boundary clear to parents. A home-based childminder should think about other household uses, visitors, pets, doors, storage and access to areas that children should not enter. The 2026 framework's new wording on banned dog breeds makes current pet and premises checks especially important. Use the exact official wording for any decision about a particular animal or arrangement rather than a short online summary.

Keep records and parent information proportionate

The childminder EYFS record section requires records and relevant, accurate information to be maintained and shared appropriately. Records must be accessible and held securely, with confidential material available only to those with a right or professional need to see it. A small setting can use a simple system if it works reliably, protects personal information and allows the childminder to retrieve what is needed.

For each child, keep the information the framework specifies, including name, date of birth, parents and carers, parental responsibility and emergency contacts. Share the required information about how the EYFS is delivered, daily routines, support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, food and drink, key-person arrangements, policies and emergency contact. Keep that information accurate when an address, collection arrangement or health need changes. A parent should not discover during an incident that the recorded number no longer works.

The framework also distinguishes records from policies. For example, a childminder is not required to have a written complaints procedure, but must keep a record of complaints and their outcomes. Written complaints about EYFS requirements must be investigated and the person who complained informed of the outcome within 28 days of receiving the complaint. A useful record states the concern, what was checked, what was decided, what changed and when the parent was told. A blank template alone does not show that a complaint was handled.

Set an approach for retaining and protecting children's records that follows the current framework and data protection duties. Avoid making a blanket claim that every record must be retained for one identical number of years. The EYFS says records relating to individual children must be kept for a reasonable period after they leave. The right period and access arrangement may depend on the type of record and other applicable duties. Record your policy and seek appropriate advice for unusual or sensitive records.

Know when a change or concern needs a notification

Some changes and events must be reported to Ofsted or the childminder agency, depending on registration. The 2026 framework's notification sections set out the categories and timing, including certain changes to people connected with the premises and events affecting suitability. A childminder should check the exact paragraph for the event rather than assume every notice has the same clock. If a safeguarding concern needs immediate action, protect the child and use the safeguarding route first; record the notification decision separately.

Create a short escalation note that says who checks the requirement, who contacts Ofsted or the agency, what information must be supplied and where the communication is recorded. If you are the sole childminder, the note still helps during a stressful event. If an assistant works with you, make sure they know how to tell you about an issue promptly and what to do if you are unavailable.

When you know an Ofsted inspection or agency quality-assurance visit is due, the framework requires you to tell parents and carers. It also requires a copy of the resulting report to be supplied to parents and carers of children attending regularly. An “inspection ready” badge is not the evidence. Keep current records and a clear explanation of how your practice meets children's needs, then follow the official process for the visit and report.

A practical weekly check for a childminder

Use a short routine that reflects your registration and current children. Check expected attendance and age mix against safe supervision, not simply a headline ratio. Confirm the paediatric first-aid cover for each day and outing. Review new child information, emergency contacts, allergies and collection permissions. Note any assistant's duties and any supervision or induction action still open.

Look at the environment as children use it. Are sleep spaces, food arrangements, doors and outdoor areas suitable today? Has a household or premises change affected suitability? Is a planned outing safe for the actual group? If a concern, incident or complaint occurred, record the action and whether an external notification or referral is required under the exact current rule. These checks can be brief, but they need to prompt real action when something is wrong.

At a less frequent governance review, compare your own policies with the current EYFS childminder framework. Check that you have not carried forward a nursery-only requirement or missed a childminder-specific provision from September 2026. Review the records you share with parents and the people who may access confidential information. If you use software, test whether it can help you find the relevant record and show who acted, rather than assuming it certifies compliance.

Where Complys fits

This guide explains the childminder's compliance tasks. Software should not be treated as deciding registration eligibility, calculating a legally safe ratio, verifying DBS information, submitting Ofsted notifications or guaranteeing an inspection outcome. If you compare record systems, ask for a demonstration against your own needs and verify all terms before relying on one.

For general EYFS context, use the current DfE framework publication. For the separate screening question, use the current Ofsted registration requirements or your childminder agency's guidance. Your starting point for a legal requirement remains the childminder framework and your own registration position.

Next step: check your register and provider type, open the September 2026 childminder EYFS, and list any changes needed for your actual children, premises and assistants. If you need a better way to organise records, test it against those specific tasks before choosing a system.

Primary sources