Childminding Agencies (CMAs): publication of limited changes to statutory guidance for LAs
Update to the Department for Education document 'Early education and childcare - statutory guidance for local authorities'.
Updated guidance for local authorities making decisions on funding providers registered at an ‘ineffective' childminder agency to deliver the free early education and childcare entitlements. Changes are included in para A3.13.
The changes state:
"Secure alternative provision and withdraw funding from a provider (other than a local authority maintained school), as soon as is practicable, when Ofsted publish an inspection judgement of the provider of ‘inadequate’ or when Ofsted publish a second consecutive inspection judgement of a childminder agency of ‘ineffective’13. Following a second consecutive ‘ineffective’ inspection judgement, local authorities should continue to fund the childminder agency’s providers if the childminder agency has assessed them as being of acceptable quality and Ofsted has not identified any concerns about the childminder agency’s assessment arrangements, and should endeavour to treat all of the childminder agency’s other providers in a comparable way to Ofsted-registered providers with equivalent judgements. Subject to this, it is for local authorities to determine an appropriate timeframe for withdrawing funding. When withdrawing funding, local authorities should take into account the continuity of care for children who are already receiving their free hours at a provider or with an agency registered childminder and Ofsted monitoring information about the provider or agency. When withdrawing funding from a childminder agency-registered provider, local authorities should also take account of parents’ wishes. Local authorities should take appropriate action to improve the quality of provision at a local authority maintained school which has been judged by Ofsted to require significant improvement or has been placed in special measures."