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Following the DfE’s decision to increase the number of assistants that a childminder can work with from 2 to 3 (a total of 4 including the Childminder). It is likely that more Childminders will be working with others in the future. Many Childminders have already been opening their businesses with the intention of expanding in mind.

We have, therefore, written a Safer Recruitment course in order to provide you with the information required and necessary resources to ensure that when employing assistants, all the necessary precautions are taken to ensure the safety of the children in your care. This course will teach you how to employ the right staff to work with children and includes:

• A job advertisement
• A job application form
• Job description
• Person specification
• Check list

as well as a number of other resources.

This course is available now, is included in your Childminding UK membership and can be found in your dashboard under ‘Training’.

Childminders have a statutory and moral obligation to meet safeguarding requirements and to keep children safe from harm. Safer recruitment is a set of practices designated to ensure that anybody working with children is suitable to do so and that they don’t post any harm to them.

When employing staff to work in a childminding setting, it is essential to ensure that safer recruitment procedures are carried out to protect the children in your care.

Safer recruitment will help to create a safer environment for children, the benefits of which are:

• Ensuring that children are safe from harm
• That allegations are handled promptly and appropriately
• A transparent and supportive environment fosters safety and wellbeing for all
• Children and young people flourish when they feel safe and secure
• Everyone in the setting understands their roles, responsibilities and boundaries
• Staff and volunteers are safeguarded against unwarranted accusations
• The setting demonstrates that welfare is a top priority

Safer recruitment is one of the most important aspects of safeguarding children, this should form part of your safeguarding policies and procedures.

It is one of the first opportunities that you have to minimise the risks of anyone causing harm to children in your care.