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| Q. |
What qualifications do I need to become a childminder? |
| A. You do not need to have a formal qualification to register as a childminder. However, you do need to satisfy the Care Commission that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to provide quality care for children, run a childminding business, and satisfy the requirements of registration, so it is strongly recommended that you find out about what training is available in your area.
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| Q. |
What training is available to help me get registered? |
| A. SCMA run Induction Training courses in most (over 80%) Local Authority areas. If you have an SCMA Childminding Development Officer (CDO) in your area, you should contact them to discuss what training is available. If there is no SCMA CDO near you, SCMA have an Open Learning Induction Training pack available at a cost of £25 (plus £2.50 p&p). You could also contact the Local Childcare Partnership, Care Commission or Children's Information Service to see what training and support is available where you are.
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| Q. |
I already have a qualification in childcare, is it worth me doing SCMA Induction Training? |
| A. SCMA Induction Training covers all the information you will need to help you complete your application to register and to help you through the first stages of your childminding career. It is specific to childminding, so will give you a good insight to what is actually involved in caring for children in a home setting. It also covers the business side of childminding which is very useful if you have not had experience of self-employment. If you are able to attend the training sessions you will meet up with other prospective childminders, share ideas and enter into discussion which will expand your knowledge and understanding of the issues involved. You will also be able to begin to form your own support network.
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| Q. |
I can't get out to training, is there anything I can do at home? |
| A. SCMA has an Open Learning Induction study pack. This covers all the topics included in the pre-registration training sessions, with written activities for you to work through to check your understanding. If you have an SCMA Childminding Development Officer in your area they will be able to advise you on what support is available to help you work through the pack. The Induction study pack costs £25 (plus £2.50 p&p), but funding might be available in your area.
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| Q. |
Once I am registered will I have to do more training or achieve a qualification? |
| A. It is good practice to attend training to keep you up-to-date with developments in childcare, to extend and develop your skills, expand your knowledge of caring for children, and to keep running your childminding business professionally. This is called Continuous Professional Development (CPD); all childcare workers are required to undertake CPD in accordance with the Scottish Social Services Councils code of practice. As a minimum in your first year of childminding, you should consider undertaking more in-depth training on Child Protection and completing a Childcare First Aid course. Following on from that it is good practice to consider what further training needs you have and to plan for your own CPD by finding out what training is available to suit your individual needs. Topics for further training could also be identified by the Care Commission officer at inspection time. |
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| Q. |
What training is available for me once I am registered? |
A. SCMA have various post-registration training packages available; contact your SCMA Childminding Development Officer to see what is on offer in your area. This could be:
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Continuing Professional Development Workshops, As with all professionals, quality childminders should take the opportunity to continue to develop their knowledge and skills throughout their career.
This series of workshops offer childminders the opportunity to continue to broaden their knowledge base, enhance their skills and improve the quality of their childminding service.
The range of topics will grow in response to childminders demands and Care Commission requirements in line with good practice. More...
- SCMA Scheme of Excellence, The Scheme of Excellence offers childminders the opportunity to develop the quality of their service by becoming involved in their own personal continuous development. By encouraging and motivating childminders to reflect and evaluate their current working practice in line with the National Care Standards, good practice will be clearly illustrated. More...
You should contact your SCMA Childminding Development Officer, Local Children's Information Service, or Local Authority Childcare Partnership Training Officer to find out what other training is available as this can vary from area to area. This could be one-off workshops on a variety of topics, short courses, or formal qualifications. As a minimum in your first year of childminding, you should consider undertaking more in depth training on Child Protection and completing a Childcare First Aid course.
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