Childminders will be able to update and complete their annual return online at
eforms.careinspectorate.com from tomorrow (Friday 6 January) and before Friday 17 February.
It’s vital that all childminders (including those who are currently inactive) complete the annual return accurately and ensure the information you provide is up-to-date. Your annual return gives the Care Inspectorate, the Scottish Government and others a valuable insight into the overall state of childminding in Scotland.
If you registered as a childminder on or after 1 October 2016 it is not mandatory for you to complete an annual return this year; however, you are encouraged to complete the questionnaire as much as you can.
Last year new questions about funding for Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) were introduced to the annual returns, which caused some confusion for service providers and inaccurate results for the Care Inspectorate. This year SCMA has worked alongside the Care Inspectorate to review these questions and make some improvements.
As part of the 2017 annual return questionnaire, you will be asked “At 31 December, how many children were registered with your service?” The term ‘registered with your service’ actually refers to the number of children ‘on your childminding books’ at the time – and not how many children attended your service on that particular day.
When answering this question, you may find the total number of children on your books exceeds the total number of children permitted on your registration certificate. Some children could attend part-time, and will not all attend at the same time.
Another question asks “At 31 December, how many children registered with your service, received ELC funding?” This question is asking you about the number of children ‘on your books’ that have a place with you which is funded by the local authority, using either part or all of their ELC funding.
Where the answer is ‘none’ or you don’t know, please enter zero ‘0’.
Here’s an example…
A childminder has two children in her service; Alex (3) and Sarah (5).
All three and four year olds and eligible twos receive 600 hours of ELC funding. Therefore Alex is entitled to receive ELC funding, but the 600 hours of funded ELC are not delivered by his childminder. Instead Alex receives his funded ELC hours at his nursery, and Alex’s parents pay for the childminder.
With this in mind, think about the following questions:
Q. At 31 December, how many children were registered with your service?
A. The answer to this question would be: one three-year-old and one five-year old. This is because the childminder is providing a service to both Alex and Sarah. Even though both children may not have attended the service on 31 December, they were both registered on the childminder’s books.
Less than 3 months old
0
3 months but less than 6 months old
0
6 months old but less than 1 year old
0
1 year old
0
2 years old
0
3 years old
1
4 years old
0
5 years old
1
6 years old
0
Q. At 31 December, how many children were registered with your service, received ELC funding?
A. The answer to this question would be: zero. This is because, although Alex is three years old and entitled to receive funded ELC, his funded hours are delivered at nursery, and not with his childminder. Sarah is five years old and not eligible for ELC funding – it is most likely that she attends school.
Less than 3 months old
0
3 months but less than 6 months old
0
6 months old but less than 1 year old
0
1 year old
0
2 years old
0
3 years old
0
4 years old
0
5 years old
0
6 years old
0
Still stuck?
Remember it’s ok to be unsure and it’s ok to ask. After all, it’s more important to get the correct answer. Some questions may not apply to you and your service - it could even be something that does not concern you due to confidentiality reasons.
The Care Inspectorate’s website
careinspectorate.com has answers for your Frequently Asked Questions.
Help is at hand…
SCMA’s Helpline (01786 449063, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm)
Care Inspectorate Enquiry Line (0345 600 9527)
Login to
eForms to update and complete your Care Inspectorate annual return before 17 February 2017.