Once you are registered as a Childminder with Ofsted

Barking and Dagenham has a knowledgeable and experienced Early Years Development team to support and advise registered childminders.

We aim to support our registered childminders to provide the best home based childcare to the children and families they work with.  We can help you with any questions or difficulties you have and encourage and support you to continually review and develop your childcare service.

Newly registered childminders will also receive a £600 start up grant.

Early Years Development Officer

You will be allocated a London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) Early Years Development Officer, who will support you with:

  • a welcome visit 
  • the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework 
  • Ofsted inspections

This might be via 

  • 1-1 support 
  • face to face home visits 
  • telephone conversations 
  • email
  • virtual online meetings via Microsoft Teams
  • continuous professional development 
  • observation of practice, coaching and modelling good practice

Statutory framework for the EYFS support

Safeguarding

  • LBBD safeguarding procedures
  • safeguarding training/professional development 
  • regular updates on local safeguarding procedures and national expectations of safeguarding 
  • support with safeguarding, procedures and knowledge access to training and local offers to support vulnerable families 
  • risk assessments for your premises and outings
  • accident and incident reporting
  • emergency evacuations and fire drills
  • managing children’s behaviour (training, documentation, tips and advice)
  • policies and procedures support and advice
  • risk assessments, support, and advice
  • EYFS statutory framework safeguarding and welfare checks
  • health and safety guidance 
  • UK GDPR and data protection guidance 

EYFS educational programme and early learning goals

  • child development
  • child’s play including child-initiated play and adult led learning
  • communication and language development, interaction skills and vocabulary development, supporting documentation and advice
  • learning journal
  • observations
  • assessment and development checkpoints
  • progress checks at two
  • planning

Teaching and learning 

  • modelling teaching and learning practice
  • participation in national initiatives and projects

Diversity and inclusion 

  • modelling of inclusive practice
  • support and documentation
  • festival planning
  • resources

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) 

  • professional development 
  • advice
  • support documentation 
  • parent partnership support 
  • food and drink

Parent Partnership       

  • allergen awareness documentation 
  • toilet training
  • tooth brushing advice
  • child development guidance for parents

Continuous Professional Development 

Training for a subsidised fee or free through your personal LBBD training portal:

  • safeguarding training
  • paediatric First Aid training
  • food hygiene
  • fire safety

Free teaching and learning professional development written by LBBD Advisory Teachers through:

  • face to face training 
  • online
  • videos

Sufficiency and Sustainability 

Support includes: 

  • 2-year-old and 3-year-old funding 
  • business plans

Childcare sufficiency assessment

Family information service

LBBD Family Information Service (FIS) 

Provide support with 

  • advertising your childminding business
  • brokerage
  • department for Education (DfE) guidance 
  • allocation of 2 year and 3 & 4-year-old funded children