Illegal Child Care 'Warning' Issued

A local childcare charity has issued a stark warning to parents who use unregistered childminders.

NICMA - the Childminding Association said today that the use of unregistered childcarers in Northern Ireland is all too common and is putting children's safety at risk. It is illegal for any childminder who is paid for more than two hours' childcare a day to operate without registering with their local health and social care trust.

Yet, a survey carried out by NICMA of more than 200 newly-registered childminders found that just over one third (35%) of respondents said they knew of at least one unregistered childminder operating in their area and nearly one in six (17%) said competition from unregistered childminders was having a negative impact on their business.

"We're very concerned at these findings," said NICMA's Director, Bridget Nodder. "They suggest that there is widespread use of unregistered childminders.

"Our main concern is that the use of illegal childcarers - who have not been inspected, have not had a criminal records check, and have no insurance - is putting the safety of children at risk.

"But the survey findings also show that unregistered childminders are making it more difficult for some legitimate childminders to fill their places - it's quite unfair that those who follow the rules and adhere to proper standards are being penalised at the expense of those who are flouting the law."

To raise awareness among parents, the charity is launching a major publicity drive aimed at persuading parents of the benefits of using registered childminders.

Postcards containing information and advice on choosing a registered childminder will be available at libraries, doctors' surgeries and other public venues throughout Northern Ireland.

The charity is also distributing postcards aimed at unregistered or prospective childminders, explaining the benefits of registering.

NICMA would also like social services teams to take a more proactive approach towards unregistered childminders, but the charity would prefer that childcarers operating outside the law were given the chance to register first.

See: www.nicma.org

(BMcC/GK)