12 October 2009

Children's Secretary, Ed Balls writes to Ofsted to propose an end to the regulation of reciprocal childcare arrangements between friends.

In the letter to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Christine Gilbert, Ed Balls said:

"When parents make their own reciprocal childcare arrangements with friends they retain full control and responsibility for the care their children receive, and I am clear that this should not be a matter for regulation. I have sought the advice of the Government’s Chief Adviser on Child Safety, Sir Roger Singleton, and he agrees with me that this is the right approach.

"It has never been our intention to intervene in these kinds of arrangements between parents and friends."

The Children’s Secretary asks Ofsted to treat, with immediate effect, all childcare arrangements made between friends with no financial reward and of mutual aid as beyond regulated childcare and therefore without requirement of regulation and registration. The Children’s Secretary also announced he is setting in train the process required to clarify the relevant legislation to exempt from registration reciprocal childcare arrangements between friends.

Read the full press notice.