The Children's Act 1989
The Children's act of 1989 brought together Private and Public Law about children. It replaced complex and fragmented legislation with a single statute.
Because the Act was complicated by nature a guide was produced in 1997 to provide a clear statement of the requirements placed on local authorities by the 1989 Children's Act. It discusses the implications for policies, procedures and practice.
Relevance to Childminding
Recommended Reading
Personal Guide to Childminding and Day Care of Under Eights (England and Wales) by Fergus Smith, Gillian Beasley.
The Following Parts would be of most relevance to childminders:
- Chapter 6 Section D covers childminding and the implications for both Social Services and the childminder. It is a very useful section, helping the childminder to know their expectations and rights, this can also have advantages when disputes have arisen.
- Chapter 7 deals with registration of day care and childminding. It defines fit person, suitable premises, registration requirements, refusal of registration, register of day care services. It also covers applications for registration, cancellation of registration and emergency cancellation, certificates of registration and the appeals procedure, offences and re-registration.
- Chapter 8 covers Inspection and what should be happening.
- Annex C defines the variety of childcare available.
- Annex D contains fire safety requirements and fire safety guidance for childminders and food hygiene implications.
To download a copy of the Children's Act 1989-Guidance and Regulations Click Here. It is in PDF format which means you will need Adobe Acrobat to read it.
