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The Early Years Alliance has issued a comment in reaction to the Department for Education's childminder announcement. As part of this:

• The Children and Families Minister, Claire Coutinho has written to housing associations, social landlords and developers in England to urge them to allow childminders to work in their rented properties,
• The government will also consult on reducing registration times to around 10 weeks, and make sure childminders are paid monthly by local authorities

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said: 

“Today’s announcement will fail to rectify or even slightly remedy the issues facing England’s childminding sector.  

“Childminders are a crucial part of the early years sector, but they continue to be underfunded, undervalued and underappreciated. Yet, rather than addressing or even acknowledging this, the government has instead wasted time and resources by putting forward changes to minor challenges that in reality, will make a small amount of difference.  

“We know that, while property restrictions may be an issue for a small proportion of childminders, it will do little, if anything at all to prompt lasting and effective change.   

“In addition, simply reminding when local authorities should pay entitlement payments to childminders, and marginally speeding up the approval process does not go far enough to even temporarily ease pressures.”  

“Let’s be clear, what childminders, and the rest of the early years sector urgently need, is a long-term plan supported by realistic funding. Anything less not only entirely underestimates the severity of the challenges the sector is facing but prompt even more to leave."