Recent Safeguarding Concerns for Childminders

Child abuse cases are rare across all types of early years settings. Recent Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (previously known as serious case reviews), court cases and high-profile news items highlight failures – but we must remember that they are not commonly occurring when you look at everyday practice and the majority of early years providers offer safe, high-quality care.

Childminders are in a unique position because we work alone so there is a general lack of oversight unless we are out in the community or being inspected once every so many years (6 at the moment moving to 4). This means it is easy to become isolated and poor practice can escalate because we don't have a support network to provide guidance and updates about changes to, for example, safeguarding legislation.

Childcare.co.uk strives to support providers with regular safeguarding webinars and update documents and blogs, to share best practice and raise standards.

These are some safeguarding incidents that have been reported over the last few years that you need to be aware of, as a childminder working alone or with other childminders or assistants, so you can protect the children and families, yourself and your setting's continued sustainability and community reputation.

In relation to suitability:

• Adults, new partners or family members living in the home not disclosed to Ofsted.
• Individuals over 16 in the household not DBS checked.
• Household members with a recent criminal history or police involvement not disclosed to Ofsted.
• Childminders not disclosing to Ofsted when they are taking new medication or have been diagnosed with new medical conditions that affect their continued health suitability.
• Unregistered / undeclared adults 'helping out' with childcare – or 2 childminders regularly working together and not informing Ofsted about the arrangement.

In relation to child safety:

• Children being harmed by family pets.
• Toileting / bathroom areas not private for older children.
• Children accessing upstairs rooms and hurting themselves in the rooms or on the stairs.
• Tools left outside in the garden leading to accidents.
• Children leaving soft play unsupervised and the childminder does not report it / colleagues with the childminder do not report under whistleblowing requirements – the soft play report to Ofsted.

In relation to general safeguarding:

• Delayed reporting because the childminder didn't think Ofsted needed to know.
• Weak safeguarding knowledge – the childminder cannot explain the signs of abuse, unsure about thresholds for referral and don't have a record of local contact details.
• Lack of statutory (EYFS Annex C) safeguarding training.
• Failure to escalate concerns and notify the LADO or Local Safeguarding Partners.
• Safeguarding records relating to a child stored when the child leaves the setting rather than handed over to the child's next setting, meaning there is a breakdown in communication and a failure to safeguard the child.
• Over-familiar relationships with parents leading to a lack of professional challenge when there is a concern about a child's safety or wellbeing at home.
• Failure to record and refer concerns – speaking to parents instead and taking their word for it rather than asking advice. Ofsted expect to see written records, a clear chronology and evidence of referral.
• Children rough handled or shouted at by the childminder – reported by a member of the public.

In relation to online safety:

• Over-friendly social media contact with childminder families.
• Photos of children put on social media without parental knowledge / permission.
• Children not taught about staying safe online.
• Teenagers in the home accessing unsuitable online material or sharing inappropriate images of themselves or others online.
• Children able to access unsecured devices – an inspector picks up an unsecured phone or tablet and gets straight onto the internet.
• Information about online safety not shared with parents to support children's safety at home.
• Inadequate filtering or security on home Wi-Fi which means children can access inappropriate sites.

In relation to record keeping:

• Poor quality Safeguarding Policy – copied from the internet, not changed for the setting's unique circumstances, not referring to the latest requirements in the EYFS Sept 2025.
• Children physically restrained during an incident and parents not informed.
• Existing injuries / accidents not recorded and / or not signed by parents.
• Medication administration forms incorrectly completed, or medication not recorded.
• Progress check at 2 (statutory) not completed.
• Safeguarding Policies and Complaints Policy not shared with parents (Childcare Register requirement).
• Lack of records about low level concerns – in relation to both assistants and children. For example, the childminder asks the inspector 'should I have written … down?'

In relation to safer sleep:

• Babies left to sleep in car seats or unsuitable bouncer chairs.
• Babies and young children sleeping on the childminder's bed.
• Unsafe bedding – not following safer sleep guidance.
• Unclean sleep spaces – for example, shared sofas.
• Poor monitoring – children put down to sleep and left without a monitor and physical checking.

In relation to visitors:

• Front doors not secured after admitting visitors / Ofsted inspectors.
• Visitors entering during working hours and being left unsupervised with children.
• Trades present without a risk assessment – reported by neighbours because they are smoking on the drive, swearing while working etc.

Lack of safeguarding understanding:

• Cannot explain the Prevent Duty – radicalisation and exposure to extremism.
• Cannot explain FGM mandatory reporting.
• Doesn't know how to recognise vulnerabilities in children or families.
• Unsure when or how to report concerns.
• Unsure what the requirement to report a 'significant event' to Ofsted means.
• Waiting longer than 14 days to report significant events.

Update your CPD

The concerns Ofsted pick up on during inspection are generally due to a lack of understanding. As part of your continued professional development:

• Read the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements – tick off which paragraphs you comply with and note any areas you want to explore in more detail.
• Read the Ofsted early years inspection toolkit – safeguarding 'met' and 'not met' statements and make an action plan.
• To comply with the EYFS Annex C, complete the Childcare.co.uk 'basic' and DSL webinars and engage with Local Authority safeguarding training where available.
• Refresh safeguarding knowledge regularly – Childcare.co.uk deliver 3 monthly safeguarding refresher webinars.
• Use the Childcare.co.uk Safeguarding Policy as a starting point for writing your own.
• Read the Childcare.co.uk safeguarding Q & A to support your understanding.
• Download the Childcare.co.uk safeguarding glossary for reference and to use during inspection.