The long awaited Garda Vetting system for Childminders and staff of childcare services has been set up. Barnardo’s is the appointed agency who will process applications for Childminders who are notified to the HSE, Childminders who are Voluntary Notified to the Galway City and County Childcare Committee, and Childminders who are working informally in the community. If Childminders have assistants in their service they may also be vetted through Barnardo’s. The Galway City and County Childcare Committee strongly encourages Childminder to include everyone in the home whom is over 18 years in their vetting programme.

Under the revised Pre-school Services Regulations 2006, all Childminders notified to the HSE are required to be vetted {Part II, 8.2 (c) and 3} once the system has been set up. Under the National Guidelines for Childminders: Voluntary Notification, Childminders agree to undergo the Garda Vetting procedure once it is set up.

By availing of the vetting system, Childminders can offer reassurance to parents that they have no criminal record that would deem them unsuitable to provide personal care and attention to their child in the unsupervised environment of the family home.

Garda Vetting is one step in ensuring the safety and protection of the children in your care. Having a written Child Protection Policy and Procedures and ensuring your families are aware of such procedures is another aspect, as is training in the Children First: Child Protection programme. Training for this will be available for Childminders in 2008 from the Galway City and County Childcare Committee.

Contact Barnardo’s by telephone at: 01-4530355

Or by post to: Barnardo’s, Christchurch Square, Dublin 8.

You can find out more from the web site address: http://www.barnardos.ie/vettingservice.htm

 

Childminders

What is a Childminder?
The Explanatory Guide of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006 provides the following definitions:

"Childminding service" means a pre-school service which may include an overnight service offered by a person who single-handedly takes care of pre-school children, including the childminder's own children, in the childminder's home for a total of more than 2 hours per day, except where exemptions provided in Section 58 of the Child Care Act 1991 apply. (Contact our office for information on 'Exemptions')

 

"Childminder" is a person who provides a childminding service as defined in the Regulations.

 

This service refers to pre-school children looked after in the childminder's home. This service is offered for the full working day or for different periodsduring the day.

 

Childminder Advisory Officer
The role of the advisor is to support all childminders, including those who care for three or fewer preschool children and/or school age children and those who are notified to the HSE. Exempt Childminders are encouraged to notify the Galway City & County Childcare Committee of their service. Once notified, childminders can take advantage of the many supports available, such as:

• Assistance to set up your childminding service
• Ongoing support for established services
• Guidance in record-keeping, writing policies, etc.
• Access to funding through the Childminders’ Development Grant
• Local training
• Mutual support through a local network of childminders
• Assistance in completing the Self-Evaluation, as part of the National Guidelines for Childminders
• Assistance in preparing for annual HSE inspections
• Information regarding the Childcare Services Relief (tax exemption for Childminders)
• Parent Referral Service
• Receiving the quarterly ‘Childminders’ News’
• Text update service for meetings, training, etc.
  Contact Sheila Garrity, Childminder Advisory Officer at:
  sheila@galwaychildcare.com or 087-9421895
   
  Childminders' Advisory Forum
  The purpose of the Childminders' Advisory Forum is: to discuss issues facing Childminders in their work, both challenging and rewarding; to share ideas and strategies; to support our local representative on the board of Childminding Ireland (influence this national organization!) to support our nominee on the providers forum who have representatives on the board of the Galway City & County Childcare Committee (influence this local organization!) and to assist in the delivery of the Childminding Initiative at the Galway CCC (In other words—identify the needs of Childminders’ and plan how those needs can best be met; through training, information, networking, etc)
   
  Next Meeting: July 9th, 7:30 PM, Offfice of Galway CCC. Please RSVP by TExt to: 087-9421895 if you plan to attend
   
   Childminders' News
  Would you like to receive our quarterly newsletter?

  Contact Sheila Garrity, Childminder Advisory Officer at 091-752039

  

  New Resources for Childminders:

   

  Childminder's Starter Pack:

  This booklet contains basic start up information to help you decide if Childminding is the right career choice for you.

   

  Support Pack for Voluntary Notification:

  The new National Guidelines for Childminders, launched in December 2006, provide voluntary standards for exempt Childminders. Childminders choosing to sign up to the 'Guidelines' can avail of this support pack to assist them in meeting the standards. The support pack takes a childminder through the 'Self-Evaluation' process, providing sample forms, policies and check lists to clarify the requirements.

   

  To find out more about the National Guidelines for Childminders or to avail of the Support Pack for Voluntary Notification, contact Sheila Garrity, Childminder Advisory Officer.

   

   

  For further information contact:

   

  Galway City & County Childcare Committee,
  9b, Liosban Retail Centre,
  Tuam Road, Galway.
  Tel: 091-752039
  Fax: 091- 735701
  E-Mail: mail@galwaychildcare.com