Advice about working in childcare

We support:

• registered early years and childcare providers and their staff
• anyone setting up new childcare provision or registering as a childminder
• people looking for a job in childcare

Register as a childcare provider

Find information to help you register as a childcare provider, such as:

• GOV.UK guidance about registering as a childminder or childcare provider
• our Early Years and Childcare Service: they can tell you about the registration process and demand for childcare in the area you plan to set up in

Register as a childminder

You need to register as a childminder if you want to provide childcare from your own home. This also applies if you work with up to 2 other people from a home that's not the home of the child or children. 

Find out more about becoming a childminder and running your business from GOV.UK.

Our Early Years and Childcare Service can also give you support to help decide if childminding is right for you. This includes their becoming a childminder factsheet.

Register as a nanny

Find out about becoming a nanny and running your business from GOV.UK.

You don't have to register with Ofsted to be a nanny or home child carer, but parents may be able to get help paying for childcare if you do register.

Read Ofsted's quick guide to registering as a nanny.

Find out more about registering as an early years childcare provider in this video from Ofsted:

Childcare Sufficiency Assessment

As a local authority, we have a duty to make sure there are enough childcare places in Dorset. 

Read our latest  Childcare Sufficiency Report to find out how we make sure the supply of childcare places matches the demand.

Read what we're doing as the result of feedback about our Childcare Sufficiency Assessment.