Perceptions of the impact of childminding services on child, parent and family outcomes: research findings

3. Perceptions of how childminding supports parents and families

Summary of main findings

Flexibility of Provision

• Flexibility, in terms of the hours offered, was seen as a key benefit by parents and often drove their decision to use a childminder.
• Parents spoke of the peace of mind flexible childminding services provided – they valued there being room for last minute changes and viewed their childminders as accommodating and helpful whenever possible.

Close Yet Professional Relationship

• Childminders and parents spoke of how close they and their families had become, commonly describing each other as friends and/or feeling like extended family.
• While some parents described becoming friends with their childminder, they also felt that they benefited from the professional aspect of their relationship, which meant they felt comfortable being clear about their requirements.

Frequent Contact and Communication

• Frequent contact and communication played an important role in building the relationship between parents and childminders. Childminders often used private Facebook Groups or WhatsApp to update parents throughout the day or to discuss practical matters.
• Parents emphasised the value of the time available to speak to their childminder at drop off and pick up. This was seen by parents as an advantage over nursery pick up and drop offs.

Professional Knowledge and Expertise

• The expertise and knowledge of childminders was seen as a major benefit. Parents particularly commented on this in comparison to informal care. Parents spoke of making use of their childminder’s experience and knowledge to help them support their child through specific issues or stages.

An Extra Level of Support – Going ‘Above and Beyond’

• There was a general sense among parents that childminders are often willing to support families in additional ways, which they would not receive from other formal childcare settings.
• Some participants described difficulties their family had gone through and how their childminder had been there for them – providing both practical and emotional support. As such, childminding was viewed by many not just as a form of childcare, but also as a form of family support

This chapter covers how childminding settings support parents and families – including any perceived unique features or advantages childminding offers in comparison with other types of childcare. It describes the perceived outcomes of using a childminder including positive outcomes and limitations or challenges. This chapter draws on data gathered from both childminders and parents. However, we refer more often to the direct experiences of parents, as their perspective on the impacts of childminding for themselves and their families is particularly key.

It focuses predominantly on the features of childminding that have not been covered in the previous chapter. Because they are primarily concerned with the wellbeing of their children, perceived benefits for children were often perceived as also benefiting parents – for example, participants often spontaneously referred to features such as smaller numbers and continuity of care when asked about benefits for parents. In this chapter, therefore, we focus more on other ways in which childminding is perceived to support parents.

The chapter also focuses on features that participants believed were unique or particular to childminding, rather than benefits of childcare in general. In this context, it is again important to keep in mind that this report reflects parents’ perceptions and own experiences and does not attempt to objectively compare or assess other types of childcare (e.g. nurseries or informal care) with childminding – some of the benefits identified by parents may, in fact, also be delivered in other settings.

Features of childminding that parents view as beneficial to them

The following sections outline the main features parents described when asked about how childminding benefits them. The views of childminders are also included where relevant. As noted in the previous chapter, there was no major divergence of parent and childminder views on the benefits.

a) Flexibility of provision

The flexible hours childminders offer are seen as a key benefit by parents and often drive their decision to use a childminder. Parents spoke of flexibility in terms of the hours offered, whether that was early starts, late finishes or weekend care; or ad hoc or last minute arrangements. Childminders were very aware that this flexibility is a key reason why parents choose them instead of nursery provision:

“We can be more flexible... I can get the children ready for bed in time for mum who is finishing work late.”

Childminder for 7 years, Fife

Both childminders and parents recognised that flexible hours are particularly beneficial to people who work shifts or have unusual working patterns. Parents working in certain jobs said they would be unable to work without childminders because no one else could provide the hours they needed to cover their time at work.

“We were looking at nursery and [my] changing work hours. The nursery we used couldn’t have worked. She [our childminder] was able to be super flexible. She could do pick ups, she could take our daughter too and do an extra day.”

Parent of 3 year old and 1 year old, using nursery and childminder Dumfries and Galloway

Childminders’ ability and willingness to provide a flexible service gave parents peace of mind – there is room for last minute changes and if something comes up (e.g. a parent has to work later than planned) a childminder will usually be able to accommodate that, unlike a nursery. This was seen as making life less stressful for parents:

“Even silly wee things like if we’re running late or we need to drop him off early she’s a bit more flexible than what a private nursery would be… Not long ago our car was off the road. I thought I’m just going to walk down in the snow, and she’d offered to pick her up in the bigger car. She was dead helpful.”

Parent of 2 year old, Fife, only using childminder

In addition to helping make parents’ day-to-day lives less stressful, parents also shared examples of very difficult family experiences, where their childminders’ support with last minute childcare had made a significant difference to their family’s wellbeing:

“She’s gone above and beyond, it’s just in her nature. When our three year old was diagnosed [with a serious illness] we were blue-lighted to Edinburgh, our five year old stayed with her… she always offered to take her if we needed a break.”

Parent of 5 year old and 3 year old, using a childminder, Scottish Borders

‘Peace of mind’ was a major theme that ran throughout discussions with parents. In addition to childminders’ flexibility, several of the features covered below were also perceived to contribute to peace of mind and a reduction in stress for parents.

b) Close yet professional relationship between childminders and parents

Childminders and parents both spoke of how close they and their families had become. Their own relationship with their childminder was viewed by parents as quite different to how they might relate to a nursery key worker, not least because of the continuity of that relationship – there was a perception that nursery key workers can change quite frequently, and that they may not always be present or have time to talk at drop off/pick up.

“You have a closer relationship with the childminder, I have a much better bond with her than I would nursery staff.”

Parent of 11 year old and 1 year old, using a childminder, Highland

Parents and childminders alike described getting to know and trust each other to the point that they commonly described each other as friends and/or feeling like extended family.

“It feels like sending him to a grandparent's house, I don’t worry, he’s so looked after.”

Parent of 9 year old and 3 year old, using a childminder South Lanarkshire

While some parents described becoming friends with their childminder, they also felt that they benefited from the professional aspect of their relationship, which meant they felt comfortable being clear about their childcare requirements (e.g. around naps, routines, etc.). This was specifically mentioned in the context of considering the benefits of childminding compared with informal care. Concerns were expressed by some parents that family members such as grandparents would not do as they asked, for example, around naps and snacks, and that it may even cause tension to ask specific things of them while they care for their grandchild.

“With a childminder if there's something you're not happy with, I'm comfortable discussing it without causing any feuds… It's a lot easier to ask them to parent your child in the way that you parent them without them being offended.”

Parent of 3 year old, North Ayrshire, only using a childminder

The parents interviewed clearly trusted their childminders to respond to any requests they made. One view was that parents could not expect the same degree of responsiveness from a nursery worker with more young children under their care.

Overall, this close, yet professional, relationship gave parents peace of mind. They felt they could rely upon and trust their childminder to be there for them, and to care for their child in the way that they are happy with.

c) Frequent contact and communication

Frequent contact and communication played an important role in building the close relationship between parents and childminders. Childminders often used private Facebook Groups or WhatsApp to update parents on what they are doing throughout the day or to discuss practical matters. Parents said they enjoyed regular updates, and said seeing or knowing that their child is safe and well further added to their peace of mind.

“I wouldn’t change her [my childminder] at all - I feel I can approach her about anything, I can say ‘she’s not had a great night, can you keep an eye’ – she’ll send a message saying she’s had a nap and she’s fine. I would never get that at nursery.”

Parent of 9 year old and 2 year old, using a childminder, Falkirk

Some childminders emphasised that both the level of observation and detailed information being communicated to parents is more than they believed nurseries would be able to provide:

“I see myself as helping the parents, they’re still very much involved in what their child is doing during the day and what preferences they have… I do a daily diary which lets the parents know exactly what they’ve been doing during the day. Even going to the toilet. You can see if there’s an issue. Nurseries can’t put in as much detail.”

Childminder for 5 years, Renfrewshire

Parents emphasised the value of the time available to speak to their childminder at drop off and pick up. Childminders felt that before the pandemic, being able to chat inside the home was beneficial for informal catch ups with parents, however, doorstep chats still allowed the time to discuss anything they needed to. Again, this was seen by parents as an advantage over nursery pick up and drop offs, which were described as quicker and not always with the person that has spent the most time with your child that day:

“When I would go and pick him up form nursery whoever I would speak to might not have spent as much time with him that day. I wouldn’t get the same kind of information [or] one on one chat.”

Parent of 2 year old, Fife

d) Professional knowledge and expertise

The expertise and knowledge of childminders was seen as a major benefit to children and parents. Parents particularly commented on this, in comparison to informal care. Participants spoke of making use of their childminder’s experience and knowledge to help them support their child through specific issues or stages. Examples included advice on toilet training, sleep issues, weaning, transitions, challenging behaviour and fussy eating. These types of things were often talked about at drop off and pick ups. Parents appreciated being able to tap into childminders’ often extensive knowledge and experience; and childminders spoke of supporting parents with a range of skills and issues, and working with them as part of a team.

“It's like taking her to her granny's who happens to be a Mary Poppins level expert in child development.”

Parent of 5 year old, Scottish Borders

“We build a relationship with the parents and work with them, we provide support and advice to new parents… It’s team work, we’re raising the child together.”

Childminder for 18 years, North Lanarkshire

There were also examples of childminders explaining developmental stages to parents, with regard to things like fine motor skills, and how the activities they were doing were helping the child gain skills and understanding appropriate for their stage. Parents interviewed for this study did not always use terms like ‘child development’ or mention specific areas such as motor skills or vocabulary. However, they nonetheless conveyed their satisfaction with how well their child was ‘coming along’ and clearly connected this with the quality of the environment their childminder created and the activities they delivered based on their expertise.

e) An extra level of support – going ‘above and beyond’

There was a general sense among parents that childminders are often willing to support families in additional ways, which they would not receive from other formal childcare settings. Examples were given (by parents and childminders) of childminders going above and beyond standard duties to help parents. This could involve taking children to the doctors, or driving their child home if the parent was unable to pick them up. One childminder, before the pandemic, invited parents over to teach them how to cook healthy meals their children had been enjoying. Another, who was delivering Community Childminding, had supported a family in crisis including signposting them to other support services.

“I did have a two year old funded place here, he used to go to a Family Centre, but mum didn't really drive and she struggled to get a car to take him. Whereas I would go and pick him up so that kind of took the stress off the parent.”

Childminder for 18 years, Falkirk

Some participants described difficulties they had gone through as a family (e.g. parents separating, serious illness in the family) and how their childminder had been there for them throughout – to help practically, but also by being sensitive to what is going on, thinking about the child’s needs, and providing emotional support to parents.

“They’re not just child-led, they’re family-led.”

Parent of 12 year old and 5 year old, Scottish Borders

Parents welcomed this extra level of care and support – it took some of the stress of being a parent to a young child away, and was seen as a major selling point to those considering childminding (this is covered in more detail in Chapter 7).

“(I) would say 100% do it [use a childminder] to other parents… It’s how much they help you, and how they love and care for them.”

Parent of 9 year old and 3 year old, South Lanarkshire

As such, many participants viewed childminding, not just as a form of childcare, but as a form of family support.

f) Other practical benefits

Parents described several other practical benefits of choosing a childminder over other types of care. These included location – most parents were using childminders that lived fairly close to them, meaning it was convenient to use them and especially handy if they did not have access to a car.

Another benefit for some was the fact that siblings can be together. Some parents mentioned the emotional benefit to the children of this, but there was also a practical benefit of having a single drop off/pick up point.

Views on value for money and cost varied – usually depending on whether parents perceived their childminder to be more or less expensive than a private nursery. Some parents took adult-child ratios into account in assessing value for money: even if a childminder cost the same as a nursery, the lower numbers meant childminding was still viewed as better value by some. Participants who mentioned costs as a benefit tended to mention good value for money, and that the hourly rate was less than nursery. A further benefit mentioned was where parents only pay childminders for hours they need, in contrast with nurseries where parents generally pay for a fixed session, whether they need the full session or not.

Summary of perceived positive outcomes for parents

The following table gives an overview of how some of the key features of childminding are seen to benefit parents. This is based on parents’ responses and the related benefits and positive outcomes they mentioned.

Table 4. Summary of perceived outcomes for parents

Outcome → Feature ↓	Less stress / less hassle	Peace of mind / confidence their child is happy, safe, nurtured	Parenting support / emotional support / practical advice	Creating consistent approach in childminder setting & at home	Better able to work / study / get respite
Flexibility of provision	√				√
Close, yet professional, relationship between childminders & parents	√	√	√	√	√ (particularly respite)
Frequent contact & communication	√	√	√	√
Professional knowledge & expertise of childminders	√	√	√	√
An extra level of support – going above & beyond	√	√	√	√ (particularly emotional support – continuity at difficult times)	√
Siblings together	√	√		√	√ (supports work / study if children not spread around different settings – logistics/time etc)
Lower cost for some	√				√
Local	√				√

Limitations of childminding for parents

As noted in the previous chapter, the parents consulted in this study were generally extremely positive about the impact childminding had, had on them and their families. However, when prompted, they did identify some perceived limitations or downsides for parents when choosing childminding over other types of care. These included:

• A perception that a childminding setting does not provide the same ‘internal quality checks’ that a nursery does as a result of nurseries employing more people, who can act as a check on each other’s standards. This meant parents are putting a lot of trust in one person^[17].
• From a practical perspective, using a childminder on a frequent basis means parents are reliant on one person – which can mean they are left without childcare if their childminder is unable to work for any period (although parents also noted that this rarely happened, in their experience).
• A related point was that parents reported having to arrange holidays at the same time as their childminder and having to fit in with their timings if they have other children to pick up and drop off at school. However, again these were not features which caused any major issues for the families we spoke to (as childminders tended to give a good deal of advance notice about holidays).
• While parents were positive about the experience of using a childminder, it was noted that there was high demand for childminding, and that it could be difficult to get a space in the first instance.
• As mentioned above, views of value for money varied. However, those that saw costs as higher (when compared to a private nursery) added that they could still justify it because they felt it was the right setting for their child.
• The pandemic, and the first lockdown in particular, had caused some tension between parents and childminder that requested (full or partial) fees to hold the space.