Become a childminder: support from the youth welfare office
The youth welfare office supports the childminder with her training and gives her permission to look after the children. Here you can find out what support you can still get from the youth welfare office, what requirements you have to meet and what qualifications you need to become a childminder.
Who can become a childminder with support from the youth welfare office?
In principle, anyone who enjoys dealing with and bringing up children can be trained to become a childminder, regardless of what profession they previously worked in. The first point of contact on the way to becoming a childminder is the youth welfare office. It not only advises the future childminders, but also checks their suitability, issues the childcare permit and provides professional support for the childminders, for example through further training offers. The youth welfare office takes over the latter itself or informs who provides these services on site, for example childminders’ associations, family education centers or welfare associations.
Childminder: Youth Welfare Office grants permission for childcare
According to Section 43 of the Social Code Book VIII, anyone who has up to five children at the same time needs permission to work as a childminder.
- outside the residence of the legal guardians,
- during part of the day
- and more than 15 hours per week,
- for a fee
- and supervised for more than three months.
The number of children to be cared for can be limited or increased due to state legal requirements or due to the individual situation of the childminder. If the childminder has a pedagogical qualification, she can take care of more than five children. However, the group must not be larger than a comparable group in a kindergarten.
The childminder receives the childcare permit from the youth welfare office on the basis of a previous suitability assessment in accordance with Section 43 (2) of the Social Code Book VIII. The examination consists of an inspection of the premises and an individual interview with the specialist staff of the youth welfare office, as well as the provision of evidence, such as the police certificate of good conduct § 72a SGB VIII. The following criteria are decisive:
- Motivation: Interest in the care, education and upbringing of children
- Experience: Experience and enjoy working with children
- Interaction: Loving contact with children and avoiding the use of physical and mental violence
- Personal characteristics: Physical and mental resilience, reliability, sense of responsibility and the ability to cooperate
- Technical characteristics: Participation in a qualification, willingness to actively deal with technical questions
- Spatial requirements: accident-proof equipment, sufficient space for play and exercise
Permission to work as a childminder is granted by the youth welfare office for five years at a time. After that, the suitability will be checked again. In addition, the childminder must inform the youth welfare office about decisive events and changes that are important for the care of the children, for example moving to another premises.
Childminder: Youth Welfare Office decides on suitable rooms
During the aptitude test, the youth welfare office ensures whether the childminder’s own or rented premises are suitable for childcare. Some countries also regulate separately the conditions under which rooms are assessed as “suitable”. Basically, the premises should offer the following:
- enough space to play and move
- suitable play and activity materials
- accident-proof premises
- good hygienic conditions
- sufficient sleeping accommodations
- Opportunity to play and experience nature, for example in forests or parks
Youth Welfare Office supports childminder training
A childminder proves her knowledge of day care by taking part in a qualification. The further training lasts several weeks and is offered by the competent youth welfare office, childminders’ associations, family education centres, adult education centers and other adult education institutions. Contents of the qualification are, for example:
- Design of the acclimatization phase
- Educational situations in child day care
- promotion of children
- Cooperation and communication with parents
- working conditions
- Legal and financial foundations of child day care
The training to become a childminder is financially supported by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the employment agencies. The prerequisite for this is that it takes place at a correspondingly certified educational institution. The childminder can find out from the youth welfare office and the responsible employment agency which requirements they have to meet. You can also apply for cost coverage there. It differs from federal state to federal state as to whether a personal contribution has to be paid for the qualification or how high it is.
Childminder mediated by youth welfare office?
You can find out about a suitable childminder in your region from your responsible youth welfare office. This way you can be sure that the childminder has been “certified” by the youth welfare office. The registered childminders are in regular contact with the youth welfare office and take part in further training. In addition, the youth welfare office knows the childminders and therefore also knows what offers the various mothers have.
