Child Care Home Practitioners Course

Are you building a career in child minding? Keen to understand how it works? Then this is the right course for you.

It covers child development, diversity and inclusion, as well as behaviour management and the legal responsibilities of a child minder. This course is ideal for anyone working in child minding who wants a comprehensive understanding of the job. 

This course is designed to be easy to study and your tutor will be available to help every step of the way. So Start Learning today!

Distance Learning Support

At Start Learning we pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive tutors. Your tutor support will start as soon as you receive your course and will be valid for 12 months. All our tutors are highly qualified with extensive experience in supporting distance learning students. You contact your tutor via email and they are responsible for marking assignments answering your questions and guiding you through the course.

Entry Requirements

At Start Learning we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further, so we try to keep our entry requirements to a minimum.       

Recommended Hours of Study

We recommended you spend approximately 110 hours of your time studying for the Childcare Home Practitioners course. The pace of study is completely up to you. To give an example, if you dedicate 2 hours a week to the course it would take you a year to complete but if you could spare 4 hours a week you could complete it in six months.

Course Contents

Unit 1 -  Child Development: The main development of a child from birth to 8 years - Social, economic and environmental factors influencing development - Genetic and hereditary factors affecting development - Children’s overall development needs - Defining special needs - Supporting children with special needs - Key transitions - Supporting children through transitions.

Unit 2 - Diversity and inclusion issues within the childminding environment: Policies to meet diversity within the childminding setting - Inclusion within the childminding setting - Effects of discrimination.

Unit 3 - Providing for children’s physical needs, inclusive of health and safety: Meeting children’s nutritional needs - Meeting children’s rest and sleep needs - Maintaining appropriate hygiene procedures - Exploring consequences as a result of the failure to meet appropriate hygiene procedures - Signs and symptoms of common childhood illnesses - Informing parents of illness and documenting illness - Maintaining a safe and secure environment.

Unit 4 - Learning through play for child development: Types of play and their importance in relation to:(a)  Development (b)  Age - Observation and planning - Every Child Matters and Birth to Three Matters Framework - The Early Years Foundation Stage - Available resources in relation to:(a)  Health and Safety (b)  Diversity and Inclusion.

Unit 5 - Behaviour Management: Stages of behaviour in children - Encouraging appropriate behaviour - Informing parents of inappropriate behaviour and its documentation - Behaviour attributed to specific special needs.

Unit 6 - Child Abuse: The main types of child abuse - Signs and symptoms of child abuse - Documentation relating to:(a)  Confidentiality (b)  Reporting and recording incidents of child abuse - Contacting professionals in the case of child abuse - Procedures to follow in the case of child abuse - Sources of support.

Unit 7 - The legal responsibilities of the childminder: Childminders’ legislation - Legal responsibilities of the childminder - Procedures for admission and collection - Legal implications of childminding - Policies and procedures to meet OFSTED requirements.

Unit 8 - Promoting positive working relationships: Working in partnership with parents and other professionals - Accessing childminding services - The childminder’s responsibilities for building positive relations with parents and other professionals in relation to:(a)  Confidentiality (b)  Complaints and documentation procedures

Unit 9 - The statutory, voluntary and private support available for childminders: Explore the contacts for support for the childminding service 

Qualification

Level 3 Award as a Childcare Home Practitioner plus a Start Learning Diploma.  At the end of this course successful learners will receive a Level 3 NCFE Award certificate of achievement. That means that it is independently accredited at a level of learning equivalent to level 3 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Awarding Body Information

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland. The course is recognised in Scotland by the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority).

Assessment

This course is marked through a process of continuous assessment guided by your tutor following NCFE guidelines. This means that your qualification will be awarded according to your performance on assessments rather than by taking an exam.

Progression

Qualification will allow you to apply for employment in most Child Care settings.

Language of Course

English