News article | 05/31/2023 | 5:33 p.m.
There are currently big differences in the quality of care offered by childminders. To counter this, Minister Van Gennip (Social Affairs and Employment) wants to enshrine additional quality requirements in the law. Like the obligation to establish an educational work plan for each foster parent, to continue to work permanently on development and to provide support for all foster parents. To help childminders comply with the new measures, the maximum hourly rate for hosting a childminder will be increased by 21 euro cents in 2025. Minister Van Gennip writes this today in a letter to representatives room
The care of guest parents is an important form of child care. It is small in scale and often offers parents more flexibility. As a result, foster care sometimes meets the needs of parents and children better than centre-based care. The National Childcare Quality Monitor shows that a large number of childminders offer quality childcare services, while at the same time 1 out of 5 childminders has low or very low educational quality. This means that children are stimulated to a limited extent in their development. A missed opportunity, which is why there will be additional quality requirements to reduce the differences between childminders.
Minister Van Gennip: “Parents need to be able to be sure that their child is in good hands at the shelter. Fortunately, the Netherlands has a very good quality of childcare. Nonetheless, I see room to even out the mutual quality within childcare. I am now taking various steps to contribute to this. I understand this means a major turnaround for some childminder and nanny agencies, but ultimately it will lead to better quality childcare.
Measures to ensure quality foster parents
Minister Van Gennip is taking various measures to improve the supervision of childminders by childminder agencies, to increase the professionalism of childminders themselves and to strengthen supervision. For example, pedagogical coaching is becoming a mandatory element of support for childminders by childminder agencies. Child care agencies must therefore have educational expertise at the level of HBO work and reflection. The number of mediation relationships a childminder can have is also limited to a maximum of two childminder agencies.
Looking after children is a job. This is why childminders need certain skills to be able to perform their job properly. To guarantee this, following an educational module in the training is compulsory before being able to become a childminder. Foster parents must also continue to develop. This means that the host parents pay permanent attention to education (continuing education or courses). In addition, it will be mandatory to record in a pedagogical work plan how the childminder applies the pedagogical policy of the host agency in practice. Finally, it will be mandatory for all childminders to provide a replacement who, in the event of an emergency, can be on site within 15 minutes.
Since 2022, to strengthen supervision, at least 50% of establishments hosting childminders must be inspected annually. Each childminder will be inspected at least once every three years. In this way, municipalities and DGGs retain the ability to perform risk-based monitoring.
Maximum hourly rate up
The measures mentioned above ensure that the differences in quality offered by childminders are reduced. Some reception agencies and childminders already comply with these measures. For others, it will take extra effort. This is why Minister Van Gennip is considering a transitional period for childminder agencies and childminders in order to support them as best as possible. In addition, the maximum hourly rate for hosting a childminder will be increased by 21 euro cents from 2025.
Child Care Act Amendment Needed
The Child Care Act needs to be amended for a number of measures. The internet consultation for this will be online next week. Anyone who wishes can share their opinion in this way. Minister Van Gennip aims to be able to present a bill to the House of Representatives in early 2024 and have the changes come into force in 2025.