Early years and childcare: For early years and childcare providers

Safeguarding children

Ofsted and our inspection partners carry out all the required checks for staff who visit nurseries, childminders, schools and colleges as part of an inspection. This includes appropriate employment checks and an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure.

All HMI, Regulatory, Additional and Early Years Outsourced Inspectors carry official Ofsted photo identification badges so that schools and other providers know they have passed these rigorous safeguarding checks.

Ofsted inspectors work to government legislation and statutory guidance, which is based on the Department for Education's Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education.

Below you can find additional advice and FAQs.

If you want to contact us to make a complaint or you have a concern about any service Ofsted inspects or regulates go to the How to complain page.

If you want to contact us to report concerns about practices and procedures for the safeguarding of children and young people in local authority services go to the Whistleblower hotline page.

Additional advice and FAQs

The application form to register with Ofsted as a child minder/childcare provider includes a space for my Independent Safeguarding Authority registration number – what do I need to do?

We included this in our application forms because the original start date of the Independent Safeguarding Authority was to be 26 July 2010. This date has now been postponed, pending the outcome of the review. You do not need to worry about this section of your application form to register with Ofsted, and you should leave this box blank.

Does this affect the need for me to have an enhanced CRB disclosure as part of my application to register with Ofsted?

No. You will still need to have an enhanced CRB check.

Is the Government going to review the requirements for CRB checks as well?

The Government is already consulting on the need for CRB checks when someone is already registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority. The findings from this consultation will inform the review of the Vetting and Barring Scheme that the Government has announced. Until the review is concluded the requirements for CRB checks remain unchanged.

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