Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department had discussions with (a) Koru Kids and (b) the Prime Minister on start-up grants for childminders in the six months before the Spring Budget 2023.

Childminders are a vital way to deliver affordable and flexible care and more are needed. That is why the government is introducing start-up grants of £600 for childminders who register with Ofsted, and £1,200 for those who register through a childminder agency (CMA).

Department ministers and officials meet a wide range of people and organisations representing the early years sector to discuss matters relevant to early education and childcare.

In the six months before the Spring Budget 2023, officials from the department discussed childminder grants with representatives from CMAs on three occasions:

• On 30 November 2022, department officials updated a broad group of early years stakeholders about their ongoing policy development at an early years strategic forum. Tiney.co, a CMA, was in attendance as part of the group of early years stakeholders. Childminder start-up grants were discussed as part of a discussion about wider policy development regarding childminders.
• On 6 December 2022, department officials updated CMA representatives on the department’s ongoing policy development at a quarterly CMA forum. The CMA forum is a quarterly, working-level meeting organised by Ofsted. The CMAs themselves, including Koru Kids, and representatives from Ofsted and the department attend. It is an opportunity to share information and updates, discuss operational issues and inform policy development.
• On 7 March 2023, a department official had a conversation with Tiney.co about a wide range of matters.

Following the Spring Budget, department officials updated representatives from all five CMAs in England who have providers on their books, as well as a wide range of stakeholders, on the content of the announcement.

All decisions are made on the basis of collective responsibility and the government would not normally comment on internal policy discussions. However, this is to note on the record that the current Prime Minister has not been personally involved in the policy development on this matter.