HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

Hiring a childminder in Ireland
Some of this work is restricted by law. Each guide says which.

21 guides for hiring childminders in Ireland, each one checked against the regulator, the statute or the official consumer guidance, with the sources and the month at the end. What to check, what to ask, what a fair quote looks like and what you should be handed when the job is done.

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21 guides. Pick the job you are hiring for.

Grouped the way you would ask for them. Every guide covers the checks, the questions and the quote for that job — then takes you to the childminders who cover your area.

Upkeep. You book a person for a set number of hours and they do what you ask: there is no scope and no quote, just the rate, the hours and the list.

Skilled, deep and specialist work. These are priced as a job, not as an hour, because they need equipment, a method or a team — and the quote is the thing to compare.

Upkeep. You book a person for a set number of hours and they do what you ask: there is no scope and no quote, just the rate, the hours and the list.

Skilled, deep and specialist work. These are priced as a job, not as an hour, because they need equipment, a method or a team — and the quote is the thing to compare.

What every childcare & family guide covers

The checks before you book

Ofsted's Early Years Register or Childcare Register, Criminal record checks — DBS (England and Wales), PVG (Scotland), AccessNI (Northern Ireland) and public liability insurance — Ofsted requires it of a nanny joining the voluntary register in England, and nidirect tells parents in Northern Ireland to confirm a childminder's insurance before using them, and trader status under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — each guide says which of them applies to its own job.

The questions worth asking

Six to eight questions for the job — what is included, who actually comes, what happens if something is damaged — each with what a good answer from a childminder sounds like.

What a fair quote looks like

What the written quote should contain, the warning signs, and what you should be handed when the job is done — the invoice, and the sign-off where the job produces one.

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Childcare & Family businesses on Locufy, across the UK

The most-reviewed childminders listed with us. Enter your town above to see the ones that cover you.

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How these guides are made

Checked at the sourceEvery legal, safety or qualification point is taken from the regulator or the statute itself, linked in the guide's sources with the month it was reviewed.
IndependentNo provider is named or recommended. The guides describe what to look for; the search shows who is near you, nearest first.
Kept currentEach guide shows the month it was last reviewed. When a rule changes, the guides it affects are updated and the date moves with them.

Questions people ask

It depends on the job. 8 guides in this category name a register or a licence that applies to the work; 13 guides say that none does. Each guide names the body, links to it, and says what the registration covers.

The work itself, what is not included, the materials, the call-out if there is one, the dates, and the total with VAT shown separately. In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts.

An invoice with the trader's name and address, a note of any guarantee and how long it runs, and — where materials were supplied — their own warranties. Check the work against the written scope before anyone leaves.

Say what is wrong in writing first: under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a service must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and work that is not must be put right. If that fails, the Small Claims procedure handles consumer claims up to £10,000 (small claims track) in England and Wales, £5,000 (simple procedure) in Scotland and £5,000 (small claims court) in Northern Ireland.

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Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — become a childminder or nanny (England)
  2. gov.uk — choose which Ofsted register to join
  3. gov.uk — register as a nanny with Ofsted
  4. gov.uk — register as a home-based childminder
  5. Ofsted — check if childcare is registered
  6. Care Inspectorate Wales — guide to registration, Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010
  7. gov.wales — find childcare inspection reports
  8. gov.wales — Childcare Offer: choose a childcare setting
  9. gov.uk — registering as a childminder (Scotland)
  10. mygov.scot — care service inspection reports
  11. Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, schedule 12
  12. nidirect — childminders
  13. Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, Article 118
  14. nidirect — home childcarers
  15. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  16. mygov.scot — the PVG scheme
  17. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  18. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  19. gov.uk — Tax-Free Childcare
  20. gov.uk — 30 hours free childcare for working parents (England)
  21. gov.wales — get up to 30 hours of childcare for 3 and 4 year olds
  22. gov.wales — Childcare Offer eligibility
  23. mygov.scot — funded early learning and childcare
  24. nidirect — help paying for approved childcare
  25. nidirect — pre-school education places
  26. gov.uk — Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2)
  27. gov.uk — VAT registration thresholds
  28. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  29. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  30. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  31. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  32. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  33. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)