5.1aDisqualification: childminding and childcare

Compliance,investigation and enforcement handbook: disqualification

The Compliance,Investigation and Enforcement handbook is available on the Ofsted website,

Contents

Introduction

Waiving disqualification

Local authorities and organisations whose prime purpose is not the provision of childcare

Responding to information indicating a person is disqualified

Handling requests to waive disqualification

If an application for registration indicates that a person is disqualified

Making the decision on whether to grant consent to waive disqualification

Extent of consent to waive disqualification

Duty to disclose

Prompt sheet for inspectors: what to do in the course of an inspection if you become aware of a disqualification issue

Disqualified persons

Table 1: Lists holding names of people deemed unsuitable to work with children for whom we have no power to waive disqualification

Table 2: Disqualified by way of orders relating to the care of children

Table 3: Disqualified by way of having been refused or cancelled registration or having a prohibition imposed or having committed a prescribed offence in relation to registration

Table 4: Disqualified because they, in relation to childminding or childcare, are found to have committed any offence in this table.

Table 5: Disqualified by way of being, in relation to childminding or childcare:

Introduction

  1. The law disqualifies some people from registering as a childminder or childcare provider.[1]
  2. The law also prevents such people from being employed or involved in the provision of childminding or childcare. Regulations specify the particular circumstances that disqualify an individual (see tables 1–5 for information ondisqualified persons).[2]
  3. A person may be disqualified due to a number of reasons, including:

grounds relating to the care of children

offences against children

offences against adults

inclusion on the list held by the Disclosure and Barring Service

living or working on premises where a disqualified person lives

having registration refused or cancelled– this does not apply to a person whose registration as a childminder or childcare provider is cancelled in England for non-payment of the fee after 1 September 2008.[3]

  1. The offences include those committed overseas that, had the offence been committed in the UK, would disqualify that person from registration, regardless of how the offence is described in the law of the other country.

Waiving disqualification

  1. In some cases, the law does not allow us to consider granting consent to waive the disqualification. We do not have any power to waive disqualification in relation to childminding or childcare if a person is:

included on the list held by the Disclosure and Baring Service(the barred list)

has been found to have committed an offence against a child within the meaning of section 26(1) of the Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act 2000 ( and the court has ordered that she or he is disqualified from working with children – under section 28(4), 29A (2), or 29(4) of the same Act.

  1. If this is the case we write to the individual to inform them that we cannot waive their disqualification or grant their application to register. We send a notice of intention to refuse registration as we cannot grant an application to register from a disqualified person or where a person connected to the application is disqualified.
  2. In some circumstances, the law does allow us to waive disqualification. The applicant must make a written request – seebelow- and we must consider whether the factsthat gave rise to the disqualificationmean the individual continues to pose a risk of harm to children or whether those facts should no longer prevent the individual from being registered, or connected to a registration.
  3. Disqualified persons must apply to us to waive their disqualification before they can register as a childminder or childcare provider; register as part of an organisation set up to provide childcare; or be employed in the provision of childminding or childcare. We must receive an application to register before we can consider an application to waive disqualification even though we cannot consider the application to register until and unless we have granted the application to waive disqualification.But, we do not make a decision about the suitability of an applicant for registration until we have made a decision about the request to waive the disqualification.
  4. We may decide to waive disqualification, but subsequently refuse to grant the person’s application for registration taking into account all the other information available to us. Our decision about the suitability of a childcare provider takes intoaccount a range of other factors such as the information we receive fromchecks, as well as the person’s experience and understanding of the requirements of registration and not just the matter that disqualified that person.See the factsheet – Applying to waive disqualification.
  5. Where the disqualified person is an applicant for registration, registered person or member of staff in a childminding or childcare setting, the person who is disqualified from registration must apply to us, in writing, to have her or his disqualification waived. They cannot do this through their employer or as a corporate body request.
  6. People who apply to provide childminding or childcare are disqualified if they live or work on premises where a disqualified person lives. In these cases, the registered person, applicant for registration or person wishing to work in childcare must apply to us to waive their disqualification, rather than the disqualified individual. This is because the applicant/registered person are disqualified by virtue of living or working with a disqualified person.
  7. We can consider a request to waive if a childminder or childcare provider is disqualified by virtue of living or working on premises where a disqualified person lives. This is because the person is disqualified under regulation 9 of the Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations 2009 (persons living or working on premises where a disqualified person lives) and not because they are included on the list themselves.

Local authorities and organisations whose prime purpose is not the provision of childcare

  1. If we take action to cancel the registration of a provision operated by a local authority or an organisation whose prime purpose is not childcare, the local authority or other organisation is disqualified from registration and not the named contact/nominated person.[4] In these cases, the local authority or otherorganisation must apply to Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector to waive their disqualification/ written consent. However, the named contact/nominated person can apply to us to waive their disqualification/written consent on behalf of the local authority or organisation.

Responding to information indicating a person is disqualified

  1. The Compliance, investigation and enforcement (CIE) team may receive information that indicates that a person is disqualified from registration from the:

inspector during a registration or inspection visit

disqualified individual contacting or writing directly to us

application team, on checking the application or declaration and consent forms

results of any checks carried out to establish the suitability of an individual to work or be in regular contact with children.

  1. If we receive information that an existing provider or staff member is disqualified from registration, we must inform the registered provider immediately and confirm in writing that we have received information indicating they are, or a staff member is, disqualified. We do this to allow the registered provider to take action before we take action. For example, if the disqualification is of the registered provider, they may request a waiver or provide evidence that they are not disqualified. Alternatively, if the disqualification is of a staff member, the registered provider may suspend the staff member while the individual concerned makes an application to us to waive their disqualification.
  2. For those registered on the Early Years Register and the Childcare Register, the law requires us to cancel the registration of a person who becomes disqualified. It does not give us any discretion not to do so.[5] We must write to the registered provider and tell them that the law requires us to take action to cancel their registration, but they can apply to us to waive their disqualification. We include the application form to waive disqualification with the letter and request they return it within 10 working days. If we receive the application and decide not towaive disqualification wemust write to the provider refusing to waive their disqualification and send a notice of intention to cancel at the same time because the provider is disqualified. If we do not receive the application within 10 working days, we must proceed to issue a notice of intention to cancel. The provider can object to our notice of intention to cancel their registration. However, due to the automatic nature of disqualification, the onus will be on the provider to establish that they have not committed a disqualifying offence nor had a disqualifying order made against them – an error of fact.
  3. We must also arrange a CIE case review, which will consider whether there is a risk of harm to children. The review should:

assess what steps the provider has taken, and whether they are appropriate, to ensure that children are not at risk of harm

decide on the most appropriate steps to take for example, the suspension of a childminder or childcare provider’s registration.

  1. The provider can object to other issues raised in the notice of intention to cancel, if we have also included points relating to the provider’s non-compliance with regulations or others factors concerning their suitability. Even if we uphold the provider’s objection to these other issues, we must still issue a notice of our decision to cancel the registration on the grounds the person is disqualified, unless they provide evidence that the information we have about the disqualification is inaccurate and they are not disqualified. The person can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) (the Tribunal).
  2. If we refuse to waive disqualification and the disqualification relates to a member of staff at a childminding or childcare setting, the registered person must not continue to employ the disqualified person. In addition, the disqualified person cannot be involved in the management of the provision.
  3. It is an offence to employ a disqualified person without reasonable excuse; we may prosecute a person who knowingly employs a disqualified person. (This does not apply to a person who is registered only on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register.)[6]

Handling requests to waive disqualification

  1. Unless a person has already given full details in writing, we send the application to waive disqualification to the disqualified person.
  2. In cases where we are able to consider waiving disqualification but where we decide to refuse to waive, the CIE professional will write to the person informing her or him of the decision. The person then has a right of appeal to the Tribunal against our decision. However, if the disqualified person is part of the proposed registered person and withdraws from the application, this will allow the application to proceed.

If an application for registration indicates that a person is disqualified

  1. We cannot grant an application to register with Ofsted if the application indicates that any of the following individuals are disqualified from registration:

the applicant for registration

a person making up the registered body

someone living or working on the premises where childminding or childcare is provided.

  1. We cannot consider the application to register unless:

the disqualified person has received written confirmation that we have waived the disqualification

Or

the disqualified person is removed from the application to register

Or

the person has provided evidence that they are not disqualified.

  1. In such cases, we must inform the applicant of the reasons why we cannot grant the application to register. We must set out the powers we have to waive disqualification and how the disqualified person can apply to us to have a disqualification waived. If we do not receive an application to waive disqualification we will refuse their application by sending a notice of intention followed by a notice of decision, which gives our reason for refusal as due to their disqualification( or that of a person included in the application) from providing childcare.
  2. If we are unaware that a person is disqualified when we commence the process for registration, but, during the application process, we receive information that a person is disqualified from registration, we must inform her or him about the disqualification and provide information about how to apply to us to waive disqualification. We should continue to record any information in relation to the application that we receivefrom checks that we have already initiated, for example, medical checks. However, we should not carry out any further checks until we have considered the application to waive disqualification.
  3. If the applicant then applies to us to waive and we refuse to grant it, we send a letter setting out our reasons for refusing to waive disqualification. If the applicant appeals against our refusal to waive and their appeal is successful, we resume the application process. It maybe that we subsequently decide to refuse their application to register on other suitability grounds.
  4. If we decide to refuse registration, after we have waived disqualification, we issue a notice of intention to refuse registration. The notice of intention to refuse registration sets out all of the reasons for our decision to refuse registration, such as:

the applicant has failed to satisfy the prescribed requirements for registration

the applicant is not suitable for any other reason – such as not having the right qualifications.

  1. The applicant can object to the notice of intention. If we do not uphold the objection the applicant can appeal to the Tribunal.

Making the decision on whether to grant consent to waive disqualification

  1. If, after receiving the application to waive, we are of the opinion that a person is disqualified from registration, we follow our decision-making process (see chapter on decision-making).
  2. Before making a decision we consider:

the risk to children

the nature and severity of any offences, cautions or orders. The following Crown Prosecution Service information may assist:

the Sentencing manual (

Legal Guidance ( which provides a menu of various offences linking to a description of each offence and the sentencing range available to the courts

the age of any offences or orders

repetition of any offences or orders or any particular pattern of offending

the notes of any interviews with the disqualified person, applicant for registration or registered person, including their explanation of and attitude to the disqualifying event

any other information available from other authorities, such as the police or local authority children’s services department in relation to the offences

any mitigating circumstances given.

  1. Where we agree to waive disqualification we are confirming that, despite the person being disqualified and having taken into account the information, we are allowing the person to apply to register to provide care, or look after or be in regular contact with children.
  2. The CIE team:

records the decision and the reasons for that decision, appropriately on the application to waive disqualification and on the regulatory support application (RSA) database

ensures that the applicant receives a letter explaining the reasons for that outcome after asking Ofsted’s legal advisors to review the letter if it is necessary to do so

takes forward any action necessary resulting from the decision.

Extent of consent to waive disqualification

  1. We may specify the extentto which we agree to waive a disqualification. For example, we may limit it to a particular setting or job. Limiting the decision to waive disqualification in this way requires the individual to reapplyif the circumstances change or the risk to children increases. For example, person A wants to work in childcare on non-domestic premises, but is a disqualified person because she or he lives with person B, who has committed a disqualifiable offence against a child. In this case, we may decide to waive disqualification for A to work in childcare on non-domestic premises, but specify the extent to which we have waived the disqualification so that A can only work at that particular premises. This type of specification allows A to work with children, but does not extend to allow them to become a childminder or to work in another nursery. In this case, A will need to submit a new request to waive disqualification before making any decision about registration as a childminder or working in any other childcare setting.

Duty to disclose

  1. All registered persons, and applicants for registration, must tell us about any information that disqualifies them, or disqualifies them by virtue of living with a disqualified person, or employing a disqualified person in their home. They must provide:

details of the precise order, determination, conviction or other ground for disqualification

the date when the order, determination, conviction or other ground for disqualification arose

the name of the body or court

the sentence imposed (if any)

a copy of the relevant order.

  1. If a childminder or childcare provider fails to notify us of this information within 14 days of the time when they became aware, without reasonable excuse, this is an offence. This (the offence) does not apply to those registered only on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register.
  2. All people for whom we are responsible for determining their suitability must provide details of any criminal convictions on the appropriate declaration and consent form. These are:

childminders and childcare providers on the Early Years Register – EY2

childminders and childcare providers on the Childcare Register – CR2.

  1. Providers must inform us if they want to employ, or discover they have employed, a disqualified person, including any person who was not previously disqualified but is now disqualified under any new or amended regulations, or through any new offences or disqualifying events that happen after the registration is granted. Although the regulations do not set this out explicitly, we regard this as a significant event affecting the registration of a provider and require providers to tell us under the Early Years Foundation Stage (Welfare Requirement) Regulations 2012 The Childcare (General Childcare Register) Regulations 2008(amendments in 2009 and 2012).
  2. Where a registered person or an employee discovers they are disqualified under regulations, for example because they were previously refused or cancelled registration, then they must apply to us to waive the disqualification. It is unlikely that we will refuse to waive where there are no additional concerns and we have already granted registration or found the person suitable. We treat such requests to waive as urgent because they affect the continuity of care for children.

Prompt sheet for inspectors: what to do in the course of an inspection if you become aware of a disqualification issue

  1. If, in the process of carrying out an inspection, you become aware that a provider is or may be disqualified, or has employed a person who is disqualified, you must:

assess the level of risk of serious harm; if you feel that children are at risk of harm you must contact CIE to discuss and agree further action