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Wales Seasonal card creativity! Creadigrwydd cerdyn Tymhorol Cymru!

Download a printable version of this case study here.

Coram PACEY Cymru is searching for a design which will feature on our seasonal e-card in Wales in December 2025. If you are a member in Wales enter our competition by working with children in your setting to create a design.

The winning design chosen will receive a £50 Love2Shop gift card for your setting.

How to enter

  • Please use a A4 sized design, landscape format rather than portrait.
  • Original designs should be handcrafted rather than digitally designed
  • Please do not include any text on the design. This will be added by the Coram PACEY Cymru team.
  • Design an image that fits with a seasonal greeting theme. We are making this as inclusive as possible this year so please consider this in your design.
  • Email a photo or scan of your card to cymru@corampacey.org.uk and include the following in your email:
    • Your membership number
    • Your name
    • Your setting name
    • Contact telephone number
    • First names and ages of children who contributed to the design.
  • Please keep your original design, we may need you to post this to us if you win.

Please note

  • Entries close Tuesday 25 November 2025. The winner will be announced mid December.
  • This competition is only open to Coram PACEY members in Wales and any entries should be designed by children.
  • By entering the competition you are giving consent for Coram PACEY to use the design across our channels.
  • Coram PACEY Cymru staff will choose the winning design and this decision is final.
  • See full terms and conditions here

Good luck!

How do the team see this through?

Pre-registration support

The Cambridgeshire team are heavily involved in ensuring prospective childminders are aware, prepared and committed.

All childminders registering in Cambridgeshire attend a two-hour pre-registration session plus four two-hour ‘Ready to mind’ sessions. The ‘Ready to mind’ sessions cover all aspects that prospective childminders need to start their childminding career, including SEND, Child Protection, Observation, Assessment and Planning and running a childminding business. This is a significant time commitment but ensures that prospective childminders are prepared to start their childminding career with both the national and local knowledge they will need.

These childminders are then supported through setting up their new childminding business, and all receive a visit from the team prior to their first graded inspection. This is a commitment beyond what many local authorities do but vital in ensuring that childminders have everything in place for their childminding business. As a result they feel supported, less isolated and are clear of what to expect from their first graded inspection.

The team plan this visit when the first children arrive in the setting and gift a welcome pack, providing all the information they may need in the early stages of their childminding journey.

How do Cambridgeshire retain these skilled and passionate childminders throughout their careers?

Ongoing childminder retention

The contract requires contact with 100% of childminders in every year. This has always been achieved, ensuring that childminders do not feel isolated and know where to access support. It is evident that this 1-to-1 contact and ‘checking in’ makes a difference.

Childminders are offered support for all manner of things – including ideas to advertise their setting to fill spaces, early years funding support and using the funding portal, safeguarding, training, business support, Holiday, Activities and Food programme referrals and access to grants, including for wraparound childcare.

Additional retention initiatives include:

  • Support for childminders working with SEND children – including their own SEND training, telephone and/or visit support and signposting to SEN services or other professionals.
  • Monthly newsletter sent to all childminders
  • Intervention – intensive support from a dedicated support officer. Contact within 24 hours is made, then a support programme designed around the issues raised by Ofsted or LADO.

Wraparound childcare

Most recently, the Coram PACEY team has been working on behalf of the local authority to support the National Wraparound Childcare Programme.

Cambridgeshire identified the need for increased wraparound provision in the centre of Wisbech and were tasked with finding a childminder who would develop their business to offer wraparound places or increase existing wraparound provision. They identified a childminder who was prepared to take on an assistant and start offering wraparound places for the first time.

The team supported her with taking on an assistant, and she started providing wraparound onsite at the local school at the beginning of September 2025. This model has complimented other wraparound provision in the area – the school also applied for funding to increase their wraparound provision after a panel decided that parental choice was important and there was room and demand for both wraparound settings in the town.

Nannies

Whilst there is no specific requirement within the contract to support nannies at present, the team are instrumental in supporting nannies who require further support following Ofsted inspections.

Feedback from Cambrigeshire local authority

“Our contract with Coram PACEY is more than a contract, it is a partnership that is vital to supporting a balanced childcare market to provide choice and flexibility for parents and carers. Coram PACEY team members are part of our whole service team and this brings us great insight into this unique and very important part of the sector.

We value the relationship with the team and benefit from their specialist knowledge, the work we do together is fully integrated and this has a positive impact on childminders in Cambridgeshire.

This collaboration underpins our priority of inclusion for all children and our ambition that all children can thrive.”

Annette Brooker, Head of Early Years, Childcare and School Readiness Service- Cambridgeshire

Summary

Nationally, childminder numbers are slowly declining. The success in Cambridgeshire is evidence that significant childminder support has a positive impact on childminder numbers and the quality of provision.

In Cambridgeshire, the emphasis placed on the importance of childminders and home-based childcare professionals is integral to the successful delivery of early years provision and funded entitlements. This comes at a cost and requires buy-in, investment and a collaborative approach from those leading the department.

However, we understand many local authorities face continued pressure to deliver the expansion of the entitlement scheme, in challenging circumstances and under financial constraints. Some local authorities no longer have a designated childminding lead. In those circumstances, what can be done?

Coram PACEY is here to support. Whether its advice on your childminder strategy or support with pre-registration and training, we have nearly 50 years’ experience supporting and advocating for childminders. Now we are here to support local authorities too.

Policy

Our policy team is working nationally to support local authorities with guidance, gather and analyse data trends and raise local challenges with Government officials. We are passionate about working with local authorities to highlight and celebrate best practice in childminder and local authority relationships.

Contact our policy team for any policy queries or support you might need: policy@corampacey.org.uk

Coram PACEY Connect services

Coram PACEY Connect is a package of services designed to help local authoritie and other key partners support childcare and early years professionals in their area. Coram PACEY Connect offers support that is flexible, tailored to your local need, available virtually and delivered by early years and childcare experts.

Services include: Pre-registration support, professional development and training, consultancy support and promotion of quality childcare.

Visit our website for more information: www.corampacey.org.uk/get-involved/pacey-connect/ or

Download our brochure

Childminder support contracts

Coram PACEY can deliver childminder support contracts in other parts of England, in the same way as in Cambridgeshire, working for local authorities to recruit and retain a dedicated and passionate workforce in areas of need. We support local authorities to implement a childminding strategy to support the sustainability of childminders in their area for years to come.

If you would like to talk through how we can deliver a similar service to Cambridgeshire or tailor one more suitable to your area, please contact Claire Protheroe, Head of Contracts and Projects: claire.protheroe@corampacey.org.uk

“As a childminder of 25 years, in an ever-evolving role, my love and passion for supporting children in their all-important early years never diminishes. To support, nurture and make a difference - to each child as a unique individual, every family as a unit and the local community. This work could not be achieved without our partnership working with the Coram PACEY team in Cambridgeshire. Their support and training opportunities as well as the hands-on activity days for children are always appreciated. The role the Cambridgeshire team play is key to us as childcare practitioners: being kept updated with legislation and guidance, opportunities to further our career development, provide support to our families and to signpost as needed. This enables us to offer provision where not only the care and education, but also our continuous professional development is of the highest quality.”

Sue Smith, Registered childminder - Cambridgeshire

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