Home childcarers
A home childcarer allows parents to have their children cared for in their own home. They're professional childcarers who give safe care. They provide play and learning activities to help a child's development. Parents can get help to pay childcare costs.
Approved Home Childcare
Approved Home Childcare is childcare which is delivered by an Approved Home Childcarer (AHC) in the child’s own home. This type of childcare can be of particular interest to parents/carers working shifts or to those with children with additional needs or disabilities.
Approved Home Childcarers need to be Approved by their local Health & Social Care Trust, Early Years Team. Approval as an Approved Home Childcarer is valid for one year only. Parents can check that their Approved Home Childcarer's approval is still valid by checking that they remain listed on the public childcare register:
As Approved Home Childcarers are Approved by the Health & Social Care Trust it is a qualified form of childcare for parents who can claim help towards their childcare costs.
What Approved Home Childcare does
Approved Home Childcare:
- verifies that the home childcarer has a relevant childcare qualification or has attended an induction course
- verifies that the applicant has undergone suitable first aid training
- confirms the identity of the home childcarer
- does a criminal records check, including the disqualification lists held by the Department of Health, (DoH) and the Department of Education (DE)
- checks other HSC Trust records to make sure that there is nothing in the home childcarer’s background that suggests they are unsuitable to work with, or have unsupervised access, to children
What Approved Home Childcare doesn't do
Approved Home Childcare does not:
- verify whether the home childcarer is eligible to work in the UK
- clarify the age group the home childcarer is suited to work with
- check the medical history of a home childcarer
- guarantee that parents using an approved home childcarer are entitled to financial support
- remove the parent’s ultimate responsibility to make sure that home childcarers are individually suitable to look after their children
- allow parents to claim childcare benefits and support if using relatives for approved home childcare
Employing a home childcarer
By employing an approved home childcarer:
- you know that they have been checked and met basic criteria
- you know the home childcarer has some understanding of children’s needs and what to do in an emergency
- you may get help to pay childcare costs
- you can arrange to have your child looked after in your own home
- you're responsible for the home childcarer's PAYE, terms and conditions of employment
Family Support NI details all approved home childcarers listed on the public register of registered and approved childcare in Northern Ireland.
If you want to be a home childcarer
If you are interested in becoming an Approved Home Childcarer, contact your local Early Years Team.
As an Approved Home Childcarer it is your responsibility to contact your Early Years Team to renew your Approval, allowing adequate time before your approval is due to run out. Failure to do so will result in the ending of your approval and any childcare benefit payments that parents are receiving being stopped as their childcare provider is no longer approved.
Childcare qualification and training
Home childcarers must have a relevant childcare qualification or have completed induction training before applying to become a home childcarer. Information on relevant training is available by contacting your local Childcare Partnership.
Family Support NI
Family Support NI holds the Northern Ireland public register of all registered and approved childcare providers in Northern Ireland. You can use their website to search for registered and approved childcare in your local area.
Childcare Partnership
Childcare Partnership has information and support to childcare providers, parents and employers.