Insurance now mandatory for Larne childminders

The news has been welcomed by NICMA, the Childminding Association, which pointed out that the Northern Health and Social Care Trust had been the only trust in Northern Ireland which did not require registered childminders to have public liability insurance.

However, in a recent letter to NICMA, the trust’ director of children’s services, Cecil Worthington, said that public liability insurance would become a requirement for all new and existing registered childminders with immediate effect.

Reacting to the news, NICMA’s director, Bridget Nodder, says the charity is delighted:

“We have lobbied for some time on this issue and we are very pleased that the Northern Trust has listened sympathetically to our case, and has decided to make this change.

“When a childminder isn’t insured, families run the risk of being unable to obtain fair compensation in the event of an accident, and the childminder is putting his or her own family and business at risk.

“This move by the Northern Trust will ensure that all families using a registered childminder will soon have the reassurance of knowing that he or she is insured.”

Childminders and parents can get advice and information on childminding by visiting the NICMA website at: www.nicma.org or contacting NICMA on: 028 9181 1015.