Minister announces changes to areas of childcare regulation

Date published: 5 May 2026

These relate to the Health & Social Care Trusts’ requirement for all prospective childcare workers to provide a GP countersigned health assessment prior to commencing work with children, and the adult:child ratios currently in place for childminding settings and group day care.

The Minister said: 

Maintaining the high level of safety and quality within our childcare sector is of paramount importance, while at the same time supporting providers with the challenges they face

I am committed to improving the childcare experience for all stakeholders – providers, staff, parents and carers. The changes outlined below will, I hope, provide some stability and certainty to the sector

GP input to the childcare vetting process:

The Minister has asked HSC Trusts to limit the requirement for health declarations to be countersigned by GPs to those occupying the most senior positions within childminding and day care, such as a childminder, a person in charge of a day care setting, or assistant to the person in charge. A clear majority of respondents to the consultation agreed with this proposal.

The Minister said: 

The consultation exercise confirmed that there have been occasions when the HSC Trusts’ policy of requiring GP countersigned health declarations to be provided by all prospective childcare workers had negatively affected recruitment within the childcare sector, due in part to the challenges posed by the numbers seeking GP assessments

Those individuals for whom a GP declaration is not required will be managed and supervised by at least one other person within the setting. This provides opportunities for any issues of concern in relation to an individual’s mental or physical health, which are not disclosed on their health assessment, to be identified and acted upon

Adult: Child ratios – Childminding:

From 9 November 2026 a single childminder will be permitted to:

• care for a maximum of two children under 18 months (rather than the current limit of one child under 12 months);
• care for no more than three children under compulsory school-age, or four where two or more of the children being minded together are siblings and at least one of them is under school-age, in which case the maximum number of under school-age children is four; and
• care for up to eight children under 12, including their own children (no more than six children under age eight).

*The original date of 1 June 2026 for implementation of the adult: child ratios for childminding has been extended to 9 November following feedback from the sector and to ensure a seamless transition to the new ratios.

Adult: Child ratios – Group Day Care:

The ratios which had been in place since October 2021 as a result of the Covid pandemic will now remain in place permanently.

These are:

• for children aged under two, the maximum number of children per adult is three;
• for children aged two, the maximum number of children per adult is five;
• for children aged three, the maximum number of children per adult is eight; and
• for children aged over four, the maximum number of children per adult is 10.

At least two members of staff must be on duty in each room within a setting at all times.

Minister Nesbitt added: 

I would like to thank all those interested parties and individuals who took part in the consultation. My officials will be making contact with a range of stakeholders, including HSC Trusts, childcare providers, parents and staff, to seek their feedback on the wider Minimum Standards.

Any further proposed changes to the Minimum Standards will be made in the context of my overall priority of ensuring childcare remains a safe and high quality experience for all children