Do childminders need insurance?
What insurance a self-employed childminder actually needs in the UK, which cover is legally required and which only feels like it is, what it costs, and the exclusions that catch people out.
Quick answer
Effectively yes. Public liability insurance is a requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework for registered childminders in England, and you must be able to produce the certificate to parents on request. What matters more is the cover mix: home and contents disclosure is the one most childminders miss, and employers' liability becomes a hard legal requirement of at least £5m the moment you employ anyone. Around £60-£130 a year, typically bundled into a PACEY or Morton Michel childminding package alongside membership.
Insurance for a childminder: what you need
| Cover | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | Required by EYFS | £5m is standard. You must show the certificate to parents on request. |
| Home and contents disclosure | Essential | Your home insurer must be told you childmind. Not telling them can void your household cover entirely. |
| Car business use | Essential if you transport children | School runs and outings need business use on your motor policy, plus parental consent. |
| Legal expenses | Recommended | Covers the cost of defending an allegation, which is the risk that ends childminding careers. |
| Employers' liability | Legally required if you employ | £5m minimum by law if you take on an assistant. |
Step-by-step
- 1
Know the legal position first
Effectively yes. Public liability insurance is a requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework for registered childminders in England, and you must be able to produce the certificate to parents on request. It is worth being precise about this, because the trade forums are full of people who believe public liability is compulsory for everyone and people who believe it is never needed. Neither is right. The only insurance that is compulsory across the board is employers' liability, which becomes a legal requirement the moment you employ anyone.
- 2
Understand what actually goes wrong for a childminder
You are responsible for other people's children in your own home. This is the one trade on this list where insurance is not a commercial judgement but a condition of being allowed to operate at all.
- 3
Get the cover mix right, not just the headline policy
The table above is the important part. Buying 'public liability' and assuming you are covered is how most claims get declined in this trade — the specific extensions are what respond to the things that actually happen. Read what your policy names, and check the exclusions rather than the marketing.
- 4
Employers' liability the moment you take on any help
This is the one genuine legal obligation. Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires at least £5m of cover from the day you employ anyone — full-time, part-time, casual, family, paid in cash, it makes no difference. The penalty is up to £2,500 for every day you are uninsured, and a further fine for not displaying the certificate. If you use subcontractors, check whether your insurer treats them as employees; many do when you direct their work.
- 5
Tell your other insurers what you're doing
Two policies are routinely invalidated by not mentioning the business. If you work from home, your home insurer needs to know — undisclosed business use can void your buildings and contents cover entirely, including for unrelated claims. If you drive to jobs, your motor policy needs business use added; social, domestic and pleasure does not cover travelling between clients. Both changes are usually cheap. Not making them is not.
- 6
Put your cover on your website and quotes
Being insured is a selling point and most childminders waste it. A line on your site stating your cover level, alongside any qualifications and checks you hold, answers a question customers are already asking silently and separates you from whoever quoted before you. Commercial clients will ask for the certificate anyway — make it easy to find.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Failing to tell your home insurer you childmind is the most common and most serious mistake. It can invalidate your buildings and contents cover for everything, not just the business.
- ▸Ofsted registration conditions and the EYFS require public liability — operating without it puts your registration at risk, not just your finances.
- ▸Transporting children requires business use on your car insurance and written parental consent. Social and domestic cover does not extend to it.
- ▸Check your policy's exclusions before you check its price — the cheapest cover is usually cheap because of what it leaves out.
- ▸Buying through a trade association or professional body is very often cheaper than buying direct, and the membership frequently pays for itself.
Common questions
Is childminder insurance a legal requirement?
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In England, public liability insurance is a requirement of the EYFS statutory framework for registered childminders, and you must be able to show the certificate to parents on request. So while it is not a standalone criminal offence in the way employers' liability is, you cannot lawfully operate as a registered childminder without it.
Do I need to tell my home insurer I'm a childminder?
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Yes, without exception. Running a childminding business from your home materially changes the risk. Insurers that are not told can decline claims and cancel the policy — including for an unrelated household claim like a burst pipe. Many standard insurers are fine with childminding once disclosed; the problem is only ever the non-disclosure.
How much public liability cover do childminders need?
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£5m is the standard level offered by the specialist childminding insurers and is what most parents and settings expect to see. Given that the cover costs well under £150 a year, there is no meaningful saving in taking less.
How much does childminder insurance cost?
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Around £60-£130 a year, typically bundled into a PACEY or Morton Michel childminding package alongside membership. Price varies with your cover limit, your claims history and exactly what work you declare, so compare on what is actually covered rather than on the headline figure.
Is any insurance legally required if I'm self-employed?
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Only employers' liability, and only once you employ someone. That is a hard legal requirement — a minimum of £5m from the first day, with penalties of up to £2,500 for each day you are uninsured. Everything else, including public liability, is a commercial decision rather than a legal one, though in practice clients and contracts often make it unavoidable.
Do I need insurance if I only work part-time or as a side business?
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Yes. Liability attaches to the work, not to how much of it you do or what you earn from it. A part-time trader who causes an injury faces exactly the same claim as a full-time one, and 'it was only a weekend job' is not a defence. Part-time cover is often cheaper, so tell your insurer your actual turnover.