Parents could be given access to the complaints records of child minders if proposals to regulate the sector are backed by the government.

The proposal is included in a private members bill put forward by Labour MP Geraint Davies last week.

Ofsted is considering introducing a consent form that childminders can sign to allow parents access to complaints records, but Davies believes this is only an interim measure and needs to be backed up by legislative reforms.

Ofsted plans to publish the names and addresses and inspection reports of all 70,000 childminders (news, page 6, 20 March).

The MP is also calling for the introduction of a register of nannies, with tax incentives to encourage registration, and for an end to parents’ rights to allow their children to be smacked by childminders.

The Regulation of Childcare Providers Bill is due to receive its second reading in the House of Commons on 13 June.

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