Scotland has no mechanism to independently verify how many children a childminder is actually caring for at any given time.
Childminders in Scotland may care for a maximum of 8 children under 16, of which no more than 6 may be under 12, and no more than 3 may be pre-school age. The childminder's own children count towards these limits.
The current system relies entirely on childminders self-reporting how many children they care for. Inspectors have no independent way to verify these numbers outside of unannounced visits.
If a child is placed with multiple childminders, or a childminder takes on more children than allowed, there is no system to detect this. Breaches can persist unnoticed between inspection visits.
Three simple steps. No complex bureaucracy.
Create an account and add children using birth year and month only. No names are collected. Each child receives a pseudonymous reference like CM-A7K9M2.
Register a placement linking a child to a specific childminder from the Care Inspectorate's public register. The childminder's registration number is already public data.
The system automatically cross-references placements against each childminder's capacity limits and flags any breaches in real time to Care Inspectorate officers.
The register is designed around the principle of data minimisation. It collects the absolute minimum needed to verify capacity compliance.
| What we collect | What we do NOT collect |
|---|---|
| Email address (for login) | Children's names |
| Child's birth year and month | Children's addresses |
| Childminder registration number (already public) | Health data or allergies |
| Placement dates | Parents' names |
| Financial information |
No special category data. No children's names. The register holds less personal data than childminders are already legally required to keep in their own records.
Three barriers have been cited as reasons not to pursue a register. This prototype addresses each one directly.
Multiple lawful bases already exist
Article 6(1)(e) GDPR (public task), Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests), and consent all provide valid lawful bases. These same bases are used daily by the NHS, schools, and social work departments to process far more sensitive data about children.
This prototype was built in a day
This working prototype was created quickly and easily using free, open-source technology. The total infrastructure cost is negligible. No novel technology is required.
Less data than existing systems
The register collects less personal data than a GP surgery, a school enrolment form, or the childminder's own mandatory record-keeping. It contains no special category data and no children's names. Privacy by design is built into every aspect.
Two working portals that demonstrate end-to-end feasibility.
The parent-facing interface
The Care Inspectorate officer view
Use these demo accounts to explore both portals. The database is pre-loaded with realistic test data including a childminder in breach.