i.e Other sources of support.

Practitioners work from their own homes, consequently their business impacts upon their own families; several childminders recognised that family support had contributed significantly to their successful work and ‘outstanding’ judgements. Hannah acknowledged the detrimental effect childminding could potentially have:

I think it’s really key that ... it has to work for your family, because if it does it can work really well; if it doesn’t, you can create tensions you don’t need and you wouldn’t be providing the service as well because you would feel like it was upsetting everyone else in the family because you were doing it.

Childminders mentioned the practical and emotional support they receive from partners. Beverley is helped by her husband:

I am very fortunate that my husband is ... very supportive of what I do both hands on helping with administrative side of it; putting policies and procedures together. He does my accounts as well so I am very fortunate in that respect...he is very tolerant of the fact that you’ve got all these children coming and going in our home with all the posters and toys and resources and equipment stuff that we wouldn’t have had long ago because my children are much older now.

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Polly recognises the contribution of family to her ‘outstanding’ judgement, comparing her situation to that of other childminders:

The major thing that helps me to provide what I’ve got to be honest, is having a very supportive family. I don’t think you can be a successful childminder if you haven’t got a supportive partner or husband and or children. Because I have worked, before now, seven days a week; I’ve done community childminding where I’ve worked some really long hours with social services and that does impact on your family life. My husband comes home from work about half past four each day and obviously coming home at that time of day walks straight into seven or eight children sometimes and if he wasn’t completely supportive of it...I have heard instances of other childminders where they’ve voiced the fact that their husband is not very happy, wants to come in from work and it be nice and peaceful. So I definitely wouldn’t be able to do an ‘outstanding’, I don’t think, without my husband’s support.

Family have supported in unexpected ways - Sadie was in the situation where, “Having had a daughter who has just done Early Years Childhood Studies and just done her EYP has kept me up to date...which can be fun!”

Some childminders acknowledged they worked in privileged circumstances. Mary, as well as noting her husband’s support recognised his knowledge. “We both met when we both worked with in child development so we are both aware of risk assessment and things like this...I’m fortunate to have such a nice home for the children to come to as well”. Whilst some childminders were aware that some practitioners have ‘non-helpful’ parents, described as such by Samantha, several childminders stated that parental feedback supports their work. Sonia said, “I have always had a good deal of support from parents of the children I look after and their appreciation of my work has always inspired me to work harder for their children”. The confidence building brought about by appreciation of parents was noted by Leni, “Getting a good feedback from parents ... gives you more confidence to continue and progress with how you’re working”.

Maddy thought that successful childminding develops practitioners’ confidence, and echoed several childminders’ stories of feeling they had failed in school but by gradually developing confidence, knowledge and

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expertise through training and self-evaluation, have since achieved. “I hadn’t reached any potential at school, I think for me the main drive was the enjoyment and need to succeed and be good at something I really enjoyed so the two really go together”. During a discussion of formal education, Bryony described her experience:

My spelling was dreadful but helping the children with their phonics now I’m brilliant and we get on really well, but then it helps me; it sounds silly – it might to you – I absolutely love helping the children learn. I had such a bad time at school and could not wait to leave, I was 15 on the Tuesday and I left on the Friday and I had a job to go to. And that was my education.

Justine felt she had been fortunate to be supported by LA officers who “have faith in my ability...and...it does seem that I’m lucky, ...Someone is putting me in the right place to do the right thing”. The inspiration of initial NNEB training and the tutor’s expertise impacted upon Grace’s practice:

I had a very, very good tutor when I was training and her influence on me was second to none. She was so good at explaining why we had to do things. That has stood me in good stead for my own daughter as well as other children.

The NVQ assessor had greatly influenced Tanya’s work who “was very good. She certainly knew what she was talking about and gave me things to think about as time was going on”. Developing the ability to, “Self reflect, I think that’s quite important to be able to stand back and look at your setting and analyse what is happening – observe, analyse and make adjustments accordingly” was felt by Selina to have contributed to her ‘outstanding’ judgement.

Overwhelmingly, childminders identified their own personal character as being crucial to success, mentioning drive and always wanting to achieve their best. “I think it’s just the sort of person I am; I always want to achieve the best... I always attend the courses and put into practice what I’ve learnt,” Elissa stated, which links to Selina’s reflective comment and is echoed by Amy who had found, “CPD is a useful way of reflecting and improving

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through identification of training needs”. Aware that judgements can change from inspection to inspection, Beverley noted:

The gauntlet was laid down that you can achieve a ‘good’ or an ‘outstanding’ and I aim for the ‘outstanding’, didn’t even stop to look at what the ‘good’ enabled, I was after the ‘outstanding’...I have found over the last two-and-a-half to three years that maintaining that high level is sometimes trickier than achieving it in the first place.

Paige identified researching on the internet as being important to developing knowledge, also mentioned by Connie who subscribes to several professional magazines: “I just read, any information at all I can read”.