New rules permit smacking

Different rules apply in playgroups and nurseries

The government wants to allow childminders in England to smack babies and smoke in their presence.

Proposed new regulations involve a "dumbing down" of standards, according to the National Childminding Association.

Our view is that smacking is not something that should happen to children whether their parents think it should or not

Daycare Trust

The proposals say smacking pre-school children and smoking in front of them is all right provided parents have given childminders their permission.

The guidelines, which will be overseen by the education watchdog, Ofsted, will not apply to day nurseries, playgroups, children's centres or creches - where smacking and smoking are forbidden.

But they do cover childminders who do not receive education authority grants to provide care.

Currently, they are regulated by the 150 individual education authorities who each set their own guidelines.

'High quality care'

The Early Years Minister, Margaret Hodge, said when she published the new standards: "These will ensure that all parents can be confident that their children will receive high quality, safe care from nurseries, childminders and playgroups.

The standards we expected have been seriously watered down

National Childminding Association

"Many organisations and individuals working in the childcare field have been involved in developing the standards. Their input has been invaluable."

The childminding association, with some 40,000 members in England and Wales, was one of the main organisations involved.

It says the draft standards it was shown in February were fine. But it was shocked when the final version was published this month.

The association's chief executive, Gill Haynes, said: "These standards were supposed to be about providing safe, high-quality care for children, wherever they are, but smoking in front of children and smacking babies can never be acceptable childcare practice in any childcare setting.

"We're extremely disappointed that after many months of our talking to government, the standards we expected have been seriously watered down."

The Daycare Trust is also disappointed. Its chief executive, Colette Kelleher, was quoted by the Department for Education and Employment as welcoming the new standards because they would give "a real consistency of quality" across different establishments and across the country.

'Matter of choice'

She stands by that, but says that on smacking and smoking childminders, the department "needs to do better".

A legal test case had said parents could authorise childminders to smack on their behalf - but she feels the department should have given a lead on the issue.

"Our view is that smacking is not something that should happen to children whether their parents think it should or not, whether in the day care setting or in the home," she said.

"And it is clearly not in the interests of children's health to be in a smoking environment."

A spokeswoman for the department said it felt that where parents did believe in smacking and wanted a consistency of discipline for their children, they should be able to authorise childminders to do it for them.

Equally childminders would be able to say that they did not approve of it.

"The choice is there on both sides. It's a common sense approach," she said.

"We don't want to interfere unnecessarily in family matters."

She stressed that the issue was open for consultation.