If you registered as a childminder in Northern Ireland and have been working to one child under twelve months as your absolute limit, mark 9 November 2026 in your diary. That is when the new ratios actually take effect, later than the June date originally announced, and it is closer than it feels.
The ratio changes, from 9 November 2026
From that date, a childminder in Northern Ireland can care for up to two children under eighteen months, where the limit used to be one child under twelve months. The under school age limit rises to three children, or four where at least two are siblings and at least one of them is under school age. Across the whole setting, the maximum rises to eight children under twelve, including your own children if you have them at home, with no more than six of those under eight. If you have been turning enquiries away because the old numbers did not stretch far enough, it is worth working out now what the new ones actually allow.
What also changed alongside the ratios: GP health assessments
The other change from this announcement affects vetting rather than numbers. GP countersigned health assessments, previously required for every prospective childcare worker, are now limited to senior roles, the childminder themselves, the person in charge, or an assistant. Anyone in a junior role instead needs to be managed and supervised by at least one other person on site. If you have an assistant arrangement, it is worth checking which category they now fall into.
Why the delay matters
These changes were approved and announced on 5 May 2026 following a consultation that ran through most of 2025, with an original implementation date of 1 June 2026. That date moved to 9 November 2026. If you read something about this change over the summer and filed it away as already in force, it is worth double checking you are not working to a date that has since moved.
This sits under Northern Ireland's own standards
These ratios apply under the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care for Children Under Age 12, regulated through your Health and Social Care Trust. They are separate from the ratio changes Wales brought in this June and from how Scotland and England set their own numbers, so if you also follow childminding groups covering other nations, keep the two sets of figures apart.
None of this is legal advice, and your Health and Social Care Trust is the right place to confirm exactly how the new ratios apply to your specific registration. But with the new date roughly eight weeks out, this is a reasonable week to work out what changes for you.