Risk Assessments

Childminder
risk assessments
in the UK.

What risk assessments you need, what a complete assessment contains, the seven mistakes that let childminders down at inspection, and how requirements differ across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The basics

What is a childminder risk assessment?

A risk assessment is a structured, written evaluation of the hazards in your setting and the steps you have taken to reduce them to an acceptable level. It is not a list of things that might go wrong. It is a document that shows you have thought carefully about your environment, the children in your care, and the specific risks that exist in your particular setting on any given day.

That distinction matters. A risk assessment written to satisfy an inspector looks very different from one written because you genuinely understand your setting. Inspectors can tell the difference immediately. A document that could have been written about any childminding setting, anywhere, by anyone, is not a risk assessment. It is a template.

"Risk assessments are not about eliminating risk. They are about showing you have thought about it, managed it proportionately, and know what to do when conditions change."

Across all four UK nations, inspectors use risk assessments as evidence of your professional judgement. A well-considered, setting-specific, regularly reviewed risk assessment library tells an inspector that you take your duty of care seriously. A set of generic documents that have not been touched since registration tells them the opposite.

Why they matter

Your professional defence.

Risk assessments serve two purposes. The first is practical: identifying hazards and controlling them protects the children in your care. The second is professional: a well-maintained risk assessment library is your evidence that you have fulfilled your duty of care if anything ever goes wrong.

If a child is injured in your setting and you cannot produce a risk assessment that covers the relevant hazard, that absence becomes a serious problem in any investigation or insurance claim. If the risk assessment exists but has not been reviewed in two years, the same problem applies. If the assessment was reviewed but the conditions it describes no longer match your setting, you are no better protected than if you had no assessment at all.

Risk assessments only protect you if they are current, accurate, and genuinely reflect your setting as it is today. That is not a compliance requirement you tick off once. It is an ongoing professional responsibility.

What to include

What a complete risk assessment must contain.

Most childminders include some of these elements. Few include all of them. Every missing element weakens the assessment in the eyes of an inspector and reduces the protection it offers you professionally.

✓
The specific hazard identified
Name the actual hazard, not a category. Not "garden" but "uneven paving slabs near the back door." Not "kitchen" but "accessible cleaning products under the sink." The more specific the hazard, the more useful the assessment and the more convincing it is to an inspector.
✓
Who is at risk
Identify which children or people the hazard affects. A loose stair gate is a hazard primarily for young walkers. Hot drinks are a hazard primarily when carried near children. Naming who is at risk shows you are thinking about specific children, not abstract scenarios.
✓
Likelihood and severity ratings
Assess both how likely the harm is to occur and how severe it would be if it did. These are usually rated on a simple scale such as low, medium, or high. The combination of likelihood and severity determines the overall risk level and the priority you give to controlling it.
✓
Existing control measures
What is already in place to manage this hazard? A stair gate, a locked cupboard, a supervision policy, a no-hot-drinks rule in the playroom. Document what you already do, not just what you plan to do. Existing controls demonstrate that risk management is embedded in your everyday practice.
✓
Additional actions required
Where the existing controls are not sufficient to bring the risk to an acceptable level, document what additional steps are needed, who is responsible for taking them, and by when. This shows an inspector that you have not just identified a risk and left it there.
✓
Who is responsible
Name the person responsible for managing this risk. In most childminding settings that is you, but if you have an assistant, clarity about who is responsible for what matters both for practice and for any investigation that follows an incident.
✓
Review date and review history
Every assessment must have a review date from the moment it is created. When it is reviewed, record the date, what was checked, what if anything changed, and who carried out the review. A blank review history is as problematic as no review date at all.
✓
Signature and date
Every risk assessment must be signed and dated by the practitioner who completed it. An unsigned or undated assessment raises immediate questions about when it was done and whether it was genuinely completed at the time or reconstructed afterwards.
The full list

What risk assessments does a childminder actually need?

The list is longer than most childminders expect. Each space children use and each activity they take part in needs its own assessment. One generic document does not cover all of them.

✓
Indoor spaces
Each room children use needs its own assessment. Lounge or playroom, kitchen, bathroom, hallway and stairs, any sleeping areas. Each presents different hazards and each needs to be considered separately. A single indoor assessment covering the whole house is not sufficient.
✓
Garden and outdoor spaces
Your garden needs its own assessment covering surfaces, equipment, boundaries, gates, water features, plants, and anything that changes seasonally. Ponds, trampolines, climbing frames, and compost areas all need specific consideration. Review this assessment as the seasons change.
✓
Regular outings and outdoor locations
Every regular outing needs its own assessment. The local park, a beach, a forest area, a farm visit. Each location has different hazards and each needs to be documented before children attend. A generic outings assessment is not sufficient if you visit multiple distinct locations.
✓
Transport and school runs
If you use a car to transport children, you need a transport risk assessment covering car seats, insurance cover for business use, breakdown procedures, supervision during loading and unloading, and what you do if a child is unwell during travel.
✓
Specific activities
Loose parts play, water play, baking, messy play, active physical play, and any activity that involves tools, heat, water, or significant physical exertion should have its own assessment. The hazards in structured activities differ from those in free play and both need consideration.
✓
Food preparation and eating
Covers kitchen hygiene, allergen management, food storage temperatures, choking hazards for younger children, and outdoor eating or picnics. Must cross-reference any individual children's allergy or dietary requirement records.
✓
Pets and animals
If you have animals in your setting, a pet risk assessment is essential. This covers behaviour and temperament around children, hygiene and handwashing, supervision during interactions, and what happens if the animal behaves unexpectedly.
✓
Fire safety
Non-negotiable across all four nations. Must cover detection equipment and testing schedule, evacuation routes, assembly point, how you account for all children during an evacuation, and how often you practice fire drills. Must be accompanied by a drill log.
The element most childminders miss

Dynamic risk assessment: managing what changes.

A static written risk assessment covers the predictable hazards in your setting under normal conditions. But conditions in a childminding setting are rarely static. Children's moods, energy levels, and abilities change. Weather changes. The number of children present changes. Equipment gets moved. Visitors arrive. Something unexpected happens on an outing.

Dynamic risk assessment is the ongoing, real-time process of noticing and responding to these changing variables. It is not a separate document. It is a professional habit of mind that operates alongside your written assessments, filling the gaps that no static document can cover in advance.

Variables to consider in dynamic risk assessment

When conditions change, these are the variables a practitioner should consciously assess before proceeding with an activity or outing.

  • Weather conditions and how they affect the environment
  • Number of children present and their ages
  • Individual children's mood, energy, and wellbeing on the day
  • Any child with additional support needs or health changes
  • Changes to the physical environment since the last visit
  • Presence of unfamiliar people or animals in the area
  • Equipment condition on the day of use
  • Your own capacity and that of any assistant present
  • Time of day and how it affects the environment
  • Any recent incident or near miss that changes the risk picture

Inspectors across all four nations recognise dynamic risk assessment as a mark of genuinely reflective practice. It demonstrates that your risk management is not confined to a folder. It is part of how you work every day.

What goes wrong

The seven mistakes inspectors find every time.

These are consistent across inspections in all four UK nations. Each one is avoidable. Each one leaves a childminder more exposed than they need to be.

01
Written once, never reviewed
The most common problem by far. A risk assessment completed at registration and never returned to. Your setting changes. Children's ages and abilities change. Equipment wears out. Seasons change. A document that describes your setting as it was two years ago does not protect the children who are in your care today.
02
Not checked against changing legislation
Regulatory guidance changes. What was considered sufficient three years ago may not meet current requirements. Each UK nation updates its guidance periodically and risk assessment expectations evolve alongside it. A review that only checks whether the hazards are still present, without checking whether the regulatory context has changed, is incomplete.
03
Not updated when conditions change
A new child with a mobility difference, a new piece of garden equipment, a pond filled with water, building work next door, a new pet. Each of these changes the risk picture. Risk assessments should be reviewed whenever a significant change occurs in the setting, not just on an annual schedule.
04
No dynamic risk assessment element
Static documents cover predictable hazards. They cannot cover the variables that change from day to day. A childminder who cannot explain how they assess risk in real time, during an outing on a wet day with a tired two-year-old and an energetic four-year-old, is demonstrating a gap in their risk management practice that no written document can fill.
05
Generic templates that do not fit the setting
A risk assessment downloaded from the internet and minimally adapted is immediately recognisable. It describes hazards that may not exist in your setting and omits hazards that are specific to it. An inspector reading a generic template sees a childminder who has satisfied a requirement rather than one who has thought seriously about their setting.
06
Documents prepared without understanding
Writing a risk assessment because it is required, using language or a structure that is not understood, produces a document that cannot be explained or acted on. If an inspector asks why you rated a hazard as medium risk and you cannot explain your reasoning, the assessment fails its purpose regardless of how it looks on paper.
07
Assessments that do not cover what is actually needed
Having a risk assessment for the garden but not for the park you visit every Tuesday. Covering the playroom but not the bathroom. Assessing loose parts play but not the car used for school runs. Gaps in coverage are gaps in protection, and inspectors look at what is absent as much as what is present.
Raising the standard

What a good childminder risk assessment actually looks like.

A compliant risk assessment satisfies the minimum. A good one demonstrates genuine professional thinking, reflects your specific setting, and shows an inspector that risk management is embedded in how you practice every day.

🏡
Specific to your setting
It names the actual hazards in your actual environment. It references the specific children in your care, their ages, and any individual needs that affect the risk picture. It could not have been written about any other childminding setting.
📅
A clear review history
Not just a review date, but a record of what was checked, what changed, and who carried out the review. A review history shows an inspector that the document is genuinely maintained rather than periodically stamped with a new date.
🔄
Seasonal and event-based updates
The garden assessment is updated as seasons change. The outing assessment is updated when a new location is added. The transport assessment is updated when a child joins who requires a different car seat. Updates are triggered by change, not just by the calendar.
⚖️
Proportionate risk ratings
The ratings reflect genuine thinking about likelihood and severity in your specific context. Not every hazard is high risk. Not every low-probability hazard warrants extensive control measures. Proportionate assessment demonstrates professional judgement.
🧠
Language you can explain
Every sentence should be something you can explain to an inspector in plain language. If your risk assessment contains terminology you copied from a template and cannot explain, it does not reflect your actual understanding of your setting.
🔗
Linked to relevant policies and records
Your fire safety risk assessment links to your evacuation procedure. Your food risk assessment links to individual children's allergy records. Your transport assessment links to your health and safety policy. Connections between documents demonstrate a coherent compliance system.
Jump to your nation
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England

Risk assessments for English childminders.

In England, risk assessments sit within the welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework 2024. The EYFS requires all registered childminders to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children, and risk assessments are the primary written evidence of how you do that. Ofsted inspectors assess risk assessments as part of their evaluation of your safeguarding and welfare provision.

Regulator
Ofsted
Inspects registered childminders in England against the Early Years Inspection Handbook. Risk assessments are assessed as evidence of how you manage the safety and welfare of children in your care.
Primary framework
EYFS Statutory Framework 2024
Section 3 welfare requirements include the expectation that providers implement a policy and procedure for assessing risk. Risk assessments should reference this framework explicitly.
Fire safety
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Applies to childminding settings in England. Your fire risk assessment must meet the requirements of this Order and be reviewed regularly. A drill log is expected as accompanying evidence.
Food safety
Food Safety Act 1990 and Food Standards Agency guidance
If you prepare or serve food, food hygiene requirements apply. Your food risk assessment should reference relevant Food Standards Agency guidance and any allergen management procedures.

What Ofsted looks for: Inspectors will check that you have risk assessments in place, that they are reviewed regularly, and that they reflect the actual hazards in your setting rather than a generic template. They will also assess whether you can demonstrate dynamic risk assessment in practice by asking how you manage risk during outings or when conditions change. Your answers must show that risk management is embedded in your everyday practice, not confined to a folder.

Full compliance guide for England →
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Scotland

Risk assessments for Scottish childminders.

In Scotland, risk assessments are assessed by the Care Inspectorate within the broader framework of how you support children's safety and wellbeing under the Health and Social Care Standards 2017 and GIRFEC principles. Scottish inspectors place particular emphasis on reflective practice and will look for evidence that your risk management is thoughtful, proportionate, and genuinely connected to the needs of individual children in your care.

Regulator
Care Inspectorate
Inspects registered childminders in Scotland using the Quality Improvement Framework. Risk assessments feed into Quality Indicator 1.1 (nurturing care and support) and 2.2 (children's health and wellbeing).
Primary framework
Health and Social Care Standards 2017
Standard 4 (I have confidence in the people who support and care for me) and Standard 5 (I am supported and cared for in a safe environment) are directly relevant to risk assessment practice. Reference specific standards in your assessments.
Wellbeing
GIRFEC and SHANARRI
Risk assessments in Scotland should connect to SHANARRI wellbeing indicators, particularly Safe. Showing how your risk management supports children's safety as a wellbeing outcome demonstrates the kind of integrated thinking Care Inspectorate inspectors look for.
Rights
UNCRC (Incorporated into Scots Law 2024)
Article 3 (best interests of the child) and Article 19 (protection from harm) are directly relevant to risk assessment practice. Referencing these in your assessments demonstrates rights-based practice.

What the Care Inspectorate looks for: Scottish inspectors expect risk assessments to go beyond procedural compliance. They want to see that assessments reflect genuine engagement with the individual children in your care, that dynamic risk management is part of your daily practice, and that your approach to safety is underpinned by GIRFEC principles. A generic assessment with no connection to individual children or to the Scottish frameworks will be identified as insufficient.

Full compliance guide for Scotland →
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Wales

Risk assessments for Welsh childminders.

In Wales, risk assessments must meet the requirements of the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare, published by the Welsh Government. Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) inspects against these standards and assesses both the quality of your written assessments and your ability to demonstrate risk management in practice. Welsh legislation has its own specific context and risk assessments must reflect Welsh frameworks, not UK-wide or England-specific guidance.

Regulator
Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)
Regulates and inspects childcare and play services in Wales. Risk assessments are assessed as part of the overall evaluation of how well the setting promotes children's health, safety and wellbeing.
Primary standards
National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare
Sets out the minimum requirements for all registered childcare providers in Wales including expectations around risk assessment, fire safety, and the management of specific hazards. Your assessments should reference these standards explicitly.
Fire safety
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Applies in Wales as in England. Your fire risk assessment must meet the requirements of this Order. CIW inspectors will check that a fire assessment is in place, reviewed regularly, and accompanied by a drill log.
Wellbeing
Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
Provides a broader context for how risk is managed in Welsh childcare settings. The principle of long-term wellbeing connects to how you balance risk management with children's right to challenge and enriching experiences.

What CIW looks for: CIW inspectors assess whether risk assessments reflect current Welsh standards, are specific to the setting, and are genuinely reviewed rather than simply dated. They will also look at whether your approach to outdoor risk and active play reflects the Welsh Government's promotion of outdoor learning and physical activity. A risk assessment that prohibits all outdoor risk-taking rather than managing it proportionately is not consistent with Welsh early years values.

Full compliance guide for Wales →
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Northern Ireland

Risk assessments for Northern Ireland childminders.

In Northern Ireland, risk assessments are assessed by the five Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) against the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care. Each HSCT operates within the same framework but inspectors will look for risk assessments that are specific to the setting, regularly reviewed, and consistent with Northern Ireland guidance rather than frameworks from other UK nations.

Regulator
Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCT)
Five regional trusts regulate childminding in Northern Ireland. Inspectors assess risk assessments as part of the evaluation of whether childminders are meeting the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care.
Primary standards
Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care
Sets out the minimum requirements for registered childminders in Northern Ireland, including expectations around risk assessment for the premises, outdoor spaces, outings, and activities. Your assessments should reference these standards.
Legislative basis
Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995
The primary legislation governing the welfare of children in Northern Ireland. The welfare of the child is the paramount consideration. Risk assessments should be understood as a tool for fulfilling this statutory duty, not a bureaucratic exercise.
Fire safety
Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
Governs fire safety in Northern Ireland, distinct from the Regulatory Reform Order that applies in England and Wales. Your fire risk assessment should reference Northern Ireland fire safety legislation specifically.

What HSCTs look for: HSCT inspectors assess whether risk assessments meet the Minimum Standards, are specific to the setting, and are maintained with genuine reviews rather than nominal dating. They will look for evidence that risk management reflects the individual needs of the children in care and that the practitioner can explain their approach in practice. A risk assessment referencing EYFS or GIRFEC signals immediately that it was not written for Northern Ireland.

Full compliance guide for Northern Ireland →
Common questions

Questions childminders ask about risk assessments.

Across all four UK nations, childminders are expected to have risk assessments covering all indoor spaces children use, outdoor spaces including the garden and any parks or locations visited regularly, transport, activities, food preparation and eating, fire safety, and pets. Each space and activity should have its own assessment. One generic document covering everything is not sufficient.
At least annually and whenever a significant change occurs. A significant change includes a new child starting, a child's needs or abilities changing, changes to the environment, a new outing or routine, an accident or near miss, or a change in legislation or regulatory guidance. Some assessments such as the garden may need reviewing more frequently as seasons change.
Dynamic risk assessment is the ongoing, real-time process of noticing and responding to changing conditions that cannot be fully predicted in a static written document. For childminders this applies particularly to outings, outdoor play, and any activity where variables such as weather, the number of children present, individual children's moods, and energy levels affect the risk picture. It is a professional habit of mind, not a separate document.
A complete risk assessment identifies the specific hazard, names who is at risk, rates the likelihood and severity of harm, describes existing control measures, notes any additional actions required, names who is responsible, includes a review date and review history, and is signed and dated. Missing any of these elements makes the assessment incomplete in the eyes of an inspector.
The principle of identifying, assessing and controlling risk is consistent across all four nations. However the legislative frameworks that underpin that requirement differ. In Scotland, risk assessments should reference the Health and Social Care Standards 2017 and GIRFEC. In England, they sit within the EYFS welfare requirements. In Wales, they must meet the National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare. In Northern Ireland, they are assessed against the Minimum Standards for Childminding and Day Care. Using the wrong framework reference signals to an inspector that the document was not written for your nation.
How Clariti helps

Risk assessments built for your setting and your nation.

Clariti generates risk assessments tailored to your specific setting and your nation's legislative requirements. Every assessment includes the correct framework references, a built-in review date, and links to relevant policies and individual children's records. You review every document before it is saved. Your professional judgement stays at the centre.

Nation-specific framework references
Every assessment references the correct legislation for your nation automatically. Scotland gets the Health and Social Care Standards and GIRFEC. England gets the EYFS 2024. Wales gets the National Minimum Standards. Northern Ireland gets the Minimum Standards and the Children Order 1995.
Linked to your setting details
Assessments reference your specific environment. Your garden assessment reflects your actual outdoor space. Your transport assessment includes the children you carry and their specific needs. Information entered once flows through every document that needs it.
Review alerts built in
Every assessment has a review date from the moment it is created. Clariti alerts you when a review is due so nothing becomes outdated without you knowing. Reviews are logged automatically, giving you a complete review history.
Linked to policies and children's records
Your fire safety assessment links to your evacuation procedure. Your food assessment links to individual children's allergy records. Cross-references between documents are built in, not left for you to create manually.
Dynamic risk guidance included
Each assessment includes a dynamic risk section prompting you to consider the variables that change from day to day. This ensures your risk management goes beyond the written document and demonstrates reflective practice to inspectors.
Feeds your self-evaluation automatically
Every completed and reviewed assessment contributes to your self-evaluation evidence. Your inspection readiness builds as you work, without any separate effort.
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Clariti generates risk assessments mapped to your nation's frameworks, linked to your setting, and built with review alerts so nothing drifts out of date. Ready before the inspection call comes.

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