Woman's Hour Saskia Reeves, Childminders, Women in Camps
Nov 19, 2025
Saskia Reeves, a versatile actor known for her role in 'Slow Horses,' shares insights into her latest performance in the National Theatre production 'End,' exploring complex relationships with co-star Clive Owen. Georgina Young, a registered childminder, discusses the pressing financial challenges her profession faces amidst declining numbers and government funding cuts. Frank Gardner, BBC Security Correspondent, analyzes the UK’s counterterrorism policies, emphasizing the urgent need for organized repatriation of women and children still in camps in Iraq and Syria.
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Childminder Numbers Are Plummeting
- Ofsted data shows childminder numbers in England fell from over 60,000 in 2009 to about 25,000 now, revealing a long-term workforce decline.
- Funding structures based on nursery ratios undervalue childminding and create an unsustainable three-to-four-year-old funding gap.
Reform Funding To Match Childminder Reality
- Review and redesign funding to reflect childminder-specific ratios instead of nursery ratios so hourly rates cover real costs.
- Consider flexible models and local authority transparency to ensure funding sustains childminder businesses.
Childminder Running At A Loss
- Georgina Young says she is running at a loss after the children in her care turned three because the three-year funding is nearly half that for under-twos.
- She manages only because she is in a two-income household and cannot sustain the loss long-term.
