SIR – With regard to the shocking story of Sarah Joyce (T&A, April 24), I would like to thank the T&A for making it clear that she was an unregistered childminder.

I would stress that Ofsted-registered childminders are the only home child carers parents should ever leave their children with in a paid/reward capacity. It is illegal to hand over money/reward to unregistered minders.

I am an Ofsted-registered childminder and, like others all over the country, have gone through a lengthy procedure to become a home-based carer.

It is by no means an easy stay-at-home job!

We all hold a paediatric first-aid certificate, have ongoing assessments by our local childcare services and are mostly members of the national childminding association.

We attend regular courses to update our knowledge of childcare issues and have an Ofsted inspection on average once every three years. My last one lasted seven hours.

We have strict guidelines on the ages and number of children we have on our premises at any one time and our homes are inspected to ensure they are fit for purpose.

I hope any parents looking for childcare always ask a potential childminder for their Ofsted certificate to ensure their authenticity.

Annabel Holt, Priestthorpe Road, Bingley