The Welsh Government has published guidance to support understanding of the Child Minding and Day Care Exceptions (Revocation and Transitional Provision) (Wales) Order 2026. Registering as a childcare provider: exceptions | GOV.WALES
The purpose of the guidance is to build awareness of the forthcoming changes introduced by the Order and to help providers and stakeholders understand what the changes may mean for different types of provision. It is intended to support providers in both the registered and unregistered sectors to consider how the changes may impact their provision and whether they may be required to register with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).
The key changes introduced by the 2026 Order include:
- Clarifying when childminders caring for related children are exempt from registration requirements
- Revising existing age and time limits and introducing new thresholds for some exceptions, particularly those relating to coaching and tuition activities
- Strengthening oversight and quality assurance arrangements for provision involving children aged two and under
- Aligning the exceptions for nannies, au pairs and babysitters
- Enabling 10-year-olds to access transitional youth services
- Preventing suspended providers from operating under certain exceptions
The guidance also provides further information about the transitional period, before the Order becomes enforceable.
To help raise awareness, please consider sharing this info, we will be adding it to our CWVYS newsletters, you can also share the Welsh Government social media posts as they are published. This will help ensure providers, organisations and wider stakeholders are aware of the changes coming, know where to find the guidance, and understand where to go for further information.