National Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare for children up to the age of 12 years: statutory guidance - Audience and overview

The Welsh Government’s ambition is to make Wales a wonderful place for people to grow up, live and work. Our childhood experiences, good and bad, have an important role in shaping our future lives. As the provider of a registered setting, you and your staff play a key role in ensuring children can receive the support they need to have the best possible start in life. 

Positive, nurturing relationships with staff play a vital role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. These interactions, alongside those with parents and carers, help children feel secure, valued and understood. By fostering trust, empathy and emotional resilience, childcare and playwork professionals contribute to building strong foundations that support children’s current well-being and future ability to lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives. 

The National Minimum Standards support you and your staff to make many positive impacts upon children and their families. As well as supporting your compliance with regulatory requirements, your commitment to maintaining and improving upon these standards contributes to tackling child poverty, and helping children to overcome other forms of adversity, trauma, and inequality. Through nurturing relationships and emotionally responsive care your role can support resilience-building and provide stability that promotes both immediate well-being and long-term development.

For babies and young children, your setting is sometimes a child’s first experience of care outside the family home. This is an opportunity for your setting to make a lifelong impression on a baby and young child’s life. The Welsh Government have worked with childcare, nursery education and playwork practitioners to develop a suite of resources, such as the Early Childhood, Play Learning and Care (ECPLC) Quality Framework, to support the development, care and learning of our youngest children aged 0-5 years. These resources describe the common principles that should guide all settings/schools and practitioners and can be used as the basis of support for older children.

The childcare and playwork sector is constantly evolving, and it must be ready to respond to new challenges and changes. These include caring for children with a variety of needs and experiences to provide equal opportunities (Standard 16: Equal Opportunities), for all children in your care. 

Building upon the National Minimum Standards, what follows below is information about wider child-centred guidance and further reading to support high quality childcare provision. This includes new and emerging issues, advice, and legislation that childcare and playwork practitioners should consider when caring for children. When used together with the standards they provide a holistic approach to supporting high quality child minding and day care provision which has direct benefits for children, their parents and the childcare and play workforce.

High-quality child minding and day care provision goes beyond meeting basic requirements. It creates warm, engaging, and reflective environments where babies and children feel safe, valued, and supported to thrive. At its core is a child-centred, rights-based approach, ensuring that every child’s needs, interests, and voices shape their experiences.

The Welsh Government’s commitment to the UNCRC underpins this approach by ensuring:

Safety and protection from harm (Article 19). 

Respect for the views of the child: When adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account (Article 12). 

Children in early education are supported to develop their personality, talents and abilities to the full. Children are encouraged to respect human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment. (Articles 29)

Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities (Article 31)

Every child has the right to the best possible health, well-being and nurturing care (Article 24).

Key Elements of High-Quality Provision

High-quality provision is child-centred, inclusive, and responsive, achieved through:

Enabling Adults - who build strong responsive relationships and create a space where children can be curious and engage in their play preferences, supporting them to develop, skills knowledge and resilience

Effective Environments that encourage exploration, a space to unwind/relax, independence, and a sense of belonging.

Engaging Experiences that foster meaningful play, discovery, and problem-solving at each child’s own pace.

Characteristics of High-Quality Provision

Child minders and day care providers demonstrate high-quality provision by:

• Going beyond minimum requirements through continuous reflection and improvement.
• Embedding best practices that support children’s holistic development.
• Achieving strong inspection outcomes that recognise their commitment to quality. 

Using sector-endorsed frameworks such as the Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care (ECPLC) Quality Framework for 0–5-year-olds, and Play Wales quality assurance framework ‘Chwarae o Safon’ recognising the importance of the Playwork Principles in supporting quality play experiences in all playwork settings, in Out of School Childcare and Open Access Play.

In practice, this means:

Enabling Adults create secure relationships where babies and children feel seen, heard, and valued, encouraging confidence and problem-solving.

Effective Environments support physical and emotional needs, inspiring play, creativity, and exploration.

Engaging Experiences are shaped by babies and children’s interests, allowing for open-ended play and hands-on discovery.

Continuous Reflection and Improvement

High-quality provision is dynamic and evolves through ongoing reflection and engagement with babies, children and families. Enabling Adults should regularly assess:

• How relationships and interactions support emotional security, learning, and self-expression.
• Ways to create inclusive, responsive environments reflecting children’s interests and cultures.
• Strategies to extend learning through play, language, and exploration.
• How to ensure children’s voices shape their experiences.

Guiding Principles: Our Seven Core Aims for Children in Wales

The Seven Core Aims for Children and Young People in Wales, based on the UNCRC, guide high-quality provision:

• A strong start in life with the best foundation for well-being.
• Access to rich, meaningful learning experiences.
• Good physical, mental, and emotional health.
• Opportunities for play, creativity, and self-expression.
• Being listened to, valued and respected.
• Growing up in safe, nurturing communities.
• Support to overcome barriers linked to poverty and inequality.

By embedding Enabling Adults, Effective Environments, and Engaging Experiences into everyday practice, practitioners help ensure that all babies and children are empowered to flourish, play, and grow in confidence.

Supporting Quality Improvement

National Minimum Standard 18 and Regulation 16 of the Regulations set out the expectations to review the quality of care provided. Quality improvement tools help practitioners reflect, refine, and enhance their provision, ensuring that all children receive the highest quality care and experiences.

Resources to improve Quality

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the basis for all Welsh Government’s policy for and affecting children. It is central to the Welsh Government’s ambition to give every child the best start in life and improve their outcomes. Since 2011, children’s rights have been enshrined into Welsh law through

The Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 which requires the Welsh Ministers to have due regard, when exercising their functions, to specified rights under the UNCRC. 

All those caring for and working with children and young people have a role to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights. 

Children’s rights in Wales 

Children’s rights – online training modules

What are children’s rights: Children's Rights Leaflet for Practitioners

What are children’s rights: guidance for parents and carers – settings can share these leaflets with parents and carers

The Equality Act 2010 provides the statutory framework for tackling discrimination and inequality and covers the following protected characteristics.

 · Race / ethnicity · Gender · Gender reassignment / gender identity · Disability · Age · Religion and belief · Pregnancy / maternity · Sex · Sexual orientation · marriage and civil partnership

Standard 16 covers Equal Opportunities and providers must clearly evidence how they meet these standards and duties under the Equality Act 2010. 

You will wish to consider how your services would affect the following groups of children and young people: those who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and/or wider childhood adversity and trauma, children with additional learning needs; disabled children; neurodivergent children, children living in poverty; Black, Asian and minority ethnic children; Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children; migrant children; asylum seeker children; refugee children; Welsh-language speakers; care experienced children; LGBTQ+ children. 

This list does not cover all children and young people within your setting, as no two people have identical experiences. It provides examples of how children may share different protected characteristics, resulting in differing and specific needs.

As a registered provider you and your staff will need to be familiar with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and consider how equality and diversity is promoted and embedded within your setting, and how your setting supports inclusive and accessible provision for children, their families, and staff. 

Welsh Government’s commitment to building an inclusive and equitable society for all Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and communities in Wales is set out in the refreshed Anti-racist Wales Action Plan (ArWAP). A toolkit has been developed to support the childcare, play and early years sector to consider actions they might undertake to help shape Wales as an anti-racist country. A range of resources including a tube map has been developed which will support individuals at all levels to identify appropriate resources and training.

The Welsh Language and Cymraeg 2050

The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act strengthens our ability to support our Cymraeg 2050 strategy; the Act was passed by Parliament in May of 2025. 

The main aim of the Act is to ensure that, by 2050, all pupils reach the end of compulsory school age as independent and confident Welsh speakers, at least. 

The Act establishes a clear set of measures to support lifelong acquisition of the Welsh language, with a particular emphasis on supporting families and pre‑school‑age children to acquire Welsh at the earliest possible stage.

The Welsh Government places great value on play and its importance in the lives of children in our society. We believe that children have a fundamental right to be able to play, and that play is central to their enjoyment of life and contributes to their well-being. We believe that play is essential for the growth in children’s cognitive; physical; social and emotional development. For children themselves, playing is one of the most important aspects of their lives. High quality play opportunities for all children may contribute to mitigating the negative effects of poverty on children’s lives and help to build their resilience. For children to have sufficient play opportunities, they need time to play, space to play and the recognition by adults that this is every child’s right. This short film produced by Play Wales celebrates children’s play and its importance - Film - Play Wales.

Welsh Government undertook an in-depth and collaborative review of its play policy work and considered the progress made in achieving the Welsh Government’s vision for play. The review made key recommendations and suggested milestones for the Welsh Government to consider in building on the progress made in being a play friendly country, giving children and young people sufficient opportunities to play. 

Welsh Government welcomed the Ministerial Review of Play Steering Group Final Report and issued a response outlining the actions it will take forward to meet the recommendations. This included reviewing the NMS with a focus on open access play standards and in collaboration with the sector has developed a standalone NMS statutory guidance for day care - open access play.

One of the ways we can support those who have experienced childhood adversity and trauma is to work in a trauma-informed way. A trauma-informed approach is one which recognises and understands the existence, signs, and impact of adversity and trauma, and works in ways which help people to overcome their trauma, build resilience, and avoid re-traumatisation. The Trauma-Informed Wales: A Societal Approach to Understanding, Preventing and Supporting the impacts of Trauma and Adversity’ (also known as the Trauma-Informed Wales Framework) has established five practice principles, which should underpin all trauma-informed practice in Wales; and four practice levels, which reflect the different roles people and organisations may have when supporting those impacted by trauma.

ACE Hub Wales has developed a wide range of resources which can support organisations and individuals on their journey’s towards becoming trauma-informed - Resources - ACE Hub Wales, including a Trauma and ACE (TrACE) informed organisational toolkit TrACE - ACE Hub Wales

The Curriculum for Wales Framework was published as part of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021.

Under the legislation, registered non-maintained nursery settings, approved and funded by the local authority to provide nursery education, must adopt a curriculum. 

To assist with this legal requirement, Welsh Government worked with experts and practitioners in education and childcare to develop a curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings, and assessment arrangements for funded non-maintained nursery settings, for settings and schools to adopt, should they wish to do so.

High-quality nursery education provision is essential to a child’s development. The curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings aspires to create positive dispositions towards learning in children which, if nurtured, will last a lifetime and provide the firm foundation which all children need to support them in realising the four purposes of the Curriculum for Wales. 

The Curriculum for Wales, including the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings, empowers all settings to realise an inclusive curriculum that supports all learners. It seeks to engender in practitioners and children a sense of belonging and pride, celebrating the diverse culture of modern Wales. Non-funded settings are also encouraged to incorporate the developmentally appropriate teaching and learning approaches that underpin the Curriculum for Wales into their practice.

Learn more about the Curriculum for Wales 

Social Care Wales is responsible for promoting and securing high standards across the early years and childcare workforce. It aims to ensure that the workforce in Wales has the right skills and qualifications to work to a high professional standard and can deliver high quality service. 

• CWLWM the consortium, made up of five childcare and play partners, support childcare and play settings with guidance and membership, encouraging quality and sustainable settings;
   
• Mudiad Meithrin (MM) specialises in Welsh-medium early years provision.
   
• Coram PACEY Cymru provides support to home-based childcare professionals including childminders and nannies.
   
• National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA Cymru) provides specific information, advice and training on running a nursery in Wales. 
   
• Early Years Wales promotes and supports bilingual pre-school care, education and learning through play across Wales.
   
• Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs (CPCKC) aims to help communities in Wales by promoting, developing and supporting quality, affordable, accessible out of school childcare clubs. 
   
• Play Wales, the national charity for children's play, provides advice and guidance to support all those who have an interest in, or responsibility for providing for children's play. Play Wales supports the administration and development of the Playwork Education and Training Council for Wales (PETC Wales).
   
• PETC Wales exists to provide a forum for the sector to discuss issues of strategic importance on all aspects of playwork education, training and qualifications in Wales and make recommendations to Welsh Government, Social Care Wales and PETC UK.

Children’s Commissioner for Wales 

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales safeguards and supports the rights of children and young people. The Commissioner also reviews the decisions of public bodies, including the Welsh Government. 

Learn about The Right Way - A Children's Rights Approach - Children’s Commissioner for Wales

Children in Wales 

Children in Wales can provide support for early years practitioners. They run a Children’s Rights in Early Years Network to make links between practice, policy and research. They also run children’s rights and participation training sessions aimed at practitioners working with babies and young children.

The Glossary provides an explanation for common terms used within this document.