Ms Mary Walsh:

As a childminder, I have worked for 26 years in my own home providing childcare. I initially thought I would be a childminder for three years until my children went to school but I remained a childminder. What would be reasonable for me would be for the house to be safe and for adequate precautions to be taken to ensure that no child is in danger. I do not want to have to create a sleep room in my home. I do not want to have to close off my kitchen because it is part of my home and the children have access to it. It is the distinction that matters - that the house remains a home and the children are in an environment similar to the one they left behind in their home that morning.