This survey found that the level of paperwork and bureaucracy associated with current childminding practice was the main reason that childminders had left the workforce (70%) and were considering doing so within the next five years (59%), closely followed by not being able to xxvii compete with local authority nursery expansion . The survey also found that on top of the significant decline in our workforce, 25% of childminders did not believe they will still be childminding in five years and a further 26% didn’t know if they would.