CHILDMINDING is demanding work that requires training and a lot of commitment, yet many people regard it as little more than babysitting.

Ledbury-based childminders' support group, Leadon Tots, is hoping to challenge that perception.

The group, made of seven registered childminders, was set up 18 months ago to offer support, advice and friendship in what can be an isolated job.

Becoming a registered childminder involves having checks made on you and your home and then passing initial exams in childminding and paediatric first aid. Most will continue to train and take further courses.

It is undoubtedly hard work. Group secretary Susan Tout said that a childminder can look after up to six children at a time and that an average day can run from early morning until the afternoon, with an after-school session and then an evening spent with one's own children.

There is also the difficulty of using your own home as your workplace. Susan explained that she had to alter her cupboards, put up stair gates and be stringent about hygiene.

But she also admitted that what the children give back more than makes up for the work involved.

"Seeing the children progress and what you get back from them is the best part. Just watching them being kids really, you get to see their little quirks," she said.

Susan first became interested in becoming a childminder after she was asked to look after a friend's child.

She explained: "I went into it not knowing much about it. Then I applied and I thought, I can make a real profession of this. I wasn't just looking after this little girl, I was helping her grow in her early years."

She said she enjoys being her own boss and the challenge of building up her own business, but the network of other childminders that Leadon Tots provides is crucial.

Events such as their recent Christmas play day bring children and their minders together and provide the childminders with others who could stand in for them if necessary.

Future plans include setting up a toy library to give members a wider range of play equipment to use with the children in their care and adding a lunchtime session to their weekly Wednesday drop-in session, to give the children a feel for eating with others as in a school environment.

Susan said: "It's just knowing that you are giving children experiences. You always have to think about what they are getting out of it."

Leadon Tots meets every Wednesday in Homend Baptist Church.

For more details on the group or on becoming a registered childminder, contact Mrs Tout on 01531 636140.