FOR years childminders have been seen as the B-team of the childcare world — less prestigious than a nanny, not as educational as a fully equipped nursery, and nowhere near as exotic as a foreign au pair.

Now, however, they command some of the highest fees in childcare, according to the latest survey of childcare costs.

While the relentless march of new mothers into the workforce has boosted demand for childcare and pushed up nursery costs by 27 per cent in the past five years (almost four times inflation), childminders’ average fees have risen by 47 per cent.

Childminders look after other people’s children in their own homes and are registered and inspected by Ofsted. Typically they have children of their own and traditionally they have been regarded as the low-cost option.

Now, however, the Daycare Trust’s annual survey shows that the highest-registered childcare fees in the country are in the South East, where one childminder is charging £500 a week for a full-time place. This is £100 more than the most expensive day nursery place in the same region.

In Outer London, childminders are charging up to £400 a week; £80 a week more than the most expensive nursery.

A similar pattern emerges throughout Britain. In the North West, childminders are charging up to £300 a week, compared with £187.50 for the most expensive nursery. In Scotland the most expensive childminder costs £350 a week, against £200 for the most pricey nursery.

Louise Banks, of the National Childminding Association, said that childminding fees often included costs for outings, meals and nappies. Childminders often had additional costs relating to their training and professional development, she added. “We know the biggest factor in determining a childminder's charge for his or her service is what the local childcare market is demanding,” she said.

On average, a full-time childminding place costs about £130 a week, rising to £163 a week in inner London, the survey found. A typical day nursery in Britain costs £142 a week for a full-time place for a child under 2.

Christine Walton, the chief executive of the Daycare Trust, said that many parents still struggled to afford childcare, despite the availability of childcare tax credits.

“We urgently need a review of the funding system for childcare to ensure that all children have access to good quality services, regardless of their family income,” she said.

Purnima Tanuku, the chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said that despite the price rises faced by working parents, many carers were being paid little more than the minimum wage.

The average nursery weekly fee of £142 equated to an average hourly rate of £2.84, out of which nurseries had to pay for high staff-to-children ratios, food, drink, nappies, toys and equipment, she said.

“Unless more funding is available direct to nurseries, high-quality childcare will remain expensive.”