Parental assistance

General information

The activity of parental assistance or Dageselteren consists of the regular and paid care, either during the day or at night, of children from birth up to the age of 12 years or still in fundamental education or in differentiated education at the request of the person(s) with parental authority. This activity is a provision of service carried out on a self-employed basis by the parental assistant at his/her home.

In accordance with the Law of 15 December 2017 regulating parental assistance, no-one may work as a parental assistant either full- or part-time if they have no approval.

Approval as a parental assistant is only issued to people able to prove they have the required professional qualifications. Candidates who have not already undergone basic socio-educational training or care/healthcare training must attend a parental assistants' training course before they can receive approval.

How to become a parental assistant

One or a group of parental assistants may not care for more than five children at any one time; no more than two of the children may be under two years old (including own children less than two years old).

Parental assistants may not carry out their activity without holding an approval issued by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, de l'Enfance et de la Jeunesse).

To be approved as a parental assistant, candidates must meet the following conditions:

• be over 18 years old,
• be physically and mentally capable of looking after children,
• regularly attend continuing training and supervision sessions, for at least 20 hours each year,
• submit a development plan (projet d'établissement) describing the offer and the concept of the childcare.

In terms of required vocational training, candidates must meet all of the following three criteria:

• have successfully completed one of the following training courses:
1. hold a diploma in the psychosocial, educational, socio-educational or health field;
2. hold a certificate further to attending a training course for socio-family assistants;
3. hold a certificate further to attending a training course for parental assistants;
• have completed the pre-training course intended as preparation for working in and organising the activity of parental assistant;
• be able to understand and speak at least one of the three languages French, German or Luxembourgish, as provided for in the Law of 24 February 1984 on the use of languages.

Anyone who has not successfully completed basic socio-educational training or care/healthcare training must attend parental assistance training in order to obtain approval.

Stages in the procedure for obtaining approval

Under contract to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, the Dageselteren Agency is a service providing training, information, and guidance for parental assistants, parents, and social institutions.

The stages in obtaining approval to work as a parental assistant are as follows:

• Anyone interested in working as a parental assistant should contact the Dageselteren Agency, to enrol for an information session. This group session will give them a better idea of what is involved in working as a parental assistant.
• Candidates then send a full application to the Dageselteren Agency, and are invited to a personal interview to discuss their personal and professional motivation for this work, and their language skills.
• After the personal interview, candidates are invited by the Dageselteren Agency to attend the compulsory pre-training course lasting six days, designed to prepare them for carrying out and organising their future work as parental assistants. The pre-training course costs € 216 (May 2017). The list of documents to be sent to the Ministry is handed out during this pre-training course.
• After the information session, personal interview, and pre-training course, candidates must send a full application to the Education and Care Service of the Department of Children and Youth at the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.
• Candidates who have handed in a full application are then contacted by the Ministry for an approval visit to be organised at their place of work (the visit will take place within three months after handing in the application for accreditation).

Parental assistants who have completed the pre-training course and who hold an initial professional qualification as required by law receive an approval for a maximum period of 5 years.

Those who do not have the necessary professional qualification must attend the training course for parental assistants; they receive a temporary approval for a maximum of three years.

Training course for parental assistants

Parental assistants who have completed the pre-training course and do not hold an initial vocational qualification as required by law must attend the training course for parental assistants.

The training comprises at least 100 hours of classes and at least 40 hours of internships in an approved education and reception service.

The training course for parental assistants comprises the following modules:

1. characteristics and educational principles of non-formal education
2. basic knowledge of child development
3. communication and conflict management
4. food for children, and food hygiene
5. areas of action and non-formal education as defined in the national reference framework
6. professional and administrative aspects of working as a parental assistant
7. family education actions.

The training course for parental assistants is certified by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth on the advice of the Commission on training for parental assistants, subject to the following conditions:

• the trainee has actively participated in at least 80% of the classes scheduled for each of the modules in the training course for parental assistants;
• the trainee has carried out the 40 hours of internship in an approved education and reception centre;
• the trainee, at a final interview, has submitted a training file to the Commission on training for parental assistants reporting on the various skills and knowledge acquired during the training course and during the internship.