I've been childminding 7 years and have always been in ncma. I joined Blackburn & Dawen childminding network 4 years ago - you have to be in ncma to join. They support you to implement policies and you get loads of extra training opportunities and make lots of childminding friends. Since joining I've been on a training weekend at a hotel which helped develop outdoor play ideas and implemented 'Smiling for Life' (tooth-friendly initiative) in my setting. At the end of last year I went to ncma conference in Southport with my husband (also a childminder) and got some fab training and lots of freebies too. I accessed funding for all the training and events as it is all recognised as supporting my continuous professional development. Visit my website to read about our trip to the conference (it's on the last page) and their's also some links that you may find useful. Another tip - need help with policies - visit ncma website (for free, you don't need to be a member) and you can download their policies and they've just been updated to link to EYFS. Hope this info is useful.