Can I pay someone who is not ofsted registered to look after my dc's?

As a nanny it is in my own interest to reccomend proffessional childcare but I toowould choose a close family member or friend over a proffessional childcarer as they have natural ties with the child. But then I come from a close and loving family.

Moon - may I just say I genuinely care about all the children I childmind, and treat them, up to a certain degree, as if they were my own.

thank you for the flowers :)

You mean rambling, repetitive, disorganised posts I've re read and must proof read

Star I always appreciate your well thought out, measured posts

[proffers flowers]

different strokes for different folks :)

I would rather have an OFSTED Registered Childminder or (if I could afford it) a nanny. They are CRB'd, insured, have first aid skills and do activities my child would enjoy.

A friend/relative is alright to look after now and again but what if you fall out with your friend/relative? I am a Registered Childminder and look after friend's kids but from the start I told her I wanted that part of it to stay professional - she has a signed contract and policies such as a behaviour policy she has signed to ensure her children behave and treat my house with respect and that I can inform her if they don't, so far so good!

She would not be able to pay me as a friend in Tax credits, I have to be registered Child care.

I'm a nanny, but actually I'd rather have a friend or family member look after my ds than use professional childcare. A parent is the most important person in realising a child's potential - when I'm not around I just want someone I totally trust and who genuinely cares about my ds to be with him.

Sorry I just wanted to point out. I'm not implying that my cm wouldn't be good with a baby. She has cared for little babies and she is excellent in every way. And she would have been fine with my ds, too. It's just that the right thing for us was to let my close friend look after him at the beginning. :)

BALD with all due respect and I do respect both cms and nannies tremendously - for some it's not about a child reaching their potential...etc. it's about just having them with someone who you trust and know gives them a lot of love and cuddles...etc. A nanny might do that, but when DS was tiny, I had a friend look after him. It felt so much more "right" to me than someone I don't know (no matter how trained and experienced and professional they are). My friend had kids of her own - great kids and she was fantastic with my ds.

I moved to a cm when he was around 15 months and it was the right thing to do at that time. Now he's much better off with a trained professional cm. When he was a little baby... if I had to go back and do it again I'd do the same thing.

I'm sure there are very experienced and trained and qualified nannies and cms who could have done it, but I knew, in my heart that the right place for my DS was with my trusted friend early on (I had to return to work MUCH earlier than I wanted to :( ). She made it possible for me to exclusively bf still (brought him to me, I went to her on breaks...etc.) and she did a fantastic job with my DS.

My cm now does an outstanding job with DS and he is growing and learning so much both with us and with cm. He's much better off with her now. But definitely not as a baby.

Sorry I'm rambling.

cinpin the point is that trained professionals are more likely to have skills and attributes to help your child develop to their full potential; your bessie mate may not- it may not be in the interests of your child to place with her

not meaning to lecture, btw, just making an observation

Most mums do not have first aid, I would rather leave ny ds with a friend I could really trust than a trained qualified nanny
in first aid.

If your friend cares for your child at her home, then she can't be paid in Money.

Childcare Exemptions amendment 2010 - does allow her to do it without being paid.

Payment "does not include the provision of goods or services." - so you could come to some other agreement, such as buying her goods in exchange for childcare.

As BALD says, if she comes to your home and cares for your children there, then she would be a nanny and you would be an employer - so doing all that being employer entails, such as payroll.

Maybe check out local council websites 'adult learning' section and see if there are any first aid courses available near you. I went on one arranged through surestart and although alot was common sense it was really helpful.

if she looks after them in your home then there is no need for her to register as a childminder but you must pay her as an employee under PAYE

if she looks after them in your home then she must register as a childminder and go through the registration process, including basic training in how to care for children in the early years, first aid, crb, she must ensure that she has public liability insurance, home insurance, appropriate car insurance and must register as self employed with the Inland Revenue

I know you trust her, she's your mate but think about the implications of sending your most precious possessions to someone without basic first aid or insurance

If she comes to your house, no problem.

A regular arrangement at her house means she will need to register as a childminder.

Sorry, error in the above. Meant that you can't look after someone else's children in your home, not their home, unless you are registered.