Childminder's husband doing school run - dodgy or am I paranoid?

If she's prepared to cut corners or do things deliberately under the radar then I'd be concerned about what else she'd be doing.

In general, I've found if a child minder or nanny want to do things in a dodgy way, they've not been great at other things either, and once you enter into a dodgy arrangement with someone you lose the high ground and ability to say no to other 'stick it to the man' type things.

It may not always be the case but I've found it a good rule of thumb, even if it's really tempting.

Can you use any other type of childcare? It sounds like you've not got many options?

many of us have said if he is not registered then he cant do it, that means the first aid/crb or dbs as now known as, and obv insurance wont be valid

op - you can either carry on using cm and say that dh cant/isnt allowed to take ds in car or find a new cm

I have only had a quick scan down through these responses, but has no-one pointed out that unless this gentleman has up to date paediatric first aid training he is definitely not allowed to be in charge of the minded children - An assistant to a child-minder (unqualified) is allowed to be in charge of children for up to 2 hours but only if a) properly registered as an assistant, b) has the appropriate CRB thingy, and c) they have the first aid certificate. Never mind the insurance nightmare - both car & CM....If she bends these rules what else does she do?

It really shouldn't be an issue as such.

As a childminder you have to be crb checked yourself PLUS everyone else in your household over the age of 16 is required by OFSTED to be crb checked too.

As her husband he can be registered with OFSTED as her assistant and that may offer you some comfort.

However - putting ALL of the above to one side my personal opinion is to go with your gut feel when choosing a cm - at thebendcif the day you have to be totally comfortable and confident with your childcare solutions.

If he is def not registered then ask why she is allowing him to do school runs

Agree also if working nights be wary of driving (tho I work nights and ok) but also does he need a quiet house?

I would be concerned about him working nights too - how will that impact on his driving, also when at home will there be an expectation that the children need to be quiet so he can sleep.

Good point runoutofideas. Why did she register for school children if she can't do school runs?

I would also check her own registration carefully as if she is prepared to do this without signing him up as her assistant, then she may be cutting corners elsewhere too.....

If he is not her registered assistant there is a whole load of implications.

1. his car would need to be insured for business purposes otherwise he will be driving them illegally, and this insurance would cost quite a bit, so if she hasn't mentioned that then she probably hasn't got it in place.
2. if there was a problem of any kind you I am sure her own insurance will be invalid

Its a tiny tiny risk that something would happen whilst he was driving, but ramifications if something did happen would be huge.

You need to ask questions:

Is he first aid trained?

What experience does he have?

Is his language skills good enough to communicate to your child, incase of emergency?

Is his CRB clear?

YOU NEED TO.SEE HIS CRB CHECK, HIS FIRST AID CERTIFICATE TOO!!

If he couldn't provide these, my answer would be no..

My husband is registered as my assistant, has CRB checks, first aid certificateand insurance. He occasionally helps me take the children to school or pick them up, for example if it is snowing, and either he will wait in the car while I drop off/pick up or vice versa. I did recently ask one family if they would mind if he picked up on his own one day (for a particular reason) and they said no, they thought their child would be nervous of DH if I was not there. Frankly that is rubbish, as this "nervous" child frequently leaps onto him and hugs him when he comes in from work, pesters him to play with her and so on, and is 100% comfortable with him. I did not argue the point, but did feel a bit insulted on his behalf. People say they want a family environment - well families include men.

He will be crb checked. Adults living in cm houses have to be. But if he is not registered as an assistant he can't be in sole charge of the children. Insurance/ofsted would not like it at all. I'm a cm and it is a real pain when it is raining/snowing etc and I have to take all the children out to do a school run, but there isn't a way round it unless he gets registered. We have ruled out my DH being registered as it is such a faff for the few times a year he is actually here to help.

I feel for you as it does sound as if you have limited options for childcare.

What happens insurance wise if he has a car accident collecting your DD, As he is essentially providing a paid service will insurance cover this?

If your DD has a bad day and has a tantrum will he cope? If your DD had a small accident at school and wanted tlc at pick up (as does happen with small children!) what would he do? These are personality questions so I think it is vital you meet him, if he works nights he will be in the house for most of your DDs time there. Will they click? What other involvement will he have?

Sometimes CM have the potential to become family friends, most times its just a business relationship. Has this CM many children? What's the turnover of children?

I know its your first time with a Cm but my opinion is gut instinct means a lot.

I am a childminder in Wales. My hubby has taken the children home on rare occasions (mum has gone home ill from work and requested drop off) of course mum was just grateful that she didn't have to come and get them. Risks are minimal but as a regular thing I wouldn't in your shoes. Childminders DH would not be insured to take children in his car, he may not be first aid trained- lots of other reasons. If he was a assistant it would be a totally other story.

HE have been awake

As lily said.

He is acting as her assistant but isn't, officially - ask her straight out how this works with her insurance, her registration. He's CRB checked - ok, what about first aid etc. Is she happy - properly happy - for you to meet him? This for me would be the big test - does she properly understand that this means that he too is involved in their care or is it a case of 'what's the fuss, he's checked, he's only with them for five minutes'?

He works nights - how many hours will her have been awake/working when he is driving them?

Why do you think that he isn't registered as her assistant and properly insured?

Presumably your child will be staying with the CM while the husband does the school run with the older children? So by the time your child starts school, you'll know them both much better and be better placed to judge.

If you have asked and know for sure that he isn't an assistant and doesn't have insurance then fair enough not to be happy about the set-up - the CM is breaching her registration.

Are there wider implications of not being a driver in your area? For example does it limit what out of house activities they do?

In some areas public transport, walkable things are good. In other areas places to visit can be many miles away.

Are there other providers you can visit? If you are concerned enough to post on here then maybe it is not the right provider for you. However do consider if your view is being clouded by gender biais, if it were the childminders sister would your view be any different?

Im another one failing to see the problem as long as he is registered as her assistant/crb checked.

Ask to see the crb check, insurance and registration

If he is registered as her assistant and his car insurance covers minded children then it's not a problem.

If he is not doing the school runs as part of childminding, but simply as a lift to school, then maybe it's different.