People still not aware of the childminding rules?

most parents dont have insurance to cover their children or first aid qualifications

who would the mother have sued if the child had fallen while she was in her care?

She sued because she could. Because society seems to think that accidents are no longer possible and that someone must always be to blame, and pay.

They sued a friend? Some friend, eh?

And I think the really tragic thing about that is not just the child being injured, but that the parents sued a friend that they weren't paying to look after their child. Like that bouncy castle case recently.

Life is risky. That child might have fallen when in its parents' care - who would they sue then? God?

If they were paying the friend, then that's illegal and I agree. But if it's a favour, then it's a favour.

Which could of course happen with family as well.

accidents happen tho

tragic but true

Nothing wrong with close Family looking after your DS it is totally legal.

Zippi, it is not always the case.

Family here used a Friend instead of a CM, the child fell from the top of a climbing frame and was seriously injured. The Friend who had no first Aid picked the child up, causing further injury.

The mother had to leave work to be with child in hospital for a long time.

They sued the Friend for lack of care.

The Friend had no Insurance.

You're busting a gut to become registered because you want to earn money from it. As opposed to doing a favour.

sorry - your child is likely to be safe.

no checks can be 100%, just as you can't predict accidents, whether you're looking after your child or your friend is.

exactly wannabe

besides, isn't the difference that when you ask a friend to look after your child, you know them and trust them.

When you first start with a CM, you have no way of knowing what they're like, so the registration and checks etc are to make sure that you know your child is safe.

"The reason, it is illegal to regularly look after children without being registered is because it is not safe!". In what way exactly? Imo it doesn't actually matter whether the cm has insurance or not does it? if something were to happen to the child it will be tragic regardless of insurance, no? Insurance is only really relevant in the event someone wishes to sue, and if a child is seriously injured the last thing on most peoples' minds would be compensation, surely?

The reason people have insurance is because of a potential lawsuit. Insurance doesn't prevent things happening to the child, it is there to protect the childminder.

i think that some of the child minding rules are just over interference from the state to be honest

and more to do with stopping non taxed work

but im sure no one thinks twice about having friends children to play all day in the holidays

it would really odd if all social interaction took place in registered premises with crb checked people

apart from the fact that crb checks are not infallible anyway

Um, last time I looked mothers don't have insurance, first aid, child protection etc etc....and yet we're allowed to look after our own children all day

asking a friend to have your child for a morning while you have a haircut/go swimming/go to hospital is a far cry from using a regular paid childminder.

they're two completely different markets, iyswim.

"The reason, it is illegal to regularly look after children without being registered is because it is not safe!"

Bollocks. We're talking one off last minute type favours here - I don;t need a contract if I ring my friend at 8am because - on that day- my childminder's BIL had died so she wasn't available. I don't have first Aid and have been looking after my children for 9 years.

What a strange thread.

My mum has my son regularly. As does my sister. They do it for free, out of love for my son and for me. Is there something wrong with that?

most people accept the degree of risk involved though as no greater than the child being looked after by themselves

actually it probably also voers you for injury to burglars in the same circumstances

Minding for any reward is illegal, so in theory exchanging children, would be reward.

The reason, it is illegal to regularly look after children without being registered is because it is not safe!

Does your Friend have Insurance, first Aid, child protection, do you have a contract, so that you know that she will definitely have your child when she says she will, not change her mind at 7.30 in the morning when you have to be at work for 8, all these things do and have happened with unregistered Childcare.

and as far as insurance goes if you have house insurance then you have thrid part liability so that covers an accident to a third part on the premises provided it is social

ie they walk through your patio doors and are injured

Ripeberry - you do realise that anyone can mind anyone else's children as long as they are not getting paid (or otherwise reimbursed) to do so?

So minding in exchange for minding is ok, agreed you wouldn't have insurance but it's some peoples only option.

Also, childminding between the hours of 6pm and 2am is unregistered so again anyone can do it.

well then frankly if that is the case then the law is stupid! when my friends dad was dying in hospital then i looked after her baby a fair bit and i was happy to do it.

actually i am shocked that people would believe it was compulsory to use a childminder

well how ridiculous would it be if you had to register as a childminder

i looked after dd2s ds for nearly two years

whatever happened to the idea of family friends and community

childminders excelletn but plenty of room for normal informal swap[ing and favours

otherwise it would be ridiculous

Apparently it's not allowed. But I gave my friend a bottle of wine when she looked after my son at short notice for a day, and had anyone objected I would have suggested they went ahead and sued me (how bloody ridiculous).

I'm not quite sure how they'd prove that the bottle of wine was in exchange for babysitting my son, rather than being a general good brick of a friend, or for someone's birthday.

Think we have enough red tape in the country tbh.