Page 7 | Claiming funding for looking after my son

RandomAccessMemory · 2017-10-11T07:08:56+00:00

I'm a Childminder in Essex and as well as looking after other parent's children I also look after my own son, my son turned three a week ago and I was looking forward to being able to claim free entitlement funding for him from the spring term. However I have just discovered that because I'm looking after my own son the local authority will not allow me to claim the funding for him, they say that there is a blanket ban on childminders claiming funding for children whom they are related to. I don't want to send him to another childminder so should I kick up a fuss? I don't see why I should miss out just because I happen to be looking after him.

dinosaursandtea · 11/10/2017 10:24

But you aren't paying anyone else! You don't have nursery or CM outgoings to pay for. So why do you need the money?

BigDamnHero · 11/10/2017 10:27

Thing is, if you were working from home doing any other job then you'd have to accept, if you chose to also keep your child at home with you, that your productivity (and therefore, possibly your wage) would be less. This is the same.

Also, one of the known 'perks' of childminding is being able to keep your child with you. That perk is surely instead of an increase in earnings.

All jobs have pros and cons. That's just how it works.

BrieAndChilli · 11/10/2017 10:28

I have 3 Children. I think I should register as a childminder and charge myself oh I don’t know £20 per child for after school care and claim that £60 from tax credits (as I would be able to do if they went to the afterschool club or another childminder)
Wow I could get £300 a week just for looking after my own children!!

Times that by the millions of parents and you can see the expense of this notion.

multivac · 11/10/2017 10:29

OP - out of interest, do you fill in his learning journey document, as you do with your other mindees? Do you track his progress, explicitly, against the EYFS goals, and keep a clear record of it? Do you provide reports for his other parent?

strawberrygate · 11/10/2017 10:34

OP - out of interest, do you fill in his learning journey document, as you do with your other mindees? Do you track his progress, explicitly, against the EYFS goals, and keep a clear record of it? Do you provide reports for his other parent?

None of that needs to be written down by the way. The only written EYFS progress/ observation/ tracking is a 2 year assessment. everything else can be done verbally ( communicating with other parent) or just remembering in your own head where a child is up to

lalalalyra · 11/10/2017 10:35

My friend is a childminder. One of the children she looks after is her niece and her sister can't claim funding for her because she's being looked after by a childminder who happens to be her Auntie.

That's actually not right. As long as the Aunt is a fully registered childminder and the child is a registered child, her parents have a contract and are paying (i.e. it's not just Aunty Mary looking after her) and has other non-related children in her care then she should be able to claim funding.

multivac · 11/10/2017 10:37

Sure, strawberrygate - and if the OP keeps it all in her head for all her mindees (and can satisfy Ofsted she's doing so effectively), then fair enough.

strawberrygate · 11/10/2017 10:38

My friend is a childminder. One of the children she looks after is her niece and her sister can't claim funding for her because she's being looked after by a childminder who happens to be her Auntie

no, that is right. you can't claim for a close relative. it does actually list somewhere what realtives that is, but i know it's parens, aunties/ uncles/ grandparents.
not sure about stepparents??

strawberrygate · 11/10/2017 10:39

multivac i manage it

multivac · 11/10/2017 10:42

With enormous respect, though, strawberrygate, you're not the one being all cross that you can't slip through a lovely loophole in the childcare system...

strawberrygate · 11/10/2017 10:45

multivac true. I did claim for my own son about 2 years ago. I phoned up the council and she said it was fine so i put the claim in and got it. At the end of that term all the CM's in the county got an email that it now wasn't allowed.
it was lovely to get it for a term but must admit I felt cheeky as fuck!!

WitchesHatRim · 11/10/2017 10:45

Is she paying herself her full rate paying tax on the income she pays herself to look after her own child?

Good point.

lalalalyra · 11/10/2017 10:47

My friend is a childminder. One of the children she looks after is her niece and her sister can't claim funding for her because she's being looked after by a childminder who happens to be her Auntie.

Actually just to clarify my last point - which sister can't claim funding?
My previous reply is only accurate for the mother if she's hit a stumbling block by someone who is adamant she can't claim tax credits (for example) for a related CM.

PoorYorick · 11/10/2017 10:49

Ugh. OP, you can't claim for your son because you're not providing a service when you look after him. Because he's yours. You're providing a service when you look after someone else's child. That's all.

Surely you see that.

lalalalyra · 11/10/2017 10:49

it does actually list somewhere what realtives that is,

Under section 18 (4, the 'Meaning of childcare', the act states that 'Childcare does not include care provided for a child by a) a parent or step-parent of the child ... and c) a relative of the child).'

It goes on to say in paragraph 8 c) that a 'relative, in relation to a child, means a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother or sister, whether of the full blood or half blood or by marriage or civil partnership.

Original poster

RandomAccessMemory · 11/10/2017 10:50

That's actually not right. As long as the Aunt is a fully registered childminder and the child is a registered child, her parents have a contract and are paying (i.e. it's not just Aunty Mary looking after her) and has other non-related children in her care then she should be able to claim funding.

According to Essex County Council they wouldn't fund parents, aunts/uncles, brothers/sisters or grandparents who look after a relative's child or their own child.

You’re not childminding your own son though, you’re parenting him.

Nope, I do as multivac asks. The only thing I don't do is fill in his other parent because he is unfortunately no longer with us.

OP posts:

Looneytune253 · 11/10/2017 11:12

Lol @strawberrygate that rule hasn’t been in place for quite some time now but there’s also new rules that apply to all children about wraparound too. I do actually know what I’m talking about.

Iris65 · 11/10/2017 11:14

Fol-de-rol: trivial or nonsensical fuss.

User843022 · 11/10/2017 11:15

'All jobs have pros and cons. That's just how it works.'

Very true. Are you aware of that op?

Looneytune253 · 11/10/2017 11:16

Just to clarify. Ofsted have clarified that we can take on another child in place of our own child at nursery now. They have also recently changed the rules around 30 hours wraparound for all children not just your own and these can be variated and risk assessed as additional to your under 5s if in a school nursery.

Happyemoji · 11/10/2017 11:16

While your on here mumsnetting what are the children doing. If I am paying money to someone to look after my child, then I would hope they were engaging with them.

Iris65 · 11/10/2017 11:18

I just realised that maybe I cpuld claim from the cats' protection league the costs of looking after the cat that lives with me. She was a stray and then moved in - so technically I am fostering her

GinIsIn · 11/10/2017 11:19

You look after your own child, you don't get paid for it. Profit for you: £0.

You send your child to someone else, claim the funding, pay for the other childminder. Profit for you: £0.

Why should you make a profit from parenting?

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 11/10/2017 11:21

Why should the taxpayers pay you to look after your own son?

itsatiggerday · 11/10/2017 11:31

Posts like this make me understand right wing politics