Childminder driving our car

[SilverDoublet]

I'm starting work on Tuesday after being a SAHM for the last 7 years. The job came up suddenly and I didn't expect to get it and have been left scrambling for childcare 3 days a week.
I need someone who can drive as we are a 20 min walk from school and the kids do lots of different activities that require them to be driven.
I found a minder who drives and thought the 4 kids would fit in her car, 3 in back and one in front. The only need 2 booster cushions and 1 narrow high back booster as they're are aged 5 to 11.

Now she's suddenly saying she's not comfortable with them in her car and she'd have to drive our car and it's all fine as she's got comprehensive insurance and do do I. But when I looked it up I said she might need business insurance as its for a job. She's saying we can't say that as she wants cash in hand so it's technically 'not a job' and she'll say she's my sister helping me out if asked. I'm worried that if anything happened, the insurance company wouldn't pay out as they would find out she's not my sister.

I've asked her to provide her policy document that says she's got comprehensive insurance and a copy of her licence. But she said she rang her insurance company and it's all good. My husband thinks I'm being ridiculous and we just need to get her, trust her about the insurance, regardless of seeing the policy. She then asked why exactly I need to see her documents which I thought was a red flag.

Am I being unreasonable?
And is she covered to drive our car on her insurance with the kids?

Thanks.

She is very dodgy and I wouldn't trust someone with such loose care about law to look after my child

She is not a childminder. She is a part time nanny and you are employers. Have you set up with a payroll company? Do you know all your legal obligations?
You don’t pay cash in hand when someone has admitted they are dodging tax and regulations.

She should not have accepted your child

and the poor other kids dragged along for the ride. I bet their parents won’t know about this

You are about to make a huge mistake.

I understand you’re panicking about childcare, but I’d keep looking if I was you, this person doesn’t sound ideal at all!

She has space for a reason
you have managed to secure her very last minute for a reason

All the kids are OPs. They’ve hired a nanny. But not actually hired a nanny, nor sorted payroll or following any employment law.

You need to contact your insurance company and find out exactly what the situation is: you are right - lying to them would negate your insurance. For the record I am a childminder in my own house and car and require to let my insurance company know. Good luck!

How old is your child OP?

ignore me wrong thread I was thinking about

I lost all empathy for OP when she stated she's paying cash in hand for her childminder/part time nanny rather than employ her officially.

Actually I think you’re wrong

where does the op say all are hers?

Relying on her existing fully comp insurance is inadequate- it only covers 3rd party claims if she is driving your vehicle. You would need to put her onto your insurance as a named driver to be properly covered. Insurance covers nanny-access-to-family-vehicle like this as a perfectly normal thing if you declare it all properly.

I wouldn't employ anyone who wanted to be paid cash-in-hand and was planning to lie about their employment status though.

Dodgy and honestly if she’s lying now then god forbid if something happened what do you think she’ll do?

I might be wrong. I just assumed from the way the OP explained the detail about what seats were needed that they were all her kids.

If this is a childminder with other kids to mind, it would be unusual to agree to do all the activities drop offs and collections.

Not a chance I’d be letting someone else drive my car, she hasn’t even started watching your child and she’s wanting cash in hand and wants to lie to the insurance company. Dodgy as hell.

she has a space for a reason, doesn’t sound like she’ll have all the correct paperwork and insurances for watching your child.

All sounds very dodgy and I think I would keep looking

Whether a nanny or a childminder

she’s unprofessional, reckless and appears to not be very popular locally of able to suddenly have 4 children 3 times a week.

OP… how did you find her and what checks have you done?

Her coverage will , at best, be 3rd party on another vehicle. Which means your car will not be covered in an accident (only the 3rd party). But In doubt her insurance will cover her whilst using anothe car as part of her business

Yes you’re right and I’m wrong
all are Op’s

It's quite common for the family to provide use of a vehicle for childcare transport, so add her to your insurance.

After all, if your kids damaged her car she'd be seriously out of pocket.

Absolutely not.
Cash in hand isn't ok and driving a car without the right insurance isn't ok with me either.

This isn't OK. I would be very wary of her having comprehensive insurance that covers her to drive any car. That used to be fairly standard but no longer the case. The fact that she won't show you the evidence is suspicious.

Even if that is truthful it will only allow her to have third party cover, so if your car is damaged or written off while she's driving it's tough shit for you .

The safest thing to do is to have her insured fully comp as a main driver on your car. But I'd be wary about her and would consider it a temporary arrangement until you get someone better.

Cash in hand suggests she considers it a "babysitting" arrangement rather than childminding where she'd be formally self employed, regulated, responsible for her tax etc. Ad hoc babysitting cash in hand is OK if its temporary and no pattern of recurrence but once it becomes regular/recurrent (and she isn't doing it as a SE registered childminder) then you'd be considered to be employing her and have to deal with payroll etc.

There is guidance about what is considered babysitting vs childminding or nannying. It used to be no more than 2 hours before 6pm or something like that. My kids are older now but I suggest you check. I'm assuming you are in the UK.

Is she a registered childminder or are you employing her as a Nanny? I would have thought you would need to add her to your insurance and pay for that.

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