Nanny insurance and OFSTED registration

[Samedi]

I've seen a few threads mentioning this, so I thought I'd ask a few questions. Background- I'm a nanny, I worked for three years live-in for two families in London then in Paris for 13 months, now job-hunting again. I am qualified but I've never been registered to OFSTED nor had nanny insurance.

I've noticed that a lot more parents are looking for OFSTED registered nannies this time job-hunting, last time I was looking I barely saw it mentioned. Can anyone tell me how to go about it, how much it costs, and is it worth registering now as a jobhunter, without a specific job actually asking for it?

I had always thought that the registration was simply done to use childcare vouchers but some seem to be seeing it as a mark of high quality. My question is, do all you nannies and any parents using nannies feel that this perception that the registration is so good worth the fee of registering? I mean, are the words 'OFSTED registered' at the top of a job application worth the cost of the registration, simply because so many parents see it as a high standard?

I was told by an agency that I would need a level 3 qualification (I have that), an up to date CRB (being processed, went out of date when I was abroad), and paediactric first aid (also went out of date, I'm going to book a new one as soon as I can find one. In the meantime doing a first aid at work 3 day course to show willing) in order to register. BUT I've seen somewhere that nanny insurance is also needed. I've never had insurance, I didn't even know it existed till I saw it mentioned on here! I got given a couple of leaflets for companies providing insurance by an agency, does anyone have any thoughts on a good one, any experience with particular providers?

Thanks in advance!

regardless whether you are ofsted reg or not, all professional nannies should have insurance

most use morton michel

personally i wouldnt ofsted myself till i found a job that needed it incase my employers cant use vouchers - or it would have been a waste of my money

i feel that the employers should pay all costs (apart from nanny insurance) as they are the ones who benifit

I had been saying exactly that- I am more than willing to register if a family needs it, and kind of hinting that most families requiring it would pay for it or at least half. Problem is there are a lot of nannies out there who are registered, and if a family had to choose between an unregistered nanny and paying for them to register, or a registered nanny- they'd go for the registered! I don't want to give up an advantage, this jobhunt is painful enough as it is!

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

because so many parents see it as a high standard?

Any evidence of that? I'd have thought in terms of nannies that parents are wanting someone Ofsted Registered so that they can use Childcare Vouchers.

MM (Sterling Insurance) are the largest insurer of nannies in the UK to my knowledge. They have provided it the longest, before Ofsted Registration of nannies became possible.

There are other companies and I expect the policies probably offer similar level of cover.
I'm with MM to keep things simple, as I've always been with them and have Motor Insurance with them as well (very few providers of specialist policies for childcarers).

Someone posted on here recently about MM refusing to insure them. Like all insurance companies, they will have underwriting rules, so if you don't meet their conditions they won't insure you. Thus shop around for insurance if you find that they won't insure you.

I was told by an agency that I would need a level 3 qualification (I have that),

Not strictly true. Ofsted don't actually seem to define exactly what level of childcare training someone should have. They do however want it to be Common Core compliant.

an up to date CRB (being processed, went out of date when I was abroad),

Ofsted process their own, the cost of which is included in the application fee.

and paediactric first aid (also went out of date, I'm going to book a new one as soon as I can find one. In the meantime doing a first aid at work 3 day course to show willing) in order to register.

Other First Aid courses can also be suitable. Ofsted do not define the length of the course, they do however define what the course should have covered. So an adult course may not cover enough things to do with babies and children.

Ofsted Factsheet - sets out the declarations.

Guide to Registration - contains in the Annex details on First Aid and Childcare Training

Not sure if you can register with Ofsted without a setting address (so address of your employer). Has anyone registered recently in that situation? Were Ofsted ok with you putting your own address for that and notifying them later on of the work address?

Ofsted: CR1 by hand - take a look at this, it is the registration form. However it's better to apply online, so use the form just for practice in knowing what questions are asked.
A nanny is a HOME CHILDCARER - so not all parts of the form apply.

See I'm going to register with Ofsted message thread where I've listed which sections a nanny completes.

Thanks nannynick for the reply.

I've had a couple of parents now mentioning registration, when I say I'm not registered but am willing to because of vouchers, I understand the costs etc but they say they wouldn't be using vouchers- they are seeing the registration as kind of an industry standard or something. I was wondering if anyone else had had this experience, if it was worth paying for the registration just because parents are seeming to view it as a positive. Its been bought up twice now, which just seemed to show that parents aren't clued up to what the registration actually means.

Good that OFSTED don't define the length of the course, as I am considering a 6 hour one (I started another thread about it). I'm only doing the adult one as I simply have been unable to find one here, I'm staying with family in Cornwall until the room I'm renting is free. I'm signing on, though not receiving any money apart from NI (apparently I din't pay enough NI one year to get JSA) but I do get the course for free and well... its something to do until I move up to London.

Thanks for the links, I'll take a good look at them now. I didn't consider they would need a setting address, I've seen so many nannies currently jobhunting stating they are registered I had assumed you could do it with a home address. Perhaps they all registered at previous or current employers.

Well reading through the registration form brings up a further issue- having lived abroad for a year during the last five years it seems in order to register I may need a police check from France or a certificate of good conduct from the French embassy. I really have no idea how to go about getting this! Has anyone ever had to do this? I'm still awaiting my CRB so that may be an issue raised when that comes back to me.

Ok it seems that you can leave the setting address blank if you don't know it, then inform then at a later date. Good to know.

The French check is called a casier judiciare and it's free (hurrah!). I don't know if you will need it but I can email you the form if you do. It might be worth doing in any case.

Wrt it being an industry standard (or not) some parents do see it that way because it means a nanny meets certain requirements they feel they don't have to check. This is actually quite misguided as several people (including one highly publicised agency owner) have managed to register without the correct papers.

The French check is called a casier judiciare and it's free (hurrah!). I don't know if you will need it but I can email you the form if you do. It might be worth doing in any case.

Wrt it being an industry standard (or not) some parents do see it that way because it means a nanny meets certain requirements they feel they don't have to check. This is actually quite misguided as several people (including one highly publicised agency owner) have managed to register without the correct papers.

samedi - Hi, where are you based? what kind of job are you looking for? I may be looking I'm in North London.

Thanks SnapFrakkleAndPop for the French info, I'll look into it if my CRB has any issues. Still waiting for it to come through. I've sent you a message with my email, if you could email the form that would be really appreciated.

claire74 I've sent you a message, but if you don't see it and come here first- I'm going to be in SW London, Richmond area, so may be a bit far away.