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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

A friend of mine has just found out the Childminder she is using is not registered, advice on the next step please

12 replies

radio4junkie · 14/08/2011 22:05

A friend of mine(first child, bit naïve!) has come to me tonight to ask advice as she has just found out the child-minder she is using isn?t registered. I use a nursery, so not really sure about childminders. She found out by chance when asking for her registration number, which she ?couldn?t find? then my friend contacted her local CCC for reg? number, and discovered CM wasn?t registered. Hasn?t reported her and was happy until now but now questioning what sort of woman she is, if can?t be bothered to register, or pay tax I presume!! What do you think she should do? Child due in again with child-minder end of the week. Thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

miniwedge · 14/08/2011 22:12

If she isn't registered she isn't;

Insured
Trained
Honest

She has lied to your friend, your friend asked for her registration number and she said she couldn't find it.
Would you want someone who is happy to lie about a basic requirement looking after your child?
You need to question why this woman lied? Is there a problem with her crb checks for example?

She needs to not send her child Back and report her.

nannynick · 14/08/2011 22:19

Can she trust this person now?

If she was led to believe that they were registered and now has found out that they are not, then can they be trusted?

Thing is, when your friend looked for childcare, maybe they didn't ask about registration, so maybe the person hasn't lied... well until the point they said they couldn't find the registration document - then they did!

Presumably your friend needs someone who is registered... so they will need to look for another childcare provider.

Original poster

radio4junkie · 14/08/2011 22:30

Yes have told her to put DD in with someone else asap, and obv she will check v carefully if they are registered this time! Makes me cross people can behave like this though, especially when there are children involved! No she didn't check, just presumed the childminder registered etc does that mean friend is at fault? and should she confront cm or just make her excuses and leave...?

OP posts:

Scarfmaker · 14/08/2011 22:52

How long has your friend been using the childminder? Surely she knew about registration etc. when she started using her? Then again, maybe your friend isn't entitled to any childcare benefits, salary sacrifice schemes which require the URN (Unique Reference Number) for that childminder.

Maybe the childminder is in the stages of becoming registered?

Or she may be one of many who do not want the rigmorole (spelling) of all the paperwork, risk assessments, daily diaries, observations, the list goes on.

A lot of childminders don't earn enough to pay tax, so this doesn't come into it.

For the record, ten years ago I worked as an unregistered childminder for a year and the two sets of parents who took me on, knew this. It wasn't such a big thing then, I suppose, but nonetheless I am still the same person now.

Scarfmaker · 14/08/2011 22:55

And I've now been registered since 2003!

hayleysd · 15/08/2011 07:48

Report her and don't use her again, she can't have a valid contract as what she is doing is illegal!

nannynick · 15/08/2011 09:16

If there is a contract in place (and there will at least be a verbal agreement) than as long as they never said their were a registered childminder, the contract is valid in my view. Contract law is complex though but I can't see how not being a registered childminder affects the agreement.

So I feel your friend should terminate the contract as per whatever the contract terms are. If it's just a verbal agreement, then your friend will need to try to remember if how to end the agreement was ever discussed - possibly it was not.

No she didn't check, just presumed the childminder registered etc does that mean friend is at fault?

That is tricky... I would say that parents do have a duty to check documents for anyone they use for childcare. Your friend knew that childminders had to be registered... so it's not as if they didn't know at all that daytime childcare at the home of the childcarer in the UK is regulated. Fault on both sides I feel... if they had asked to see the registration document when they first met, they would not be in this position now.

apotomak · 15/08/2011 09:32

There is no such thing as unregistered childminder. It is illegal to look after children aged under 8 at childminder's home over two hours a day for reward without being registered. Whatever contract she's signed it's not valid. So I suggest your friend just rings her and says she won't be coming tomorrow and states the reason.
A registered childminder will have her registration certificate on display. Mine is at the entrance together with my public liability insurance and Ofsted's parent poster. These 3 are the minimum all registered childminers must display.

hayleysd · 15/08/2011 12:49

There can be no contract in place as it's illegal so even if it is verbal it's not valid, so what if she is in the process of registered or is one of the ones who doesn't believe in paperwork, childminders spend months registering and then hours of there own time doing everything legitimately and some people thinks they're above doing all this as they can't be bothered!

ChippingIn · 15/08/2011 12:54

She might need to back up a bit here.

There could be any number of things making it appear she isn't registered when she is - the first one being her name. Perhaphs she's registered under her full name and your friend only knows her 'used' name, which in some cases isn't anything like the same :)

If she is happy with the care her child has been getting, it would be very silly to go off on the deep end without talking to the woman first.

thebody · 16/08/2011 18:44

i think your friend needs to ring the child minder and ask her straight out if she is or is not registered.... as Chippin says I am registered in my name but trade under a business name as i run my business in parallel to my dhs business for tax purposes...

. however most cms display their ofsted reg on the wall to reassure parents.. i do anyway

Blurry29 · 17/08/2011 09:46

I personally think many of the posters are bang on.....

your friend shouldn't jump in head first, there could be many reasons:

The CM could be awaiting cert/Reg num etc etc etc

Sometimes the Reg process takes AGES. I have been waiting on the remainder of my paperwork for ages and although I have been back to college, passed everything, am fit to start etc I am just waiting on my reg cert. My potential clients have been very very impressed with my administration and organisation even though I can not physically show them a reg cert just yet.

If your friend is happy with this lady then can she ask her outright ''are you registered''? If not why not? are you planning on registering?? etc etc

She needs all the facts before going through the hassle of reporting. :)

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