Quick question about being a childminder!

[Kellamity]

If I want to look after a friends school age children after school and in the school holidays do I still need to register as a childminder?

Need more info....

How old are the children?
Will you be paid?
Where will the care take place?

Children are 5 and 8. Care would take place in my house with my children present (8, 6 & 2). It wouldn't be every day but it would be regular. Not sure about money but I think we probably would come to some financial agreement!

yes if you are doing it for reward e.g. cash or gifts.Otherwise,if she's not giving you anything and you are dong it as a favour,then ,no. Ofsted do say that if its less than 2 hours per day,then you don't need to be registered but I'm assuming it will be more than that in the hols.

Yes it could be more than 2 hours a day in the holidays. So how do I become a childminder? I will only be looking after these children, no others. I'm guessing that's irrelevant?

Yes you will need to be reg'd.

Contact your local authority's family information service for the information/route to becoming a CM in your area as each borough can vary slightly.

It's not a quick or easy (or cheap!) process though and I doubt you'd find it worth it for just two school aged children.

Coul you not care for them in their own home and be their nanny?

Why not go to their home instead? In summer you may well be out and about a lot.

The key problem is caring for a child under age 8, at your home, for payment. Try to think of ways of not doing that.

Why would going to their house make a difference? If I went to their house I would have to take my 3 dcs along which doesn't seem right!

I'm just trying to find a way of helping a friend out with a long term (irregularly regular) child care issue.

Because working from their home you are a nanny and nannies do not HAVE to be reg'd (although they can voluntarily do so). Parents live in the home and so take the responsibility of safety around the home, who lives there and their backgrounds, and you are their employee.

To work from your home you must be reg'd with OFSTED, so they can CRB you and others over 16 in your home, safety check and space check your home, ensure you have the correct qualifications (first aid, safeguarding, food hygiene etc) and you are self employed and must reg with HMRC for tax and NI purposes.

HTH

Friends can care for friends children, but not for payment.

You want to be paid which causes a problem. To get around that you could be their nanny, an employee working at their home. That gets around the need to register as a childminder.

If you did not want payment, then you could care for the children at your home.

Do you want payment? How much are you talking? Could the family not exchange a service with you instead - help you out with something you need doing?

Thank you for this, it's really helpful. No I don't want paying but I get the feeling it's the only way my friend will let it happen as she feels she is putting me out too much not to.

However after reading your comments NannyNick & NickNacks it would be easier for me not to be paid!

Further to nannynicks comment - 'exchanging-a-service' is still payment so if you look after each others children in turn, technically you are being paid by free childcare.

maggi - but as in a number of other threads it is FINE to look after each other children in turn

maggi - the legislation is clear on the matter, as long as it is part of Friendship:

"payment" means a payment of money or money?s worth, but does not include the provision of goods or services.

Money's Worth is the bit I find more tricky... it could rule out the traditional babysitting circle using tokens, as the token is possibly "money's worth".

Ofsted Factsheet: Registration not Required has been updated and is now available again online.

Not sure what updates have been made, though I do notice that it has more details on "money's worth".

Payment is defined as a ?payment of money or money?s worth? which means payment for or towards the costs involved in the childcare such as a contribution to heating and lighting, or paying for food or repairs to the place where the childminding happens.

So providing a service to the other person can't be paying their gas/electric bill, getting their shopping, or repairing their roof. So does that mean it's a service that has to happen at a different location to where the childcare occurs?