Really need some advice about Nanny/Childminding options :)

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

Hi there, really hope one of you can help me with my odd question :)

I start University in September, I will have by then 3 DC, 4yrs, 3yrs and 3 months. I will be entitled to the childcare grant through the uni. Having spoken to them they are happy for my to use and pay my Step MIL for childcare so long as she is a registered childminder. Great, happy with this, she will be booking on the courses etc soon will be having all the ofsted stuff done at her house etc...

However, the way we would like it to actually work is she would come to my house and drop DC1 at school, then drop DC2 at nursery at half day, then pick them both up at end of school day keeping baby with her all day. Would it matter that she wasnt actually at her house all day with the DC and at mine instead? Does this make her not a childminder and something else entirely?

The Uni have been great and basically said just dont tell us anything we only need the registration number and the invoices, they dont care if she has a relationship with the DC like Tax credits do, but we dont want to get in trouble with childminding bodies or ofsted etc so thought we best check out the senario first with those that know....well thats mumsnet to me :)

Sorry this is so long TIA :)

I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure;

1. You can't register as a childminder just to look after family members. You have to be willing/able to take on other children. I don't know what the situation is with step-grandparents though, but you need to check.

1. Ofsted rules about childminding are pretty tight and I don't think you can register one address (hers) and then use another (yours).

If the Uni are paying, why not look around and see if you can find a proper childminder to have them?

Well if she's mostly at yours then it makes her more of a nanny. The problem then is that she's providing care at hers for part of the day. I would try and talk to OFSTED (ring twice to see whether you get the same answer) and see what she would need to register as.

Can the childcare grant be used on a nanny in the voluntary register?

If you can use it to pay for an ofsted registered nanny I would because she wouldn't need to do learning journals, no inspections, no ratios etc. Also if you're kids are poorly she'd still be able to have them whereas a cm wouldnt. She would still need to do paediatric first aid etc to register but I think it would make life easier for her.

Are you in England, or somewhere else?

It would be easier for SMIL to become a nanny. If they are already signed up to do the childminding course, that can probably be used to meet the requirements for being a Home Childcarer.

Do you really want sMIL in your life this much of the time? Do you really want her to be at your home most days of the week?

Do you want to blur the relationship you currently have - if they work for you, then that's a working relationship... if they were your nanny you would be able to tell them what to do, when to do it.
What if uni does not pay on time - this can be a problem that does occur from what I've read on boards like this one. Is sMIL needing the income?
Is it affordable - how much would you be paying sMIL and how much would the grant be?

Is a step mother in law considered to be a close relative - hmm, you would need to have confirmation I feel. If you have been through it with tax credits and they feel that sMIL is a relative, then I would suspect the childcare regulator would as well.

I think it would be worth your while talking to Ofsted - they're very friendly and helpful and will probably be able to give you advice immediately over the phone.

To me it sounds as though it would be more of a nanny role, but to be honest I think you might be better off with a proper nanny or CM - if the university is paying then it may be easier all round to just have a professional, as your SMIL isn't going to do it for free.

Has she got any childcare qualifications, if not she will just need to do the core skills and first aid and apply for the ofsted voluntary register as a nanny. Get insurance from ncma or moreton michel then she has met all the requirements that the uni needs. Don't go down the childminding course as although she can dual register as a childminder and nanny she will have to prove she is prepared to childmind at home with all the paperwork etc.
Have a look on the ofsted, ncma and moreton michel websites and you should find all the info. The core skills course and first aid courses will need to be paid for and you need to book on asap as they do get booked up.

It did used to be possible to be a childminder and register to work at the parents home. I don't know if this still exists. You would need to ask OFSTED