Penalties for not registering as CM?

[cornflakegirl]

A friend of mine is about to go back to work, and leave her child with another friend who is a SAHM.

I don't know what the arrangement is, but I think it's pretty informal - friend A will pay friend B some money, although possibly not going rate.

But I came across a thread the other day that said that if you're paid at all, you have to be registered as a CM. Now I'm wondering if I should say something to my friend.

We're not close enough that I'd want to just stick my sixpennorth in, and start insisting that friend B gets registered - and pays tax and everything else - for all I know, it's all already sorted!

But in case it isn't sorted, I just wondered if there are any penalties / downsides of not registering that would mean that I really do need to say something to her?

Hope that makes sense - and that someone can help! TIA :)

If your friedn is happy with the agreement and happy that her friend will look after her child, then I guess it is up to them. I suppose it only could get tricky when something goes wrong (as always). A friend of mine does this - looks after children of her friends but is not registered. I would be more than happy to leave my children with her - more so than so of the child minders I see picking children up from DS's nursery.

I would feel v uncomfortable with this situation. If it was a really good, close friend/relative then surely money wouldn't change hands, apart from for out of pocket expenses, food etc. The reason that CMs are registered is to protect the children they look after (CRB checks for them, and I think now their families too).

If you receive anything 'in kind', and by that I mean even the odd box of chocs etc then you have to be registered if you care for children in your own home for more than two hours a day.

The penalties are very sever, there was an unregestered childminer in the next village to me and she was fined £5000 and banned from looking after children for 5 years! That would put me off enough.........

Even though (as a cm myself) I can see the need to be registered i can also see why friends do this for friends. Suppose it depends on how well they know each other and whether it was just for the friend not a actual minding business etc.

As Booh says the penalties are severe but again it think if caught it is taken on a case to case basis and if she was trying to take in a lot of children to mind rather than caring for one friends child then they (OFSTED) would look at it differently.

Clear as mud huh

how would you get "caught"?

By someone in the know calling OFSTED i would think.

Well they wouldnt have insurance for either the car or the home in case anything happened.

Unregistered childminders normally get caugh out because soemthing normally happens to the child. Have you not heard about children who have died because they have been with 'childminders' when this hasnt actually been the case and they havent been checked for their suitability like we have. It makes me mad as it gives us a bad name when we are professionals. Grrr

Parents can call up ofsted and check registration details and they will prosicute then, they could get caught out through the tax man, benefit fraud. So many ways

I really don't think this would be a good idea. Childminders, as already mentioned are fully insured, inspected, have done training etc.

I think your friend would be foolish to leave her child with some unregistered, even if she is a friend.

The friend could decide she no longers want to do it, and let her down. Childminders have contracts so have to give notice.

Something, god forbid, could happen to the child and neither of them would have a leg to stand on.

There are many ways someone can get found out, inland revenue & dss are examples or people at drop ins, eg, some registered cms may not like it, or a neigbhour may inform. There are heavy penalties for being an unregistered minder.

Can your friend not find a registered childminder? or would the other friend do it at her home? (as a nanny)

Thanks for your contributions everyone.

I agree that there are lots of reasons why it might be better to go with a proper CM - but I definitely don't know this girl well enough to interfere on that basis.

It's stuff like fines and jellyjelly's point about insurance that I'm really concerned about - hadn't even thought about insurance, but I guess she'd need business cover for the car if she was being paid?

Does anyone know where I can find out about OFSTED penalties?

Technically to knowingly leave a child with someone who is unregistered and potentially unfit to care for children on a professional basis could be considered neglect by SS

I can't see this happening tho'

She also might not have any first aid knowledge?.

what happened if the child choked. I value my son life to much to leave him with someone who doesnt have necessary qualification,knowledge and the brains to relise that this stuff does need to be done for the sake of the child.

havent people that do this have in the past be sent to jail for it?

And yes you do need insurance for the car to a higher level and for it to be business use, if anything happened and the insurance people knew it would invalidate the insurance, same for household. To much to lose on the parents part.

I know this is all very serious and important but, don't you ever leave your children with a friend's Mum - for a play date or to do you a favour? I certainly don't check out all thie first aid qualifications but I trust them to treat my child in the way they would treat their own.

not on a regular basis and not for money!

Only other minders, not for money and only if i cant get family to do it.

where i live, if you care for children anymore than 2 hrs per day on a regular basis in your own home, you have to register with Care Commission, although i do know a lot of mums who care for friends babies and charge the going rate same as a childminder

I certainly wouldnt ask a friend to do it for long hours.