first time childminder, and first time childminder user, advice please

[dubz]

We are looking for a childminder as my husband is shifting from part to full time (I already work full time) We have found a lady who lives just round the corner from us who has done the childminding course and is looking to start. I know her vaguely from tots groups and think she will probably be quite a good childminder. She has 2 DC, one 7 at primary school and one 4 at preschool nursery.

The thing is she is new to this, and I'm also new to using a childminder so I don't think either of us know what is normal/expected and what isn't.

We would be looking for DD (4) to go all day Wed, Thurs & Fri. And DS (2) to go all day Thurs and Fri. DD goes to preschool nursery in the same class as childminders DC for 2.5 hours each morning so it would be ideal for the childminder to do pickup and dropoff at that. DS goes to a nursery for 3 days a week. He loves it and is really flourishing so want to continue with that.

So my questions are. Do childminders mind you asking for just a few days? Does the childminder need to be registered? Does she need to have insurance? Will she need to change the insurance on her car to drive them arround (not necessary but good if weather is rubbish)? Who would provide the car seats? Do childminders normally provide food? What about nappies etc? Who pays for incidental expenses like tots groups/soft play? Do childminders normally have a contract with these sort of things detailed?

As you can tell I'm completely new to this. Any advice would be great. Apologies if there has been 100 threads of this ilk already, I did do a search but surprisingly couldn't find anything that answered such niave questions

Most childminders don't mind you asking for just a few days. The childminder does need to be registered. She needs to have insurance. She needs to change the insurance on her car. She would normally provide the car seats. Some childminders provide food and nappies and outings, others don't. You should both sign a contract. Also check what holidays and sickness you pay for.

Does the childminder need to be registered? YES
Does she need to have insurance? YES she needs public liability insurance.
Will she need to change the insurance on her car to drive them arround (not necessary but good if weather is rubbish)? Yes. It didn't cost me any extra though.
Who would provide the car seats? The childminder normally provides these.
Do childminders normally provide food? Some do some don't.
What about nappies etc? Again this depends ... some childminders do some ask parents to provide
Who pays for incidental expenses like tots groups/soft play? Again ... it depends on childminder.
Do childminders normally have a contract with these sort of things detailed? Yes. Contract is a must.

We were all new childminders once :-) and we all work differently but will answer you questions as best i can

I am happy to have children 3 days.
Yes she needs to be ofsted registered or she will be breaking the law.
Yes she has to be insured (specific public liability ins)
Yes her car needs to be insured for specific business insurance.
I (and all the childminders i know) provide our own car seats then we know they fit our cars.
I provide snacks but ask parents to provide packed lunch (some childminders prefer to provide food and charge small fee for this)
I ask parents to provide all nappies and wipes and my fees reflect this.
I pay for toddler groups etc as these are incorporated into my fees.
Yes you should have a contract to protect both of you.

Hope that helps

You lot type much faster than me, there were no relies when i started typing!!

I was replying too but I was too slow lol. Ask these questions to the childminders you interview.

Thanks, it's great stuff to know. I've got a meeting with her on Thursday so I'm just getting my head round what sort of stuff she should have in place. Not sure if she will be able to get these things sorted before we need her to start (2nd Jan). I'm hopeful that it will be good though. Potentially she could look after the kids for years

i still look after my first child i took on as a new childminder, my business has changed and evolved around her. I adore her even more for being here from the beginning. while my paperwork might not have been up to scratch or my policies quite correct at the beginning i looked after that little girl like my own and we have a fantastic bond. I have 9 children now - part time. all the practical questions have been answered already i just want to say dont let her being new put you off x

calmlychaotic - my first mindee is too oldto need me any more, but she is still one of DDs best ffriends and they go shopping together, etc.

If she can't get her insurance and so on through before you need her to start then she CANNOT take your children. Ask her not just about insurance etc but about whether she will be charging for bank holidays, her own holidays, your holidays, sick leave etc. All these things should be in the contract which you should read very carefully, small print and all, before you sign.

It doesn't sound as though she is even registered yet??

How far into her registration is she? Can be up to 6 months as as well as childminding course she will have to do a first aid course, complete all her paperwork, policies etc, get insurance, be inspected, etc etc

If she is not yet registered but you want her to look after your children you could employ her as your nanny instead in the meantime. This would mean she was your employee and would work out of your house rather than her own. I did this myself in the short term while I was waiting for my registration to complete. Legally she cannot have children in her home for more than 2 hours per day without being registered.

Surely this would have all been covered on the course? she should have all insurance etc in place

Turns out she has been a Childminder before for one family but had to give it up for personal reasons, but has kept her registration up so is all ready to go. We have chatted a couple of times since my original post and I'm hopeful that she'll take us on. If not, I'vea better idea of how things work so hopefully I'll find someone great soon. Thanks for all your responses.

Op - I'm in exactly the same position and was about to ask the same questions then saw your post.

No need for my questions now - this has been immensely helpful! Thanks to all.