Shared Parental Leave and childminding

[Doglikeafox]

Hi everyone,
My DP and I are hoping to start trying to conceive soon, but being a childminder I'm very concerned about how we would cope financially. DP and I are both registered childminders, however my DP is not currently childminding and has a full time job. I am completely full at the moment, love the families I have and would hate to lose any children as a result of my pregnancy. My partner is around the house quite often (shift work), knows the children and parents very well, has done school pick ups and drops before and is on all my contracts and policies as a co childminder.
My plan is that my partner will take 2 weeks holiday in the 2 weeks before my due date and look after the childminding children in those 2 weeks whilst I rest, prepare for baby etc. Then, once baby is born, I will have 2 weeks maternity leave, claiming maternity allowance, whilst my partner has 2 weeks paternity leave. I understand that my due date is by no means a given, however my mindee's parents are generally very flexible, are mostly self-employed and usually very accomodating of my holidays.
Then, I'm hoping to give the rest of my leave entitlement to my partner in order that he can help around the house, walk the dog, help with the mindees or take over completely if for any reason I am not well enough to return to work. I have been on the 'yes law' website and as far as I can tell we are entitled to shared parental leave, but I can't find any information on whether or not his company is entitled to give it to my partner, or whether they can refuse? He is easily replace-able in his job so I can't see why they wouldn't.
I really can't see any other way of making things work financially, so if his company did refuse we would have to reconsider trying for a baby at all.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

I really don't know the answer but there would be an issue that you don't get maternity leave been self employed?
There would also could be an issue with your DH's registration, as I assume he has told Ofsted he is not currently practising. AS your assistant can only work limited time without you.

My DP is not an assistant- he is a registered childminder in his own right. Because of his shift work he is still practicing as a childminder- OFSTED know that he is doing ad hoc care (e.g. When my parents require extra days/hours).
I do get maternity leave- not statutory maternity pay but maternity allowance instead. Also I am self employed mothers are eligible for shared parental leave as long as my partner is employed and he must take the time off- I am not eligible to have the shared parental leave pay because I am not employed.

Sorry to clarify, my DP and I are eligible together as a unit, but only he can take the time off for the shared parental leave.

I'm a bit confused about this, so don't know the actual answer, but can he be claiming a benefit (which I guess the shared care is if he is actually working as a childminder? Or would it be classed as you working and him just being there off work with your baby but helping out if you need?

I think we would have to class it as me working and him helping out in order for him to be paid for the shared parental paid. However, as all the children are my childminding children, I do their paperwork and the parents pay me, I don't think it will be difficult to prove it is actually me who is working and he is helping look after his own child and with the housework etc.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert.

So your partner has two jobs - one employed, one self emoloyed. He essentially wants to go on parental leave from one but keep the other. I don't think this is allowed.

If he is doing all the domestic chores and caring for your child to allow you to work that seems fine but the moment he starts doing any minding that is different.

Is there still a rule that all children in the house count towards your numbers even if someone else is caring for them?

Yes officially it would have to be me caring for them... but I think it would be incredibly hard for someone to draw a line between a husband doing his housework, preparing food, walking his dog, watching his baby and where it actually means that he is working looking after the other children.
It doesn't really matter ratio wise who you want to say they count towards.. because my partner and I are both registered. However as it is me doing the paperwork, admin with parents, invoices, my bank account paid, they have been my mindees for several years etc etc I think again, it would be very strange for someone to suggest they were now his mindees because he is helping out a bit whilst off work.

And again, yes he currently has two jobs. One of them is having his OWN chidlminding children and counting into my ratios. This would no longer be the case. We would not go the ratios of the max amount of children I could care for alone so again, technically he will not be doig his job.