Asking a friend to help out when childminder is off

[Clarrita]

I have a childminder who looks after my three kids two days a week 4-7 when I am at work and drives them around to their after school activities - I pay an hourly rate and 40p a mile petrol/car allowance. The childminder is going away for three weeks and I am stuck for care. I have a close friend who has offered in the past to help me and when all our children were younger we took it in turns to look after each others children in the school hols - now her kids are old enough that they don't need care. I was going to ask my friend to take over from the childminder during her holiday but because this time as I can't reciprocate I was going to offer to pay her what I pay my childminder plus same petrol allowance. My husband thinks she might be insulted by this but I feel I would be asking too much of her to do it for nothing. My friendship with her is more important to me than anything else - what would you do in this situation?

clarrita,
im afraid that your friend would need to be registered to care for your children for more than 2 hours and be paid for it.
is there another cm you can use?

Isn't there an exception where if it is for 6 days over a year then it's allowed? Or have I just completly made that up?!!

Also, from the sounds of it the children wouldn't be in the friends house for all of the time.

As for the payment, you could offer and if she refuses maybe you could buy her something special.

I sometimes help a friend in a similar way and always insist no payment but she always insists she pays as she'd feel uncomfortable asking me again.

Perhaps you could just pay for the petrol costs and a nice present for the trouble? I wouldn't make too big a thing of it as she's offererd.

Depending how old the children are, maybe they could paint her a picture to say thank you?

hmm not sure mogs! possibly!
clarrita try here or here for more info.

I don't think there is a problem paying if she is doing it at your house - as for nannies.

I would offer to pay - she can always refuse and it shows that you aren't taking her for granted. If she doesn't want you to pay then you could give her a nice present.

I would still ask her, and maybe not give her money, but gift vouchers to a fave place, spa or restaurant or store? And choc/flowers/card when it's all finished

Mogs you didn't make the 6 day thing up... though it is LESS THAN SIX DAYS - so 5 days is allowed.
(taken from HMI2601a)
"19. If day care is provided for less than six days in any year it does not require registration, providing that the person has notified Ofsted in writing before the first occasion on which the premises concerned are
used." Also can be found in Care Standards Act 2000.

Of course much easier if friend comes to your home - then as Martini says, your friend is then classed as a Nanny, which is currently unregulated.

I would offer the money, saying it was what you would have paid the childminder. If she doesn't accept, then buy a nice present at the end of it (or have the children buy her something).

think the best way round it is ask her to come to yours when shes not ferrying your LO's around, then shes not suggesting shes an unreg cm.
id offer her the cash, just say you dont want to take advantage of her good nature and if she refuses, buy her a nice pressy