Is @NannyNick still around??

[Maisiesaves]

:')

I've been researching the shit out of this and your name cropped up so much on this forum, you seem to know your stuff. Problem is, a bunch of the stuff I read is now out of date!!!

Basically...

I start University next month. As part of my student finance package, I have been awarded a childcare grant. This is paid using the ChildCare Grant Payment Service. In order to add a childcare provider, they need to be registered. However, due to my son's needs, I am going to need to employ a Nanny. But Nannies aren't required to register so a lot of them aren't registered!

What are the exact requirements for registering as a Nanny?

What information do you need when you first apply? - Details of first aid, DBS, qualifications etc?

Do you get your URN after clicking apply, or once the whole registration process is complete? My thinking being, if they have the URN, they can receive payments whilst they wait for the registration to be completed and they fulfil any other requirements needed? - The answer to this question will matter the most, as, if I am going to have to wait possibly 12 weeks for registration to go through, I am not going to have a Nanny for quite a while!!!

Are there any other ways of finding registered nanny's/home child carers without having to take out a second mortgage to pay agency engagement fees???

Any help with registering as an employer with HMRC and doing the whole paying an employee thing?!

Thanks so much in advance :)

I don't know a great deal about the Childcare Grant in terms of how it physically pays out but I do know about registration requirements.

Can I assume you are in England? If you are not, then which country are you in as the procedure in other counties in the UK will be different.

What are the exact requirements for registering as a Nanny?
Ofsted registration as a nanny requires:
Enhanced DBS check (Ofsted tend to like one done by their provider but might accept one by someone else on some occasions).
First Aid (Ofsted says it has to be Suitable, so that will depend on the age of the child... 6 hour Paediatric First Aid with 6 online module is typically the course).
Nanny liability insurance.
Level 2 or above in childcare training - or Common Core Skills & Knowledge.
Safeguarding children knowledge including local area child protection procedure.

What information do you need when you first apply?
There is insufficient time if you are starting Uni this year for a nanny to go through the registration process in England. It can take 3 months to do, sometimes longer, occasionally shorter.

Do you get your URN after clicking apply, or once the whole registration process is complete?

You must be in England... The URN is not valid until the nanny has their certificate. It can then take several weeks to populate various databases... I don't know how Childcare Grant checks registration status.

My thinking being, if they have the URN, they can receive payments whilst they wait for the registration to be completed and they fulfil any other requirements needed?

No. They must meet the registration criteria at all times whilst providing childcare. They therefore will be in breach of registration if they claim to have something they do not.

The answer to this question will matter the most, as, if I am going to have to wait possibly 12 weeks for registration to go through, I am not going to have a Nanny for quite a while!
You are quite right... I would simply not recruit a nanny who is not already registered. That will limit your pool of applicants but it will mean that you can use funding as soon as you get it.

Are there any other ways of finding registered nanny's/home child carers without having to take out a second mortgage to pay agency engagement fees?
Yes, my last two jobs came via www.childcare.co.uk
There is also www.nannyjob.co.uk which has a CV search facility.

Any help with registering as an employer with HMRC and doing the whole paying an employee thing?
Use a nanny payroll company... NannyPaye, PayeForNannies, NannyTax, Way2Paye, NannyMatters... there are lots around... costs vary but expect to pay £250ish for monthly payroll plus pension administration annual fee, then contract of employment may be a £25ish one off cost.

Wow! Thank you very much for taking the time to send me this information!!

Although I have yet to use it, I do know how the Childcare Grant Payment Service (CCGPS) works. I add a childcare provider, link them to my child and then they invoice me, I approve the payment, the CCGPS check it and the grant money goes straight to the childcare provider. I think this is a new process for this year.

Yes, I am in England! Believe it or not, I have been on the hunt for childcare since May! It was only in the last few weeks that I set up my CCGPS account that I learnt that all childcare providers need to be registered in order to use the service.

The one thing I was slightly iffy about was the wording on the CCGPS website about once a nanny applies to register, they get their URN, hence why I thought they would get the number straight away! This led me to wonder what would stop a nanny from completing the requisites, as they don't receive a registration visit!

Follow up question:

I have offered to cover the cost of Ofsted registration for the right candidate.
If they haven't already got common core skills & knowledge, DBS or first aid certificate, who should foot the bill for these? As it is only so I can use my childcare grant that whomever I hire will be required to be registered.

Hi! So, good practice is that a nanny should ALWAYS foot the bill for their DBS and first aid, and these are necessary in order for a nanny to get job.

As you only need the childcare course in order to obtain the certificate, then the employee should pay, as well as the cost of the Ofsted registration fee.

With regards to insurance, I'm not too sure...one agency suggested to me that employer and nanny go halves.

Being registered really only benefits the parents, and can cost a few hundred pounds in total, so it's nice for he employed to contribute to it

Childcare training - would you really recruit someone without any kind of training? Maybe their training is from a different country so is hard to fit with the requirements, so in that situation then I would be inclined to offer to pay for Common Core Skills & Knowledge training (about £100).

Enhanced DBS check - well they should already have one if they have been working with children. Their existing check though may not be suitable for registration, as Ofsted can be picky - so yes I would offer to pay towards that (£53). The nanny can then pay for the DBS Update Service as that is a benefit to them, meaning they can use the DBS for other work a little more easily... cost to them £13 annually.

First Aid - I would hope that anyone seeking a job as a nanny already has that. So nanny pays.

Insurance - Nanny pays. If you pay then it could be an issue in the event of a claim, though probably won't be looked at but you never know what an insurance company will look at if a major claim is made. A nanny seeking work using the Childcare.co.uk system with paid Gold Membership gets nanny insurance included with their membership. BAPN (association for nannies) provides a discount on insurance from Morton Michel. There are also a couple of other insurance providers... costs vary.

Safeguarding - no specific course is required though they can do one... nanny pays. Information is usually online from the local authority in which you live (where nanny will be working).
Prevent training available online for free at: www.elearning.prevent.homeoffice.gov.uk/
Training from EduCare and Virtual College is available to ChildcareCoUk Gold Members.

The Ofsted DBS requirements for a nanny are that at the time of application they either have an enhanced, child workforce DBS that is on the Update Service, or a DBS completed through the Ofsted DBS Application website within the last three months at the time they apply (but if they do the DBS through that website it's best to sign up to the Update Service at least for the first year in case their Ofsted application is returned or anything, it will stop it from becoming invalid during the process).

It's important to keep in mind that the Ofsted applications have a target timescale of 12 weeks from the date that the application is processed, so the applicant will submit their CR1 form and then it will sit in a queue (estimate a couple of weeks for this, system issues!!) and then once the form is checked it could be returned but if all is okay it'll be processed and a URN issued. Ofsted then start the suitability checking process, which involves requesting social services checks from any local authorities the applicant lived in over the last 5 years. This can cause some issues as they depend on the local authority to respond and some LA's are notoriously slow. If the applicant lived outside the UK in the last 5 years then they need to get an overseas criminal records check, again which relies on outsode agencies and can take a while. If anything flags up on their application about the health then Ofsted might request a health declaration booklet is completed by their GP which usually incurs a cost and can take a while depending on the GP.

Once the suitability checking process is complete and the registration has been signed off, the information about the newly registered provider is sent to HMRC and the LA (this is usually done in an overnight data download), HMRC send a letter with a UTR (unique taxpayer reference) to the provider and they can then set up the relevant accounts.

So it can be a pretty lengthy process, and the Ofsted application can't be submitted until the applicant has the appropriate DBS check, if they apply without it their form will be returned and won't be accepted until they have a suitable DBS. The average time for a DBS application is 6 weeks too.

Thank you for all of the replies. It has been most helpful!

Well, as I was struggling to find an OFSTED registered nanny, I decided to cut the hours I was asking for in order to self-fund childcare, rather than relying on the Childcare Grant.

I've found a Nanny, who is a student going into her second year of a Child and Youth Studies degree. The 1:1 work with my son will count as her placement.

Follow up questions:

Do I need to use a payroll service specific to nanny's, or will any do? There is a big difference in price between nanny specific and generic payroll companies. I don't mind paying more if it means I am using the right type of service, but just wanted to check. I've been doing allll the research into registering as an employer etc.

Luckily, as we are both childcare.co.uk gold members, we both have Insurance covered. Can I ask that she maintain that membership, or would Nanny Insurance actually work out cheaper? Or could I include it in her pay, or will that become a taxable benefit in kind type thing? The amount my Nanny will be earning will keep her below the earning's limit for National Insurance and Income Tax deductions. She is below the auto-enrol age for workplace pensions and will be the duration of her contract, but I believe I have to be auto-enrol compliant, or something like that!

As there is the possibility that my Nanny may register with Ofsted in the future I wanted to ask, would a CACHE Early Years Educator Level 3 Diploma count as a suitable childcare qualification?

This is a term-time role as it is only for when I am at uni, and when our Nanny is required to do her placement. What do I do about holiday entitlement/pay etc? Or is this what the Nanny payroll can help me with??

What an absolute minefield. I am so grateful to all who have taken the time to respond. As someone who has never employed someone before, it's been a teeny bit daunting, so your insights are really helpful! :)

Generic payroll provider: who have you found that would do payroll for just one employee? I know that Zest Payroll would do that but they are used to doing payroll for nannies, they don't work out cheaper for an employee working for a year or more but can be cheaper if someone only worked for a few months.

Are you sure ChildcareCoUk provides you with Employers liability insurance? They might but it is not something I was aware of them providing a parent. Check the policy wording.

Not a problem if they don't though as Employers liability insurance is often part of your Home Contents insurance policy - check wording.