Ofsted registration process for nannies

[Yanka]

We went through the pains of registering our nanny last year with Surestart. Now her registration is about to expire, I was hoping that re-newing the registration would be easier - but we have to start from scratch again, this time under Ofsted (and it is considerably more expensive at £145!!!)

I just wondered if anyone has experience with this new process - is at as painful and long as the SureStart one? Last time it took them over 3 months to get the certificate...

What other ways will government find to charge working parents???

[rant over, off to fill in the b**y forms]

Process is about the same I'm afraid. Only change is that the forms are now taken to your local Post Office for verification (all post office staff are supposed to have been trained to handle Veri-Fy forms, but my local postoffice didn't have a clue. Got there in the end though - get them to scan the barcode on the form, and the computer then gives some prompts.

£145 seems wrong... Ofsted website (checked today) gives price as being £100.

Since the SureStart scheme, there is a change in the requirements - your nanny needs public liability insurance. This can be obtained through Morton Michel, NCMA or PANN. Don't know of any other providers.

Thanks Nannynick - something else to be prepared for...

£100 is for the registration itself but there is apparently further £44 for the CRB check.

Our current nanny is leaving us in June - I am seriously considering whether we should just give up now and stash the childcare vouchers under our pillows, using them next year for nursery fees

The CRB check was included as part of the registration when I did it back in September. I doubt it has changed, the Ofsted Website says CRB fee is for Other Childcare, not for Childminders and Home Childcarers (nannies).

And they wonder why people hire au pairs and expect them to do nanny's job.

BTW, what is the current maximum you can get from your company in childcare vouchers. I think it was £55 per week last time I checked. Is this still the case?

If you want your au pair approved they have to go through the same rigmarole...and nannies don't have to be approved yet, much as I would love that to be the case.

Nannynick - you are a well of useful knowledge - thanks for all your advice!

Eleusis, DH and I currently get £243 per month - so yes, about £55 pw.

DD at 2.7 still too young for an au-pair but I am getting SOOO fed up with being made jump through the hoops all the time and charged for all these additional extras.

FAO nannynick and other interested parties:

Nannytax have launched an insurance branch, nanny insure.

So there are now 4 providers to choose from

Anyone have experience of the PLI? My friend gets hers included with her payroll arrangement or something. Who does a good deal and so on? I'm registering, the form seems quite easy but it's only the first one.

I'll have to prove my qualification, identity (oh yes... need to renew my passport as well, bother!) First Aid and my insurance... this should all be pretty easy when I have all the certificates to hand, surely?
I expect the hold ups are on the CRB end as they can take FOREVER. My college one took a good couple of months.

PLI? Public Liability Insurance?
Morton Michel seem to be lowest cost £60. NannyInsure is £70, though could not find that much info on their site regarding what the policy covered.
Never had any claims made, so no idea how good insurance actually is. I expect it's similar to car insurance, you don't know if it's any good until a claim actually gets made!

My CRB checks I find typically take 2 to 3 weeks. It helps greatly that I've been at the same address for past 7 years.

my CRB took four years! put miss on form, then ms somewhere else, nursery assumed I'd received it, I thought they had it, none of other jobs checked! finally got it jan 06, after qualifying in 2003 aqnd working with kids since starting course!

My cousin says Morton Michel are lovely and helpful, she had to claim on their personal accident cover (when her employers found that their house insurance didn't cover her ).

A quick scan through says they look about the most comprehensive, and have optional extras. And they were cheap. That's who I'm with anyway!