How do you check out a nanny?

[nannyquestion5]

I've been looking for after school care and have found the loveliest woman through the local Facebook group. We went to her flat and spent time with her kids today and wow - they were like the long-lost family I'd always wanted. So warm and welcoming. DS was over the moon with the older girls fussing over him and was thrilled to spend a bit of time there. He's normally really shy, so this was a considerable surprise, but it was just lovely.

She's worked as a private nanny but isn't ofsted registered or anything.

What would you do next? I probably shouldn't hand over my PFB to a stranger from the internet, but this must be a thing that can be done? Any ideas or tips?

It would only be needed 2 days a week for 1.5 hours.

I’d want to see an up to date copy of her DBS / enhanced.

if not ofsted registered can she provide any references or previous people that she looked after? Presumably if not ofsted, she isn’t declaring the extra income and also won’t have any public liability insurance in case anything goes wrong or happens in her care?

A nanny that you are employing in your home to look after your child?

Or a registered childminder who looks after children in their own home and you pay them as a self employed person for that service?

It would be in her home as she has a 6 year old and lives very near school.

Thanks - those are good ideas.

Then she should be registered as a childminder.

Absolute nope from me.

No this is illegal.

A nanny works for your home, and is employed by you, not required to be Ofsted registered, though some are.

If your child will be at her home, she needs to be registered as a child minder, is self employed and must be registered with Ofsted and the council.

A child minder will be cheaper than a nanny.

If this person is looking after children in her own home and is not Ofsted registered, I wouldn't even consider them. She doesn't have any regard for the law, what other rules will she flout or disregard?

As others have said, that's unregistered childminding. If she were a good nanny before she would know this, and her insurance (if she has any) won't cover her which would be an outright no for me.

Seems OP didn't like those answers!

I am reading them and mulling them over! It's all so complicated.

But op says that it is for after school care, nannies can look after children in the nannies home for up to 2hrs a day I believe. Unless this has changed.
It is quite plausible that op only needs care for 2 hrs a day with it being after school.

Unless things have changed recently previous posters are wrong and 2 days a week at 1.5 hours a time is not illegal. It certainly used to be that 2 hours a day were permitted without the need for Ofsted registration.

Have just checked and previous posters are definitely wrong and should take note of this information from Pacey‘s website. The two hours a day rule still stands and as the OP needs 1.5 hours a time the lady she met doesn’t need to be registered.

Do all childcare providers need to be registered?

England

The majority do need to be registered. In England, a childcare provider must register if they look after children under 8 for more than two hours a day, although there are a few exceptions to this:

A childcare provider doesn’t have to register if they:

are related to the child
look after a friend’s child for free (or paid, but only for up to three hours per day)
only look after a child between 6pm and 2am (i.e. babysitting)
Provide home education or tutoring for children aged 3 and over in only one or two activities, such as maths and/or sports.
For more information about registration exemptions, read Ofsted’s Registration not required document.

In answer to your query OP, I would be requesting two or three references and would be checking them thoroughly. She may already hold a DBS check which may also reassure you further. I would also want her to hold an up to date paediatric first aid qualification.

@CatGrins

Seems OP didn't like those answers!

Those answers were wrong.

Written references from past employers/clients. Having done childcare for over 30 years, I have a folder full of references, certificates, and other various stuff relating to child protection, first aid, insurance.

Phone number of someone for whom they have recently provided childcare.

Regarding the 2 hour rule - are they caring for any other non-related children at any point? If not, then they could care for your child for 1.5 hours, at their home. However, if they had another child at a different time, then they are using up some of that 2 hour per day. They could easily cross the line, so you need to be confident that they will stick to the rules.

From her home she would be a cm and registered with ofsted

from yours a nanny

thi as 1.5hrs she wouldn’t have to registered as under 2hrs

would it ever be over this ?

and does she have any childcare exp bar her own kids ? I would want her to have a dbs and ideally first aid and pli as bare basics even for a short time

and obv check references