Are we allowed to do this?

[pleaseletmesleep]

...or is this just a stupid idea-

I sadly am going to have to go back to work fairly soon (everyone is tightening their belts and it has hit dps business really hard). My MIL has offered to cut down her work hours and look after dd (6 months), which is great as I am a bit worried about leaving her at a creche/nursery. I was thinking of suggesting to MIL that she could give up her work and have dd every day (4-5 hours) while I am at work and we would pay her what we would have given to a nursery(this would make her very very happy by the way - wouldn't suggest it otherwise). However dp pointed out today that to get help with childcare costs - which will make a huge difference to our income just now - we would need to send her somewhere Ofsted registered.

So my question is - can MIL become a registered child minder in order to just have dd? Is it all just an almighty hassle and I should just forget it and send dd to nursery for 2- 3 days a week?

Any advice will be gratefully received, tried to find out abot the process from the Ofsted website but it is rubbish!

I'm quite sure if its in your own home youcan do what you like. However if you get any of the childcare vouchers (via work usually) these have to be apid to a registered CM.

Yes she can but it'll take a couple of months. Not sure who she'd need to contact first - we have the Childcare Standards Inspectorate Wales but unless you're in Wales that's no good! Have a look on the NCMA website.
She will need to go for an introductory briefing, then a ten-week course of two hours each week, in the evening, THEN a final briefing session (at least that's how it works here). She'll also need annual inspections to make sure her house is child-friendly (no rabid dogs or shark-infested ponds etc!)
My mum was already a childminder when I went back to work. She got to have her grandson and we were able to pay her as he was of course taking a place which otherwise another working parent would have been using. I think this is a fab idea and am always surprised that more people don't do it.
Of course the long-term success of this depends on you having a good relationship with your MIL, which I assume you have already, for you to be considering this.

You have to be registered if you are looking after a child for more than ten hours a week and BEING PAID for it. I think it's still ten hours, anyway.

A local lady I know registered to care for her granchild, therefor the parents could claim child tax credits.
Ofsted told her that she couldn't care for JUST her granchild, and that she had to look after at least one other child.

Seems strange, as this business can be very up and down and you can lose a mindie at a moments notice anyway. However, she decided against it as she didn't want to be an actual childminder.

Sally

have you through about the voluntary childcare register, if you contact ofsted they can tell you more. It cost £100 to register and that includes the crb.

my undertanding of CTC is that they will not help if a close family member is caring for your child whether as a CM or a Nanny.

Will you definately qulaify for help with your childcare costs through CTC as you have to be on a low income to receive a high percentage.

The rule is more than 2 hours per day, for reward, whatever that may be, if you are not related.

MIL will need to be registered for you to get the tax benefit. She'll have to go through exactly the same process as everyone else to register too, which could take a while.

Could you maybe give her slightly less each month, to cover the tax credit, you'd loose?

Could she not be a 'nanny' at your house? It would probably mean you couldn't use childcare vouchers or tax credits (not sure how this works with nannies so someone else could tell you better!) but means she wouldn't have to register as a cm.

What financial help with childcare, tax credits or childcare vouchers?
No, your MIL can't register to Just care for a relative.
Tax credits can't be used to pay a relative. Not sure about childcare vouchers.

Thanks for your replies ladies. We would definately be entitled to something - I suppose the sensible thing to do would be to find out how much it would be and if it was worth it. I will give Ofsted a call tomorrow and find out what the score is with this. I thought somehow it wouldn't be an option - it is far to perfect an arrangement to actually be possible

The first step I feel is to see what you may be entitled to receive financially. EntitledTo.co.uk

nothing to do with ofsted you need to ring tax credits

Cargirl is correct, it you are claiming help towards chidlcare costs its nothing to do with Ofsted. Below is the guidlines re tax credits and relatives

If your child is looked after by a relative

You can't usually claim tax credits for childcare provided by relatives even if they are registered or approved. A relative could be your child's:

• parent
• grandparent
• aunt or uncle
• brother or sister
• step-parent

The exception to this rule is when your child is cared for by a relative who is either:

• a registered or approved childminder caring for your child outside of the child's own home
• a childcare provider, approved under a Home Child Care Providers Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, caring for your child outside of the child's own home and they also care for at least one other child who is not related to them

The idea behind having at least one other child is so that people dont register purely in order to claim tax credits benefits. Your MIL will have to register as S/E etc.

Then carefully read WTC5 which will explain about Childcare Element of Working Tax Credit and the maximum weekly amount that is possible to claim. Also see bottom of page 6 of WTC5 for details about care by relatives. The nanny idea is out I'm afraid, as you won't be able to use Tax Credits to help pay for that.

The Childcare Act 2006, makes a change to the meaning of Childcare. Providing care for a relative, is not considered to be Childcare.
See Ofsted: Registration of childcare providers from September 2008.

you now can claim childcare help via CTC for nannies, they have to be registered but not a family member IYSIM.

I also found out you have to basically earning minimum wage to get any help with childcare, or you get £40 per week towards £150 nowhere near the 80% maximum.

Sorry, didn't make that very clear did I meant I would call CTC then Ofsted really should preview before posting (and stop assuming everyone has psychic powers )

Anyway, looks like it is a no go as MIL wouldn't want to have any other chidren, just dd. I thought somehow that would be the case, I suppose it needs to be done to stop people claiming when actually they are being given free childcare by relatives.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply
xx

If the childcare provider is approved under the Childcare Approval Scheme and provides care to a related child outside of the child?s own home, for example in other domestic premises, it is not qualifying childcare unless the childcare provider is also looking after non-related children.

So basically not unless she looks after another child not related to her aswell.

i think there is something wrong that you even need to ask questions like this. so much hassle for a grandmother who wants to look after her grandchild??

If it she was'nt a relative, I would'nt say this but 'Who is going to know?' ffs what sort of world do we live in where a close relative can't look after a child without red tape? Just do it!

I think the problem is the OP needs to use childcare vouchers to pay her childcare provider which they can't do for MIL unless she is registered.

fliping heck, why is life so complicated?