Has anyone registered a relative e.g. grandparent as a childminder?

[Notintheknow]

I'm going back to work on a freelance basis. My mother has offered to look after DD two days a week but will have to give up her current (part-time) job to do this. Obviously I want to pay her so that she does not lose out but in order to pay with childcare vouchers (which my husband is eligible for through work) I think she needs to be registered as a childminder - is this correct? Is there a way round it?

If not, does anyone know a) how much it costs? b) how long it takes? c) if there is an upper age limit on becoming a childminder?

Any help gratefully received. Have found some quite conflicting info so far on the websites I've looked at.

Thanks folks

Complicated

Under the new rules I think that your mum would have to care fr other children in order to register - ie that she couldn't register to just look after her grandchildren

She doesn't need to register for you to pay her only to use vouchers

It doesn't cost a lotm - medical fee, small registration fee & often there is a grant
3-9 months to register usually 4-6months
Age - Not as far as I am aware

Conflict coud be because all the rules changed on 1st September & it takes a while to filter through

Not sure if rules have changed since 1/9 but I think that you can look after your grandchildren as long as you are actively seeking other work too (ie up to date on cis list etc). I know of a childminder who was 'looking' for work but couldn't find anything suitable other than her grandchild

Probably worth trying to find out from Ofsted what the rules are.

See page 10 of IR115 for details about Care Provided by a Relative.

This criteria must be met:

1. Care is provided at the relatives home
2. The relative is registered (in England, that means registered as a Childminder with Oftsed)
3. The relative must provide care for other children in addition to their grandchild.

IR115 is dated Oct 2007, so it may be out of date, but if it is then HMRC have not updated their website, which in my view would be unusual - they do tend to update regularly.

In answer to your questions:
a) what do you mean? Just the registration cost, or total cost per year of being a childminder? Registration is £25 at present for a childminder on the Early Years Register - see Ofsted Childcare Registration Fees

b) Registration can take 3 to 6 months
c) No upper age limit

How old is your DD?

Nick - isn't there something in EYFS about grandparnets having to care for other children

No, I can't locate anything within EYFS that states that KatyMac. It does mention that registration is not required when care is provided only for a relative.

As this is to do with Childcare Vouchers, I feel we need to look at Tax rules, not Ofsted rules. Ultimately I feel it comes to the matter of if the voucher can be used, or not, to pay a relative.

HMRC: Help Childcare Costs mentions that Tax Credits can be used to pay a relative, subject to that relative providing the care at their home (not the child's home) and they are a registered childminder.

Does that also apply for Childcare Vouchers? That's the question isn't it?

I fond this
"Grandparents
From September 2008, Ofsted can deregister
childminders who have not looked after children
for three or more years. Grandparents are not
seen to be acting in a childminding capacity
when caring for their grandchildren and so, if they
have only been caring for their grandchildren,
Ofsted may decide to deregister them.
Ofsted has confi rmed that is does not intend to deregister all childminders who
are also grandparents: ?Providing grandparents are caring for children other than
those to whom they are related, Ofsted will take no steps to cancel registration
providing they remain qualifi ed for registration by meeting the National Standards
(or in future the Early Years Foundation Stage)?.
For more information on voluntary registration, call Ofsted on 0845 640 4040."

So Ofsted now have in place a way of deregistering those people who purely register to care for their grandchildren. Ofsted are not revealing the criteria they are using to determine such cases... but I suspect that it will be down to what is on the signing-in sheets and other paperwork documents that the inspector would see when doing an inspection.

Notintheknow - it therefore looks that it would not be wise for your mother to register, if she only intends to care for your DD. While it may be permitted for a while, once Ofsted work out what is going on, they will seek to deregister.

Have you used the calculators such as that at Accor Childcare Vouchers/Opp Links to determine what savings will actually be made using vouchers? The saving may be around £17-£18 per week. Is it worth while for your mother to go to the hassle of becoming a registered childminder, for you to save £17-18 per week?

£17-18 per week, was based on using salary of £26,000 and £2900 per year salary sacrifice, with your DH working 40 hours per week and aged 35 years old. Obviously those figures are likely to be inaccurate. So do use the calculator to find out the savings you would actually make, based on your family circumstances. For example, if salary was £50,000 savings go up to £22-£23 per week.

Sorry our PC has been on the blink hence the v long delay. Thanks so much for giving so much thought to this. Have also been doing my own research in the meantime and as you say, nannynick, it looks as if the savings really aren't going to be worth it in the long run. Actually I can completely see the logic of the Ofsted regulation - thinking about it I suppose the grandparent/childcare loophole could be massively abused. Anyway you've really been helpful - thank you

PS Nannynick, answers to your qus not relevant now but anyway a) DD is 9 months old b) the cost I was looking for was for the training course, first aid course, registration fee etc but as I think we're going to skip the whole childminder paraphenalia I no longer need to know!

Hi..your mum CAN look after your child as a childminder in HER home, BUT she does have to make herself available to other parents/children as well and must be seen to activly seek others and not just your LO.

Im sure there ARE ways to get around it, but wouldnt know them..alt if she looked after LO in HER home, she would be classed as nanny, but unsure how to go about cliaming tax credits for it with her being relative as well?

sorry last sentence should have said in YOUR home

hi.... i was told that apparently you cant recieve childcare vouchers if its relatives looking after your children even if they get registered. i dont know how true this is though