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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

Fuck a duck CM not registered

71 replies

in2minds · 28/07/2009 17:12

All hell has broke loose her.
Short story, I renew tax credits last week and give them the new providers details.
Today I get a phone call asking for old providers details, she is a fruit loop I sacked because her boyfriend hurt my child (child took 12 months to tell me, not a mark at the time, police not interested).
So I give them the ofstead number she gave me, she never registered
Where do I stand ? I'm guessing at best I have to pay back a massive amount of money ?

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edam · 28/07/2009 17:14

eek!

Surely tax credits have stuffed up - you must have given them her details right back when you started the claim? So it's their error? Hope in that case they will look kindly on you - they led you to believe you could claim the money and actually paid it...

LynetteScavo · 28/07/2009 17:15

Didnt' you ask to see her registration details?

She should have had them on display.

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 17:16

They say not and didn't have the actual registered nursery's details either which is a worry because I am 110% sure I gave those.

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Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 17:17

Yes I wrote them down, as she gave them to me, apparently they are not an ofstead number.

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LynetteScavo · 28/07/2009 17:34

Double check with Ofsted -they will be able to verify it for you.

LynetteScavo · 28/07/2009 17:36

If you put her number (or what ever number you have) into the Ofted website , it will bring up her inpection report. But it won't tell her your name, - I think.

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 17:39

I've done that, she's not registered and they are claiming I haven't provided them with the last 2 childcarers which is fine because the call centre tapes will prove I definitely did with at least one of them. The worry I guess is, did I forget to give her the number she gave me, well maybe and she most definitely is not registered and I was paying her £300 a week up until last week.

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danthe4th · 28/07/2009 17:40

I presume you paid by cheque and got receipts so all payments can be traced,if that is the case I would think she can be prosecuted for fraud. Get all the proof you can and speak to tax credits again.Also contact ofsted and give them her details they will also want to speak to her.
If you paid with cash, I think you may have trouble proving anything.

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 17:43

I paid by bank transfer for at least some of it so have that as proof, I also have a diary in her writing of the days events and photo's of her and the children.

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danthe4th · 28/07/2009 17:46

£300 ouch!!! and presuming you claimed 70% thats a lot to pay back. Worth giving her details to revenue and customs as well as she may well not be declaring her income if she's not registered. Tax credits announced last week that they will be checking up to twice a year with all childcare providers that all claims are genuine and the children are still being cared for, about time!!

danthe4th · 28/07/2009 17:49

I wonder why she's doing the diary etc and not registering, have you asked her? I would be very annoyed if she had lied.

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 17:49

It is a lot but if I have to pay if back pressumably I can a) get her done for not declaring her income and b) have her done for claiming to be registered when she isn't ?
This may well be the revenge best served cold that I dreamed of as the police wouldn't do anything about her boyfriend kicking my baby

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nannynick · 28/07/2009 18:29

Is it possible that you wrote down the registration number wrong? If so, if you enter the persons full postcode in the [[http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/list Ofsted website (search by postcode section), it will return a list of registered providers which is ordered by distance from that postcode, thus the top entry or one of the top few entries will be that provider.
Provider registration numbers are 6 digits long and may be preceded by EY, VC or nothing at all. Thus 123456 EY123456 VC123456 are all valid as numbers (though no providers are registered with those particular numbers).

nannynick · 28/07/2009 18:30

Ofsted website (search by postcode section)

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 18:45

It's a VC number she gave me, I guess it is entirely possible the number is wrong, but that combined with the HMRC phoning ofsted and them having no record of her makes me wonder. Plus the VC number is on an ofsted headed paper letter so my guess is that she was registered but it ran out for the period that I used her for.

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nannynick · 28/07/2009 19:01

VC's are new - been around since early 2007 I think. They are for those providers who care for children in the Child's Own Home, or who only care for children aged 8+ - that is my understanding of it. It is those who are on the Voluntary part of the Childcare Register. Does that fit with the role they had when caring for your child?

It does need to be renewed annually, so you may be right that they were registered but it has lapsed at some point.

What a pain... no idea if they can claim back all the money.

FabBakerGirlIsBack · 28/07/2009 19:31

Are you sure you meant to put a there?

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 19:34

More a at the prospect that some sort of action may be taken against her to stop the fruit loop being left alone with children again, than delight that my child was hurt, thought that would be obvious.

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AvadaKedavra · 28/07/2009 19:49

am confused...

This old "CM" was more than 12 months ago? And Chldcare element had been paid for that time and you'd completed the forms with the number given you and it had all gone through?

Just clarifying, as if that is what I am reading then I can't see how the TC would have any comeback as they are the ones who are supposed to be entering the number into some kind of database one would assume and verifying it?

It could possibly be that she has stopped minding/been stopped minding and that's why now it's showing as invalid?

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 19:53

Well yes you would assume as did i that if there was a problem they'd have flagged it before now, not paid it for 12 months.
I'm really not sure whether i should be worried or not ?

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AvadaKedavra · 28/07/2009 19:54

If that's the case then OP and they do press you for paying it back, I think you have a very good case for appeal.

HappyMummyOfOne · 28/07/2009 20:23

Tax credits do random checks, they dont verify the minder is registered when you supply the initial details. Its upto the person claiming to ensure the person is Ofsted registered. The tax credits site does state its your responsibility to ensure your childcare provider is Ofsted registered.

Most likely a random check was made and the query arose.

If you have paperwork from her showing Ofsted and the reg number you can argue you had no idea she was being fraudulent.

When you used her services did you have any references or view her latest inspection online etc?

nannynick · 28/07/2009 20:42

in2minds - can I ask how old your children are? I'm a little confused as to why the childminder would have a VC registration. Did you take your children to the childminders home, or did the childminder work at your home?

Original poster
in2minds · 28/07/2009 20:49

Nope we took them to her home, she was a friend of a friend so we took verbal references which I now realize were bull shit.
Our children were all under 8 years old.

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nannynick · 28/07/2009 21:12

In that case, I suspect she wasn't registered at all - as the VC registration is for providers who do not have to register on the compulsory part of The Childcare Register. See Childcare Register: Voluntary Part
In my view, VC would be for a Nanny typically, not a Childminder.

Not sure how that helps you alas.