Paying a Nanny in Scotland with Childcare Vouchers

[mammymac]

We are going to be employing a nanny soon and I will be getting childcare vouchers through my work.
The problem is that the voucher agencies will only pay a registered nanny. But in Scotland, nannies are not directly registered with the Care Commision. Instead, the nanny registers with a nanny agency and the nanny agency is registered with the Care Commision. Therefore, the voucher companies will only pay the nanny agency. We have found our nanny outside an agency (although she has previously been registered with them). The agency will accept vouchers and pass on the cash to us but we have to pay a registration fee and a monthly charge for this service.
Has anyone found a way round this problem? It seems ridiculous that we need to get an agency involved just to use our childcare vouchers.
(I understand in England, the nanny would be registered direct and therefore could be paid the vouchers direct).

I found myself in your position about 6 months ago, I'm a nanny (in Fife) and started with a new family. I was registered with an agency but didn't get the position through them either.

I called the agency I was with and they told me for a one off fee they would then supply my employer with a registration number to use. No monthly fee but then I guess agencies can charge what they like.

I called another few agencies to see how varied the one off fee was. I found out most are willing to put a nanny on their books for the purpose of getting a reg number for employer to use. Obviously the nanny has to go through the usual interview process with the agency and do another disclosure.

It's an option. Either way it does have to be done through an agency, although the 3 that I spoke to never mentioned a monthly fee.

I've a feeling the agency we have dealt with so far are taking the mick a bit. A lot of other parents I've spoken to have felt they are very expensive and difficult to deal with. Would you be able to let me know which agencies you talked to? We're in Aberdeen but it probably doesn't actually need to be a local agency.

Sorry for butting in, but I'm also in Scotland and planning on using a nanny in the future (once I return to work from maternity leave). I'd given up on the idea of using childcare vouchers as don't plan on using an agency. If you don't mind me asking, could you give a ballpark figure of the amount the agency (or agencies) charge?

We're being quoted a fee of £13 per transaction ie £26 per month if both parents collect vouchers plus an annual registration of £35. Although judging from yanny's post we ought to be able to do it cheaper.
It is still worth doing the vouchers but it's rubbish that we have to pay these fees just because the structures in Scotland are different.

That does seem unfair. My mum is a CM and is regisered with the Care Commission and our vouchers get paid to her.....if CMs can register with the CC why cant nannies??

It just seems to be the way they've set it up in Scotland. From what I can gather, the Care Commission is responsible for registration of and inspecting childminders and nurseries but not nannies. The voucher companies require you to provide details of a registered childcare provider - in Scotland, that means a nursery, CM or nanny agency. The nanny agencies must love this rule - money for absolutely nothing!
It looks like I might be trying to find the cheapest way of doing it rather than being able to get round this anomoly.
Any other thoughts?

Ballpark figure is around £200. Tinies Supermums A&H Childcare are a few agencies round this way.

However if you are in Aberdeen, I wouldn't think it very practical for your nanny to have an interview with an agency in Edinburgh/Perth. Maybe best to contact thoses agencies nearest to you and ask them. Your agency do sound a bit unreasonable tbh. It really is money for nothing It doesn't seem fair that nannies here cannot be registered in their own right..

The agency I'm with said once payment had been made a tax letter would be sent out to employer, assume it will have the reg number to claim for vouchers, my boss decided not to go ahead in the end

That's a lot less than the one agency I saw - I just found one that would charge £500. My thoughts were - what if we paid that, and then the nanny left after only a few weeks/months? That could really sting. I'll have another think about vouchers....

I am a parent who now lives in Aberdeen and had to register my Nanny with an Agency (Tinies).

I thought that it was a much better system just paying a one off fee of £200 to get everything that I need for registration + some agency extras which were a real benefit (e.g. I used their legal helpline on a few occasions before and during my Nanny's employment). When I lived in London, I had to reimburse my Nanny to register with Ofsted (which is the done thing apparently) and it cost me a small fortune - well over £500!

I think that Scotland have it right - they are checked by the Agency and as the Care Inspectorate/Voucher Company/HMRC are also doing their checks on the Nanny files that are held with the agency. I was very happy with the service that I was given and felt that it was a much cheaper way of going about things :)