Live in MQ thinking of becoming a childminder

[Gems83]

I live in MQ and am thinking of becoming a childminder now that DS1 has started school. Have posted in the childminder, nanny, au pair section and someone suggested i posted here to get some more advice and information!! Any help is gratefully receieved as have no idea where to start!!

I think you need to check first with DHE that you are allowed to run a business a) at all and b) involving children from a married quarter, as I assume there are insurance issues, and they as ultimate landlords could possibly have some liability?

Right I found this - this is specifically about 4th Armoured Brigade in Osnabrck, but I imagine most patches might have similar requirements:

"Self-Employment

Permission must be obtained from the Commanding Officer for a dependant to run a business from home. You should consult BA(G) Standing Order 5206. You must register your business with the British Frontier Service (BFS) using the form in BA(G) Standing Orders and obtain a registration number. The Unit Families Officer may be able to advise you on the setting up of a business from home."

Thanks for that!! I knew i had to get permission from someone. Think i will pop into the hive and see if they have any info on it!!

I'm a childminder working on quarters

you have to first seek permission from the station commander (I'm raf! and don't undersatnd above lol) and from the mod housing bods. They have never to my knowledge said no! all they say is you are registered and have all the relveant insurance.

when ofsted come out for a pre-reg they will take all your stuff (you'll get it all on your pre-reg meeting) and hubby will also have to undergo a saffa check (as well as crbs you both have) to prove he has not been a naughty boy in the force either! or if like me I never had a saffa check not sure why, but hey, they didn't ask lol!

anything else ask away I love my job and can talk about it alllllllll day also see childminding bible

sorry doh!! not mod (not talking to them)

dhe

No insurance issues so long as you have business public liability insurance. Since you have to have the certificate displayed as an OFSTED requirement there is no issue.

thats right tori!! but they state it on the letter lol, I don't think they understand just what childminders do!!

Thanks for that i am RAF as well and was unsure of what the above response meant!!

I will definately be in touch again if i have any probs!!!

BTW how many children do you look after and what ages are you own children?

Knew there was a RAF CM, Berry thought it was you

no more than 3 under 5 and 3 between 5 and 8yrs including your own children. Of the under 3's only 1 can be under 1. All that unless you apply to OFSTED for a variation such as placing siblings together (twins etc)

Thats the maximum BTW. It is calculated on available floor space for play, so many feet per child If you have a 3 bed quarter you will probably be allowed the maximum. Also depends on childcare experience.

Tori are you just bringing DD2 swimming tomorrow, or J as well?

Not got J now. Just dd2.

hasn't it just changed from 6-8 and under 6's for the new regs? in line with new early years thingy? so anything that said 5 before iis now 6? i know our cm is all of a confusion...

romy, when the new eyfs was coming it did have an effect on the ratios, but it has all been changed (thanks goodness, there would of been no childminders for 4/5 yr olds lol)

so you can have 3 children under 5, unless they attend 10 sessions of school, ie: morning and afternoon school =full days lol when they are 4!

And you can have 3 children 5-8, and as many overs 8's as long as you canprove how you cope with them all.

I have a dd 4 and ds 6. I am allowed 3 under 5's and 1 over 5

I have an 18month old, 2 yr 9 month old, and 6 and 8 yr old! so in effect I have 1 space left BUT i am in this job because I enjoy it, not because I want to have loads of children or money (tbh, it does pay well, but it's very hard work! and I spend to much on rescources hehe) so I am not filling thats space.

my dd 4 counts now as an over 5 as she started school in Sept (when she only turned 4 end Aug!) which is another reason why I'm not filling the space, she is still very young herself.

hth

i'll stick with ringing up and saying 'have you got a space?' lol...

i have thought about doing this loads of times but never got round to actually filling out the forms.

there is something about if you move house you have to register all over again, i am sure saltire had problems with it when she moved from scotland to england (?)

I made the call to chidrens information services and they are sending out the pack today with all the info in that i need to carry on and become a childminder so hopefully when i have read and signed up for the briefing day and relevent courses it will be full steam ahead. thanks for all your advice i will definately keep you posted on my progress.

kerryk - yes!! it's a pita haha

I first reg in scotland then moved to england and had to wait 6 months! But when you move around same country very easy to change address (and permission ect ect) but when I go back scotland (ermmm if lol) they can open my care commission file again (so they say) as I didn't unregister with them