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Original poster

Babysitting circles illegal?

61 replies

Seriya · 27/09/2009 20:29

I can't believe this piece of news hasn't been posted here yet.

Apparently Ofsted reckons that anyone who babysits someone else's children for more than two hours, or more than 14 times a year, in exchange for a "reward" - which could be money, or could be babysitting in return - is breaking the law unless they have been registered as a childminder.

So if I understand that right, I'm breaking the law every time I leave my dd in charge of a babysitter (because it's always for more than 2 hours). Equally that would mean anyone who is involved in a baysitting circle would be potentially breaking the law, or anyone else who leaves their kids with, say, a friend, more than once a month.

Is it just me or is that nannystate gone mad?

OP posts:
Ivykaty44 · 27/09/2009 21:56

This country is run on rules - as it keeps people in a job, where would the ofsted be if it wern't for rules and the tax man cant claim a % of a "reward"

Just babysit for friends and change houses every hour or so.

alwayslookingforanswers · 27/09/2009 22:00

Ivy - that's the point - babysitting for your friend as a gesture of thanks (reward) is illegal.

How can I expect my friend to come here to my house with her 1yr old, to look after my 2yr old all day (I know she's mad having the two of them together ), when she doesn't know the house, and our DC do actually play reasonably well together so she'd still be able to get a few bits done at home, not to mention why should her DD be disrupted (strange house all day) so she can help me out??

It's madness. Yes rules are important, but when they start impacting negatively on a large number of people's private lifes their not good. Especially when you'll probably find that 95% of the people affected have done nothing wrong except being nice.

Hulababy · 27/09/2009 22:01

ilovegreenbeans - maybe neighbours was a childminder who knew the rules?

Habbibu · 27/09/2009 22:02

From Avadra's link:

If you provide no more than two activities from the following list.
 School study support or homework support
 Sport
 Performing arts
 Arts and crafts
 Religious, cultural or language study
This only applies if you care for children who are aged three and over, and you do not care for children aged under five for more than four hours in any one day. Any care provided is incidental (not the main focus of) to the provision.

I guess you could just make them paint and sing non-stop...

Habbibu · 27/09/2009 22:04

Wrong thread - same topic - sorry!

whomovedmychocolate · 27/09/2009 22:06

Just how difficult is it to register as a childminder (not picking a fight - genuinely interested?) Is it more than knowing basic first aid, having an enhanced CRB check etc.?
I mean do you have to do the early years stuff- are you meant to teach the little buggers anything (other than how to use the WII obviously )?

Habbibu · 27/09/2009 22:08

See my post above, wmmc - if you talk to them non-stop in Spanish you don't have to register. Or something.

Reallytired · 27/09/2009 22:12

Can these two policewomen babysit the kids in each other's homes. Ie. being unpaid nannies.

Its nanny state gone mad.

whomovedmychocolate · 27/09/2009 22:14

Aha! Habbibu - so if I retune my WII to speak Italian and put WII fit on in that language, it's cool right?

Habbibu · 27/09/2009 22:16

Possibly

PortAndLemon · 27/09/2009 22:18

Yes, you need quite a lot of crap stuff to register as a childminder these days. A lot of really good experienced childminders have stopped doing it over the last few years because of the increased bureaucracy.

If it were just a case of a first aid certificate and an enhanced CRB check then these rules wouldn't be quite so barking.

Katz · 27/09/2009 22:19

Lots of tit for tat childcare goes on, loads of the mums at school would end up not working if it didn't. The after school club is over subscribed and there are not many child minders with before and afterschool places.

I think it's crazy that if I took my dd and her friend back to the friends house then it would be above board and legal but in bringing her here it's not. Madness

whomovedmychocolate · 27/09/2009 22:24

What about things like Brownies? I mean technically they are 'looking after' your kids aren't they? Surely we should more suspicious of women who knowingly dance around toadstools than parents holding the fort till another mum gets back from work?

Habbibu · 27/09/2009 22:26

It's a cultural toadstool, wmmc. That's the exemption. I saw a guide today with a badge saying "chocolate" on her arm. what do you suppose she had to do for that?

whomovedmychocolate · 27/09/2009 22:28

She has to serve in my army of munchkins in silly outfits of course

Cultural toadstools, that's the problem with this country - soft on drugs, soft on the causes of drugs (ie the brownies).

DontCallMeBaby · 27/09/2009 22:30

Disclaimer - I do think Ofsted are utterly wrong here, and should be thoroughly ashamed. But - is it that hard to register as a childminder if you only take school age kids and don't have to do all the EYFS bolleaux? Colleague is doing it shortly as a fallback, and was suggesting my recently jobless neighbour do it so she could charge the likes of me if the fancy took her. She didn't seem to think it was a major overhead.

That's IF you want to go down that route - I'm currently feeling my way into a 'hey, look, our kids get on really well, if we alternate weeks picking them both up one day a week we can each get a little extra work in' situation, and there is no way it would be proportional for me or other mum to register as childminders.

whomovedmychocolate · 27/09/2009 22:31

I'm finding all this vetting and barring nonsense quite entertaining. I was reading a very funny letter to the Indie the other day from a guy who was regularly giving a lift home to a teenager he didn't really know from football. He reckoned he was no longer allowed to do so without getting registered, yet he was still allowed to join him in the showers after the match!

And I'm having to print out a master form for the applications for preschool committee for everyone to photocopy and just add their names to my answers because no bugger understands how to fill in the form and can't find it on Ofsted's website anyway.

Quattrocento · 27/09/2009 22:33

What about grandparents or aunts/uncles who frequently care for children? Without family members, many women would be simply unable to work.

DontCallMeBaby · 27/09/2009 22:35

Things like Brownies is jsut CRB isn't it ... though apparenlty there is something a bit odd about Rainbows taking them 'too young' for leaders to be allowed to be in loco parentis, which is why Beavers start at 6 not 5.

Hideously garbled paraphrase of something DH's scout leader colleague told him. DD starting Rainbows tomorrow, by the by ...

llareggub · 27/09/2009 22:39

Quattro, close family members are exempt.

whomovedmychocolate · 27/09/2009 22:39

23 pages btw - that's how long the form is each and every committee member has to fill out -- that's not to be anywhere near the kids btw, that's just to sit on the committee that discusses whether we should for example, be fundraising to keep the place open.

llareggub · 27/09/2009 22:41

wmmc, is this a new thing? I am a new committee member and haven't been asked to fill out anything. Having said that, we are pretty desperate for committee members so maybe they are saving the 23 pages until it is too late for me to back out?

PortAndLemon · 27/09/2009 22:44

I'll tell you what -- just for fun, go on the Childminders topic here and tell them that it's not a major overhead .

It's worse for pre-KS1 children, certainly, but there's still a lot to be done for older children.

whomovedmychocolate · 27/09/2009 22:46

Yup brand new this September. Very irritating it is too. Apparently you don't have to have them yet but will eventually but we are getting ahead in case anyone has to fill in for missing staff or whatever. I've always had various clearances anyway so it's a bit of a PITA to have to go get another one for something so non-risky.

If you do get asked for them llareggub - get the entire committee to apply en masse - then I'm told Ofsted will pay for the checks.

hatwoman · 27/09/2009 22:50

I think there would be a complete (wholly justified) outcry if these 2 were prosecuted. the govt harping on about getting people back to work one minute and clamping down on the emminently sensible, affordable concept of friends swapping childcare, the next? it's political suicide and I'm sure even Gordon - poor though he can be at getting inside the public mind - would realise.