Babysitting circles illegal?

[Seriya]

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?

Thanks for the tip wmmc, I'll raise at the next committee and make myself very popular.

Ha, not my idea of fun P&L. I really don't need to be pissing off childminders if I want to do this nice illegal takes-a-village-to-raise-a-child reciprocal arrangement, do I?

She's not done it yet, so I'll stand corrected - I expect to be on the receiving end of a rant any day soon. Though you have to bear in mind we work in a sector that involves pretty intrusive vetting anyway, so her idea of not a big deal wouldn't be other people's.

Ugh, it's all utterly dire, isn't it?

So when Dh and I go out and leave a 15yr daughter of a friend to sit our kids does the 15 yr old have to be CRB checked ?
How does that work then!

I don't think under 18's have to be CRB checked - we don't check any of the work experience teenagers at the school I work at

OK, so how does this affect au pairs? Not Ofsted registered, and working for (admittedly small) reward, but in my own home, and before 6pm.

Are au pairs still legal?

not between 18h and whatever am

It's OK if it's in the child's own home, so au pairs should be OK.

The other thread about this, over in Chat

Babysitters, Au-Pairs (though technically they don't exist any more - was a visa category), live-in nanny/mothers help, live-out nanny, some stranger coming into your home... are all exempt from this legislation - as the legislation is about WHERE the childcare is provided. Currently the government does not dictate what happens in your own home.

If it's in your own home you are entitled to drag a random member of the public in off the street to look after your children. OK, so if you didn't get their permission first it'd be kidnapping, and if they turned out to be an axe murderer you might be liable for negligence, but there's no automatic offence committed.

you'd also be entitled to use a random stranger as long as they didn't accept any "reward".