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Original poster

When does looking after a friend's child become childminding?

61 replies

Hulababy · 09/01/2008 13:34

Just curious after something I have read really.

Can people really not just look after a friend's child for them for the day every so often? What about if it was, say, once a week for an afternoon perhaps? Does the age of the child make a difference?

OP posts:
Iota · 09/01/2008 14:06

gosh I know loads of grandparents who have their grandchildren round regularly to give the parents a break or whilst the parents are working.I would never have thought it needs to be registered.

dustystar · 09/01/2008 14:07

Well i may be wrong. It might just have been our borough's policy at the time for grandparents to need registration. I trained a few years ago and OFSTED have taken over since then so they may exempy GPs.

Original poster
Hulababy · 09/01/2008 14:07

Another question(s):

How long does registeration takes?
I assume anyone registered, even if only for adhoc, would need to go through OFSTED?
How much does it all cost?
Do the Government benefit out of all these registrations - i.e. does the money go to them?

There must be thousands of parents out there "guilty" of illegal childminding!!!

OP posts:
JingleyJen · 09/01/2008 14:09

So now I am confused - I look after friends child every Tuesday afternoon from 3-6pm so she can take the older children swimming, every now and then DS1 goes to hers so I can go out.
Is that childminding or 2 friends playing together after school?

We are about to set up with a different parent an arrangement where she takes the kids from school on a Thursday and feeds them and I have them Mondays.. How does that fit?

Sorry if I am being thick..

dustystar · 09/01/2008 14:13

When i did mine I had to attend a six week course which was 2 hours one eve for 6 weeks. Then we had to pay for a letter from the GP to say we were fit to be CM.Also we needed to be CRB checked. It used to be that everyone over 16 resident in the house had to have both the Doc's letter and CRB check but that may have changed.

Then we had a preregistration inspection to ensure your house etc met the required standards. If it did you would get your certificate within a couple of weeks. If not you needed to make the improvements requested and have another inspection to ensure these had been done before you could start. All in all i think it took about 3 months for me from start to finish but i can't really remember. We got a grant to cover the cost of Gps letters and CRB checks plus we could claim for some of the improvements made.

Original poster
Hulababy · 09/01/2008 14:18

So basically to be fully legal loads of parents should really be paying out to become registered, and have to put up with inspections, etc regularly just so they can help a friend out more than 6 times a year?

OP posts:
dustystar · 09/01/2008 14:20

TBH I'm not sure hulababy. I didn't know about the 6 days a year thing. I doubt they would insist on it.

NotQuiteCockney · 09/01/2008 14:22

Good god, I hadn't realised the rules were so strict. I'm sure nearly everyone breaks these rules, really.

I have a 6-year-old over every couple of weeks, I guess, for anything from 3 hours to a full day, and a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old over for a couple of hours, every couple of weeks. No payment, ever, just a loose quid pro quo sort of thing. (no tokens, no appearance of payment, nothing like that at all)

hana · 09/01/2008 14:22

it's a nanny state gone mad
I have arrangements similar with mums and their children - don't ever give it a second thought.

Iota · 09/01/2008 14:28

There is such a massive difference between the responsibility of looking after a baby or pre-schooler all day and having a school age child round to play for a few hours.

I fully understand and support the need for childminders of young children to be regulated, but to me it is daft to think that parents having regular play-dates should be subject to the same level of control.

I guess it's difficult to know where to draw the line.

NotQuiteCockney · 09/01/2008 14:30

The 2-year-old I have over ... oh, wait, she's 3 actually ... I know her from the co-op, so am used to being in charge of her. I certainly wouldn't have a random 3-year-old over.

It really does depend on circumstances.

dustystar · 09/01/2008 14:35

I think maybe it does have to do with payment. i have just found this on the National Childminding association website

"Anyone who looks after other people's children in their own home for more than two hours at a time for payment or reward must, by law, be registered as a childminder. And anyone who looks after children from three or more families on any domestic premises for payment or reward must, by law, be registered as a childminder."

So I guess in the circumstances a lot of you are describing you could argue you are getting neither payment nor reward and are therefore not required to be registered.

KatyMac · 09/01/2008 14:40

OFSTED registration costs £14 a year (might be going up to £100 a year)

play dates are normally ignored

But if something were to go wrong while at another mums house it would be your responsibility which is why C/Mers are insured

If you left your child with someone and something were to go wrong it is possible (tho' extremely unlikely) social services might find you neglectful and prosecute under child protection laws (I think something like that was discussed when the child was killed by the dog while G'ma was looking after her?? I could be misremembering)

Technically if you knowingly left your child with an unregistered childminder it could be considered neglect (in extreme circumstances) due to the lack of insurance, first aid training and the fact that payment was made etc

Whereas leaving your child with a friend (as long as you knew they weren't an alcoholic or drug abuser) you wouldn't be expected to do anymore

Bit garbled but I know what I mean

Original poster
Hulababy · 09/01/2008 14:43

So does that mean if you are looking after a friend's child adhoc you'd be fine, but if a regular thing not fine?

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 09/01/2008 14:44

Well, isn't an exchange of childcare 'reward'?

I've never had a set 'I do this and you will do that' sort of deal with anyone, I just have understandings, we help each other out when we can, but there's no real accounting or anything. And, most of the time, if the kid wants to go home whenever, we send them back, iyswim.

KatyMac · 09/01/2008 14:45

Would it cause any problems if you cancelled at short notice?

I guess it's just a very grey area

I know that reciprocal arrangements are deemed to be C/Ming

NotQuiteCockney · 09/01/2008 14:47

Most of the time, cancelling at short notice is fine. Sometimes it's a bit more formal, depends on the circumstances. It's very very ad hoc.

It's never been a formal thing, though, never an 'I do Wednesday, you do Thursday' sort of thing.

JonesTheSteam · 09/01/2008 14:48

From what I understand relatives are exempt from having to become a registered childminder to look after grandchildren, nieces/nephews etc.

KatyMac · 09/01/2008 14:49

So I think in that case it's fine - but if cancelling caused a problem that's when it is C/Ming - I guess

as I say it's a very grey area

btw if a C/Mer has a friend to play, the friend is included in the C/mers registered numbers

KatyMac · 09/01/2008 14:50

& over 8 the rules are completely different

dustystar · 09/01/2008 14:51

Maybe relatives only need to be registered if they are going to be paid then.

Iota · 09/01/2008 14:52

Katymac, do you have info on over 8 rules -I have been googling but haven't found any details.

KatyMac · 09/01/2008 14:54

No - I can never find them either

See if you can get hold of NannyNick he can always find the legislation

NotQuiteCockney · 09/01/2008 14:56

Ah, well, I'll try not to have any accidents, and then it will be fine.

And now at least I know to be cagey about the details of the arrangement, if I do ever have an accident.

JonesTheSteam · 09/01/2008 14:58

Don't think that's the case either though dustystar.

Think you can pay relatives and it doesn't mean they have to register.

But if the child's parents want to have help towards childcare from tax credits then the person looking after their child has to register. And then they have to look after children other than relatives for the parents to be eligible for tax credits.

I think that's correct, but I'm sure someone will come along and tell me it's not.