Babysitting/Child Minding - What is the difference (officially)

dora37

Hi,

Could anybody tell me what is the legal/official difference between babysitting and childminding?

Thanks

danio_2

Officially... Childminders have to be registered

sweetmoneysaver

Hi,

The way I understand it, is that babysitters don't need a childcare qualification but a childminder is registered and therefore will have gone through police checks and some form of training. It is always best to ask to for evidence of their credentials and the Ofsted registration that a childminder has. Also check out their references. Obviously babysitters won't have the registration but may have references.

dora37

Thanks for your reply danio.

I realise you need to be registered with the correct authorities to be a childminder, what I wanted to know is at what point does baby sitting become chidminding?

It is how many hours the child is looked after or how many children are looked after? Or indeed other criteria?

sweetmoneysaver

If someone is looking after children on a regular basis (say whilst a parent is at work) then I would call that childminding, especially if they have other children there. I don't think there are any laws if the agreement is set between the two parties as as babysitting. However, personally I would be worried if this was a regular arrangement. I would much prefer the person to be registered. Maybe the national childminding assoc. could help answer your question ...

http://www.ncma.org.uk/

NCMA's head office address is
NCMA
Royal Court
81 Tweedy Road
Bromley
Kent BR1 1TG

Tel 0845 880 0044

comping_cat

Im a registered childminder, i was police and health checked, had to pass a childminding exam, and sit a first aid course every 3 years. I also get visited by ofsted every 2 -3 years to have both myself, and my house checked to make sure we are suitable for continuing childminding. I have to show that i am not only looking after the children, but stimulating them and have a wide variety of toys and equipment for them.
Babysitters tend to look after children when they are asleep, do not need qualifications or checks, and judging from the boards, tend to charge more than childminders!!!!! Quite often i see people posting that they are paying babysitters £5 an hour (i charge £2.50 ph)!!!!

comping_cat

Also, if you claim help with your childcare costs, you cannot claim against babysitting, you have to use a registered childminder and supply the benefits office with that childminders registration number.

troll35

I'm also a childminder and I was told (a few years ago) that a person needs to become registered for childminding if they look after children for more than 2 hours per day on a regular basis and accept payment for that service.

Any new parents to my home are shown my CV, references, public liability insurance, business use car insurance, first aid certificate and my many other training certificates.

stardoman

troll35 wrote:

I'm also a childminder and I was told (a few years ago) that a person needs to become registered for childminding if they look after children for more than 2 hours per day on a regular basis and accept payment for that service.

Any new parents to my home are shown my CV, references, public liability insurance, business use car insurance, first aid certificate and my many other training certificates.

This is correct and the payment does not have to be monetary, payment in kind such as buying food or swapping childcare is also counted as payment. And I believe regular would be once a week.

The other difference, is where they care takes place in the parent's home the childcarer does not have to be registered.

Mandy.

Rachie_B

also childminding is in the childcarers home not your own isnt it? or that becomes nannying ????

november

Childminder - 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. Generally self-employed.

Nannies - generally work in the child's home and are employed by the child's parent(s).

Babysitters - Babysitters generally work in the child's home and do not need to be registered, insured or trained.

So basically childminders get paid to look after other people's children in the childminder's home for more than 2 hours at a time or on any premises if they have children from 3 or more families. Nannies and babysitters generally work with one family at a time in the child's home.

Information from link below

http://www.ncma.org.uk/