Babysitting for a friend

sophisoph

Thanks again everyone. I am now looking into it.

Joblack i apreciate your comments but i still think it is wrong to control my friends descisions. I dont WANT to be a business undercutting other childminders! THAT is the point! I would be looking after my friends child, not advertising for other children. However if i am forced to become a registered childminder then i suppose that is possible and in which case yes i COULD undercut others legally. I dont want to be a childminder, but seeing as it looks like i am pretty much forced to get registered to have my friends child fo a few days a week then after going to all that effort the obvious thing to do would be to advertise for other kids.

so really the only reason i would be putting other childminders noses out is because im forced to do things the long way round and may as well get my worth while out of it. (if that makes sense v tired sorry lol)

These laws mean that while my friend is jobhunting even if she is offered one she still cant take it unless she finds childcare. she cant afford it now and would have to wait until all her income details were put forward in order to work out childcare costs....its a catch 22!

she cant apply for help if she doesnt know what hours/wages etc, she cant work until she has childcare, she cant afford childcare unless she works, I cant get registered until i know whats going on, we cant agree a rate until i know her hours, she cant get help with childcare until she knows how much CHILDCARE costs, she has to work to be entitled to it anyway...

see what i mean?? whereas if it was simple as it should be and i could look after him and she paid me depending on her changing hours and we could work something out between us then it wouldnt be so stressful.

Why should people be forced to work more hours to pay for expensive childcare when they dont actually have to? Its laws like this that persuade people NOT to go back to work!

summerday

I do see where you're coming from phia, and feel that the law is becoming increasingly restrictive n childcare to the point where it's removing choice from parents and common sense is going out of the window. A parent should be allowed to make arrangements with a friend of their choice.

PennyPincher_L

my suggestion, never work for or with a friend. forward her request to some reliable person. in her situation she is probably counting on you to not ask for any money for your service

Paws

Just to clarify, there is no regulation for babysitting between the hours of 6m-2am, for the hours you're looking at doing in her home, I'd check on Nanny regulation as that's what you'll effectively be doing.

sophisoph

PennyPincher_L wrote: »

my suggestion, never work for or with a friend. forward her request to some reliable person. in her situation she is probably counting on you to not ask for any money for your service

no thats not the case at all. she is a friend so therefore wouldnt screw me over. the idea is to help each other out. if she didnt pay me then i obviously wouldnt keep doing it for her and she wouldnt be a friend. but she would and she is so theres no question of that.

byb3

Honestly, what is with all the legal eagles and do gooders on here.

In cases like this the law is just absurd and I quite frankly would just ignore it and just go along as you were and keep it between yourselves.

Ignore what people here are saying here about fraud, you feel happier with your child being looked after by a friend and I don't blame you.

joeblack066

ploder wrote: »

I can understand a certain degree of CRB for those in the business of providing child care, at a nursery for example, but not when private individuals make a decision in relation to their children. Many of these rules are perceived as ridiculous because they really are ridiculous (dangerous too) and a symptom of an overbearing state that is attempting to extend its control over our lives. The next big interference is going to be with homeschooling and forced inspections to make sure you are educating your children 'suitably' (read: the curriculum you weren't happy with by the back door)


Yes, but that is a risk which many private individuals take. You can't have freedom without risk. We shouldn't be trying to impose a scheme for businesses on the private arrangements of adults. It is not for the state to poke its nose into private arrangements where no offence (legitimate offence, not nanny-state nonsense) is being committed. This is a very dangerous development as the state becomes the arbiter of personal arrangements and undermines your authority to make decisions in relation to your child.

In relation to businesses arrangements in nurseries, a CRB check won't stop people who have been checked going on to commit offences, it is just a snap shot at a particular moment in time. Of course once you accept that CRB is necessary you also pave the way for greater checks, more fees and more state involvement. Once something goes wrong and 'something must be done' you can rinse and repeat. Nice little earner;)


Big difference. Peoples lives are not businesses. We do not live our lives anticipating the 'benevolent' interference of state regulation. You are also presuming that the state has the right to regulate your private life 'for your own good' even though no offence is being committed.

Where have I? I am simply pointing out why the regulations are there. Parents/ friend fall out over whether little Johnny ate too much sugar at their buddies' house, let alone over the day to day care of their children. All I'm saying is that if the OP goes agead with this, she herself needs to be made aware of the risks. Then she can make an informed choice.

joeblack066

And lets not forget this extreme case....and insured CM would have legal help to sort this out, an unisured friend would not.

These Mums were friends.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/6551154/Toddler-attacked-with-car-jack-by-three-year-old-boy.html

sophisoph

to be honest i wouldnt leave my own son alone with a car jack in reach let alone two babies in one room with one! lol

as i keep saying thank you so much for everyones info. Thank you jo black i know you are only giving info so i can decide for myself and i apreciate that you have taken to time to do so.

byb3 the thing is i came on here asking a simple question whilst ignorant to facts, if i hadnt known the rules i would have carried on and if caught then it would have been a shock. The problem is...now i know this stuff, i cant ignorance. PLus the whole reason she needs extra money is because she is going to LEGALLY move her bloke in with her so it would be pointless having a solution to that problem if thats illegal or fraudulent or whatever. (does that make sense? lol)

yes i can either use this and take it on board or go against it but to be honest i cant afford to take that risk. she hasnt even got the job yet lol so there is still time to look into it, find loopholes or whatever.

so thank you all for throwing all this info at me lol

clairehi

if you look after someone's kids in THEIR home you could be classed as a nanny and would not have to register as a childminder and go through all that palaver.

however, to do this legally, I think you would have to be employed by your friend, and so employment laws would apply plus you would have to pay tax and national insurance depending on how much your were being paid. It depends how happy your friend is to deal with the tax office/fill in forms etc.

my friend had a nanny, not a particularly grand one, but she had to pay her maternity pay when the nanny got pregnant. she could claim it back but there was a fair bit of paperwork.