Employing Mother as Nanny / Childminder

DrivingMissDaisy

If I had an option, I would keep my children with a family member rather than nursery, external childminders, etc, etc.

DigForVictory

Surely the answer is to get mum to train & qualify as a childminder & form a co-op with other childminders so all of them can have a day or two off if needed?

Nannying is definitely an employment contract & I wouldn't employ my mother even if she came with a full Norland certificate. We're family & contracts & family are a dubious mix.

lazer

nimdy wrote: »

My wife has mentioned wanting to go back to work so she can contribute to the household income. Our daughter is only four months old and my wife has just had her maternity pay come to an end and as she was on a fixed term contract no longer has a job to go back to.

My wife's mum is currently looking for work also. My wife has suggested the possibility of her getting a full time job and employing her mum to look after the baby during the day. Whilst the majority of her salary will go towards her mums salary, there will be a chunk left over to put into the household kitty.

I'm in two minds about the suggestion. Part of me thinks it's a great idea - my wife can get out to work again, and baby will be looked after by her nanny during the day. I have concerns about mixing family with business/employment though. What if we have disagreements etc. The other thing that worries me is that I'd be counted as an employer so would need to provide insurance, pay her income & NI tax and pay into a pension scheme. How much would this add to say a £15k a year job?

Does anyone here have experiences of this kind of arrangement, or any advice from those that have thought about it?

Thanks

As you wife has only been receiving maternity pay for 4-5 months, even though she is not employed at the minute, she should be still entitled to receive Statutory Maternity pay for the full 9 months, and should continue to be paid by her employer

DrivingMissDaisy

Also, depending on how well you get on with MIL - to avoid all the training/OFSTED malarchy, you could offer reciprocal help to the MIL. She would take care of your child and you can help with her grocery shopping, random DIY bits around the houses, treat her to a holiday, etc, etc. I don't believe this would be illegal though happy to be stand corrected.

nimdy

Hi all. Thanks for all the help and advice. I think I've got a bit of research to do into this. As people have said, the bits that concern me are 1 - what if either of us want out of the agreement, 2 - as little one gets older will MIL cope, 3 - the legal pitfalls of childminding/nannying. It would be great if it could be a favor arrangement, but due to MIL having a small mortgage and bills to pay, it really would have to be a salaried arrangement.

heuchera

My cousin was looked after by her mum's mum, for many years, full time, while her own mother went out to work.

I believe Labour introduced a load of red tape and bureaucracy to make arrangements like this more difficult, but I don't know the current situation.

But I know plenty of people who look after their grandchild/ren on a regular basis and they're not registered childminders!

Mojisola

heuchera wrote: »

But I know plenty of people who look after their grandchild/ren on a regular basis and they're not registered childminders!

There's nothing to stop a relative from looking after a child - it's when they are getting paid for it that the regulations come into play.

Mrs_pbradley936

Poppie68 wrote: »

Is it still the case that the grandparent if they register as a childminder have to also look after other children? Would the grandparent be willing to do this?

It was never the case - what happens is that you cannot get help to pay a relative unless they have OFSTED recognition. If they have that then then can look after other children but do not have to.

HOWMUCH

OP take a look at comparison between Childminders and Nannies on Childcare.co.uk this may offer you answers and solutions to your question.

enthusiasticsaver

I will be looking after my granddaughter (also 4 months old) later on this year when my daughter goes back to work after maternity leave but I would never charge my daughter and son in law .Obviously every case is different and if your wifes' mother needs a job this is an option. Years ago, a friend of mine looked after my two daughters but she had to register as a childminder, submit to regular inspections and take out insurance and I am sure it is probably even more stringent now.


You do also need to bear in mind though if this is best for your daughter. Is your MIL fit enough to look after a young child full time and will she be able to provide a safe and stimulating environment for her? What happens if you disagree as sometimes families do? With a registered childminder you can set out various things you do and don't want her to do - Controlled crying for example or feeding sweets continuously (two examples only) but with family this may be more difficult to impose. It depends on your family dynamics. I am not saying this will not work just there is the potential for it to go wrong.


We are not sure yet how many days my daughter will be going back to work for as she would rather work part time but it depends on her employer. Even if she goes back part time though she is reluctant to impose too much on me as I also have a part time job but her and my SIL feel that my granddaughter would benefit from mixing with other children in a nursery and I agree with that. How many days she will do there will depend on my daughters hours and cost though. Will your daughter not miss out by not having as much social interaction with other children as she would with a childminder or nursery? Again I am not saying one or other is better just that looking after children full time is hard work.


Whether your MIL would be treated as a self employed childminder or an employed nanny depends on where she would be doing the caring. If she looks after your daughter at your house you are her employer so you have to comply with current employment legislation, pay her NMW and holiday, employers NI contribution and pension. She also has to pay tax on her wage. If you drop your little girl off at your MILs she is a self-employed childminder making her responsible for the legal side and health and safety legislation and declaring her income as a self employed person. You are not responsible for her pension then, as far as I am aware or holiday or sickness pay.