Should I change from an Assistant to a Childminder Outright

Hi there, there are a couple of posts in this subforum that are close to my question(s) but not completely and rather than hijacking an old thread I thought I would be better to start a new one.

I am current a childminding assistant with my wife (I have done the DBS, first aid, protect, safeguarding etc) and have been working with her since September 16. I only "look after" children over the age of 6 (by that I mean take to and from school). Following the 2 hour sole charge rule.

I have been recently asked by one of my parents of a 6 year old if I could possibly provide after school care for a child at their house (in a sort baby sitting capacity).
Now following the 2 hour rule this wouldn't be possible as an assistant. So my question is, would it be worth registering as a childminder outright for such things (and also it would give a bit more flexibility for parents, for instance if they are running late from work and it takes it over the 2 hours etc).

With my wife already being a registered childminder would I need to do the exact same courses as her bearing in mind I wouldn't be looking after EYFS years?
Would it also trigger another Ofsted inspection?

I don't mind paying the fees but if it would cause more problems to do it then is it worth it?
More other question on a off record type of way is how can "babysitters" be allowed to take care of children of any age without the Ofsted rules? Or is it a case if its cash in hand it doesn't matter. I am stumped by this as it seems strange that you can do it cash in hand as a babysitter but not as a qualified assistant childminder.

I'm sure someone far more experienced in this will come along shortly, but I didn't want to read and run

My understanding is that a childminder works from home, if you were to work at the childs home you would fall under 'nanny' which would also involve some training (Common core skills)

There are 2 registration registers, the voluntary one and a compulsory one
If you are caring for a child under the age of 8, you must be registered on the compulsory register, which is actually more expensive than being registered on both (go figure lol)
If you check out the link below it explains it all there
https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...g_handbook.pdf

I don't think you need to register. I nannied for years before childminding. You don't need qualifications or to be registered to be a nanny. You would need to be registered and qualified (not sure to what level) if the parents wanted to pay using vouchers or tax credits.

You have done first aid and safeguarding training (both good practice for anyone working with children) and the parents obviously trust you. I would check with your insurance if they would cover you while nannying and take out additional cover if necessary. I would also check the HMRC status (nannying and self-employment is always a tricky one, although temporary contracts can be self-employed).

I agree with previous posts: what you describe would be regarded as nannying. You would not have to register for this unless, a mentioned, parents wanted to use childcare vouchers, tax credits, etc. The likelihood is that parents will be wanting registered nannies rather than unregistered ones more and more since the introduction of tax-free childcare support means that, by the end of this year, almost all parents will be eligible for help with childcare costs if they use a registered provider.

Not sure if you need to do EYFS if only minded older children. You'd need to ask Ofsted which course applies. I believe the registration fee is considerably higher if you only go on one register. That doesn't make sense either, but it just is what it is.

Ofsted define babysitting as care provided in the family home between 6pm and 2am. I fully understand you asking why this is unregistered, but if you think about it, every single regulation is open to question at some level, to the point where I even know some CMs who've been asked by parents why they can't use corporal punishment. The simple truth is that all regulations, rules and laws are arbitrary; even something as seemingly obvious as the definition of murder is fraught with problems and contradictions, which explains why one country's laws are so different from another's.

Thank you all so much for your replies. It all makes sense now.
It was the 2 hour thing that was causing my head to hurt!

So in essence as it will be at a parents address there is no need to register further (although I suppose it would be beneficial in the long run) as it will be classed as nanny(ing)

Oh by the way, I never knew how much I would enjoy doing this, I was previously an IT Support and Solutions manager for 20 years and decided to help the wife out during the mornings and evenings.
Although not strictly required I love teaching my mindees knew things from the way weather works, a word of the day, planets, creating things from "rubbish", I enjoy it soo much!

My only other worry is getting too attached to my kids (I suppose everyone goes through this) like you would a pet, I would hate to lose any of them but that's inevitable in the end.