Help with whether to get registered or not

[vegasbaby]

A friend and i arranged for me to look after her daughter for when she returns to work, at the time we agreed that i would be paid and that i would look after her 1 and a half days a week for a small fee, i then attended a child care course and found the glitch!
Because i have my son too, its better for the babies to be at my home as i have a playroom and a bedroom for each baby. and i dont want to mind them at her house as they have a dog also. but that means no money can exchange hands

as a friend i have read that i can have the babies for 3 hours, my question is, is she did half day at a day care, and then i collected her daugher after lunch
and had her at mine can i charge her for the 3 hours, and give her the 2 hours for free?

or do i just go ahead and get registered. i want to do it all by the book if i do it, but as she has plans to move away in the near future i dont want to go through all the stress and cost of becoming registered when its only her daughter i want to care for.

[vegasbaby]

or can she give me some groceries each week?

[Rick]

This Ofsted document mentions the three hours but also that payment for food is deemed as payment.

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/registration-forms-and-guides/r/Registration%20not%20required.pdf

[mama2three]

A I see it you cant mix free hours and paid ones - otherwise non of us would be registered! I could charge all my los for 3 hours and give the others free...and just charge 3x my normal rate for those 3 hours.

The factsheet says you don't need to register ....If you only care for the children of one or more friends in your own home or someone else’s home:
if no money or payment changes hands;
for three hours or less per day, and some payment is made.
Payment is defined as a ‘payment of money or money’s worth’ but does not include the provision of goods or services; it means payment for or towards the costs involved in the childcare, such as a contribution to heating and lighting, or paying for food or repairs to the place where the childminding happens.

[moggy]

It can take 3-6 months to get registered, so if they are moving away 'in the near future' then that mean there may be no point.

To be honest, the costs, stress and time involved in registering, for just 1.5 days a week of work, would not be worth it in my view. Unless you really are just doing it as 'a favour' for a friend, not looking to make a profit from it at all... but it is a lot to put yourself through to help out a friend.

You say 'babies', (your son and her child)- you can only care for 1 child under 12mths old as a childminder, will one of them be over 12mths when she goes back to work?

If you are honestly just wanting to look after the child as a friend, for the short term (until the move away,) then I'd do it for no payment. But you would be uninsured, which has its own risks.

I hope you find a solution.

[chris goodyear]

Ofsted do like to confuse us don't they? I've been hearing about the 2 hour rule changing to 3 hours this month (Sep) but then heard it's not happening. Looking on the link that Rickers supplied and on the Ofsted headed paperwork item 2 states no registration needed if we care for a child for no more than 2 hours (and have no others for longer). O.K. that's clear and that is what my assistant is allowed to do BUT then look at item 7 where it says 3 hours!! Anyone else confused or am I reading it wrong?

[chris goodyear]

Sorry it was Rick not Rickers!

[Rick]

There was talk of changing it to three hours but it stayed at two. It seems they have slipped in this three hour thing for looking after friends children. Not sure why

[vegasbaby]

thank you so much for all your advice on this, i think i have decided to bow out, what we felt was the most suitable arrangement for the best of our babies has ended up with me feeling scared to do it, for doing wrong.
everyway i try to think of a solution then something comes along and complicates it

im just going to do half a day a week for the love of a friend