4/3. Ofsted registration - for parents - papers

Why is it so important for your nanny to have Ofsted registration?

Ofsted registration is optional for a nanny in the UK. We can ask than why it is so important to have one. The question is legitimate. Why should we ask for a paper that can mean throwing out our or our nanny's money of the window?

Ofsted registration has two main advantage.

1. Your nanny can prove she has all of the professional papers she needs to be a professional nanny in this country. 

2. You as her employer can get tax ease by sending childcare vouchers to her.

So let me go into these facts a bit deeper.

 1. Your nanny can prove she has all of the professional papers she needs to be a professional nanny in this country. 

Ofsted registration means to become an officially recognised childcare professional. As a professional the nanny needs to possess certain qualifications. These qualifications prove to be able to do her job properly safely and perfectly.

These papers are CRB check, First Aid Course, Childcare course and she needs to have Nanny Insurance.

As CRB check and First Aid Certificate are optional to become a nanny than it is up to you if you ask for them on the interview. Although as an employer you're advised to do a CRB check on your employee. 

As an employee can't ask for her own CRB check it is your (employer) chore to go to an Umbrella body to ask for one. There are different agencies like this one out there who can carry out an Enhanced CRB check for your request. 

It seems like hassle isn't it? So just ask your nanny to become Ofsted registered. Ofsted carries out an Enhanced CRB check with the registration application. Your responsibility as an employer is taken off your shoulder then.

I've already discussed the advantage of the papers a nanny needs to become Ofsted registered in my previous posts. Please click on the blue quotes in this article and read more about them.

If your nanny has an Ofsted registration it means she has all of the papers above. You don't have to worry about them too much. Although I always say it worth to check the expiry dates on the certifications. A First Aid Certificate is valid for 3 years, a CRB is valid for 2. So if  the date seems too close just ask your nanny to renew her papers when it comes to the time to do so.


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