Everything you need to know about OFSTED registration for Nannies

Childminders are required by law to be registered with OFSTED, while for nannies registration is voluntary. Unlike childminders who care for children in their own homes, nannies are not legally required to hold any childcare qualifications — but at Nanny Network we fully support nannies who do.

Why should my nanny register with OFSTED?

If your nanny is registered with OFSTED you may be eligible for childcare vouchers, tax credits or the new Tax Free Childcare Scheme.

Take a look here to read more about the UK tax free childcare scheme.

Vouchers can be offered by your employer in addition to your salary but usually means some of your salary being sacrificed for child care vouchers; as the vouchers are exempt from National insurance contributions your NI contributions are reduced and you therefore make a saving.

What if the nanny I want is not OFSTED registered?

Voluntary registration with OFSTED is a relatively new scheme and many nannies are not currently registered. If you find a nanny who is not OFSTED registered they will have to go through the registration process which can take up to a couple of months.

OFSTED registration is a financial saving to families, therefore to register your nanny to OFSTED, it is typically funded by the employer — or you may agree to meet in the middle to cover costs depending on what certificates the nanny already has. A dedicated nanny should absorb the cost of a first aid certificate and nanny insurance if they do not already hold these.

What does a nanny need to register with OFSTED?

Step One — Process a DBS certificate (take a look at our blog post about these)

Step Two — Complete the ‘common core skills’ training you can do this with our partner Babyem

Step Three — Book a OFSTED compliant first aid course which you can also do with Babyem

Step Four — Get yourself some ‘Public Liability’ Insurance we recommend via PACEY to save money

Step Five — Create your government gateway account and start your CR1 form on the OFSTED online site.

How much does OFSTED registration cost for a nanny?

The cost will depend on if the nanny has already got some of the documents or training in place but a rough outline is below:

DBS — £75

Common Core Skills — £120

First Aid training — £98

Insurance — £69

Total = 362 + £103 Application fee for OFSTED = £465

• Of course this final cost depends on if the nanny already has completed any of the certificates or training above, and if she already holds a DBS certificate.

How long does the process of registering as a nanny with OFSTED take?

Registration depends on which certificates the nanny has already completed. Once you submit your form to OFSTED the processing time can be anything up to 12 weeks and sometimes longer.

Do you have OFSTED registered Nannies on your books?

Yes indeed! Here at Nanny Network we have a wide range of nannies available for work and many are OFSTED registered and have all the relevant qualifications. To contact any of our nannies, you need to first create an account and then post a job. With a premium subscription you are then able to contact any of the nannies you like the sound of. Get started here.

Who is OFSTED?

OFSTED stands for ‘Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills’. The Voluntary Nanny Register is called the VOCR Ofsted Voluntary Childcare Register and the CR1 is the form to be completed by nannies.,

For more information, download this Guide-to-registration- from OFSTED.

Originally published at nanny.network on March 23, 2018.