Childminders

Employing a childminder assistant

If you've got increased demand or simply want to expand your childcare service, employing a childminding assistant can help you offer more places. With an assistant you can care for up to six extra children, subject to the space you have available and the staff to child ratio requirements of the EYFS and any local planning requirements. Childminder assistants need to hold a paediatric first aid certificate, and with written parents’ consent can have sole charge of the children for up to two hours – this can be very useful for school runs.

You will need to create a basic job description, detailing the working hours, environment, pay, and level of experience required. Your assistant will need to undergo a DBS check, and then complete an EY2 form, available on Ofsted's website. There is more information about the process in Ofsted's guidance.

There’s a lot to think about when you become an employer, HMRC has an online guide which takes you through the steps. You can register as an employer online - the process takes approximately four weeks.

As an employer, you will be liable for tax and national insurance contributions for each assistant. You will need to factor these costs into your business plan, along with holiday pay, sick pay and pensions contributions. Don't forget that you will need to pay your assistant at the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage, the rates change each year and vary depending on your assistant’s age. You will also need to ensure that you have Employer's Liability Insurance cover in place.

If you are considering employing a childminder assistant take a look at these 7 things you need to do when employing staff for the first time:

1. Decide how much to pay someone - you must pay your employee at least the National Minimum Wage.
2. Check if someone has the legal right to work in the UK. You may have to do other employment checks as well.
3. Check if they have a current DBS or need to apply for a DBS check (formerly known as a CRB check).
4. Get employment insurance - you need employers’ liability insurance as soon as you become an employer.
5. Send details of the job (including terms and conditions) in writing to your employee. You need to give your employee a written statement of employment if you’re employing someone for more than 1 month.
6. Tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by registering as an employer - you can do this up to 4 weeks before you pay your new staff.
7. Check if you need to automatically enrol your staff into a workplace pension scheme.