Another childcare issue....

So i'm looking at the possiblity of getting a new babysitter for my kids for the days I work.
This time around though, i want to put things into writing. Below is the things I am thinking, please feel free to add your suggestions, I don't want to be ripped off again....
This person will come to my house.

- Hours of Work
- What time to call if you are sick
- Pay rates (going to include you don't get paid for days you don't work ie. are sick or on holidays. I'm thinking i might still pay public holidays if it falls on a work day - thoughts??)
- Change of days - how much notice
- Roles - what i expect to be done/what they can expect from me.

Going to create another document that has what my girls routines are etc. This way i'm hoping i don't get ripped off with food etc.

I know there is more but i just can't think at the moment.

check if they are a registered carer through c'link. it doesn't mean you'll get ccb (you would probably get registered childcare if you chose to claim it later) BUT, to become a registered carer, they need to meet licensing requirements for caring for children in your state. it might be something of a safety/back up thing for you. if someone is prepared to go to the effort of being registered and maintaining that registration, i would think them somewhat more - ummmm, i guess i'd have more faith in them doing the right thing kwim?

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check if they are a registered carer through c'link. it doesn't mean you'll get ccb (you would probably get registered childcare if you chose to claim it later) BUT, to become a registered carer, they need to meet licensing requirements for caring for children in your state. it might be something of a safety/back up thing for you. if someone is prepared to go to the effort of being registered and maintaining that registration, i would think them somewhat more - ummmm, i guess i'd have more faith in them doing the right thing kwim?

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Is there a link somewhere about how to become a regiusterd carer?

Registered Child Care Provider Application form (FA019)
this is the link to the form on the human services website
when you open the form, the second page (i'm pretty sure) has the department someone needs to contact to get their license. it's different in each state. once they have the license, they complete this form and submit to fao.

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Registered Child Care Provider Application form (FA019)
this is the link to the form on the human services website
when you open the form, the second page (i'm pretty sure) has the department someone needs to contact to get their license. it's different in each state. once they have the license, they complete this form and submit to fao.

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thanks Hun.
I was looking for the wrong thing!

I'd include something in there about use of vehicles too if she has to drive your kids anywhere. Especially with the cost of fuel etc so you may have to include a fuel allowance or something.

Working with children check, first aid, what is expected in an emergency, administering medications

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I'd include something in there about use of vehicles too if she has to drive your kids anywhere. Especially with the cost of fuel etc so you may have to include a fuel allowance or something.

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Good Point - See told you i would forget stuff :)

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Working with children check, first aid, what is expected in an emergency, administering medications

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Thanks Lovely!

I will of course do ref checks and stuff too :)

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I'd include something in there about use of vehicles too if she has to drive your kids anywhere. Especially with the cost of fuel etc so you may have to include a fuel allowance or something.

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I'd probably use the ATO allowance for vehicles, which is dependent on the size of the vehicle and the kms travelled. I would get them to keep a log book.

I'd also look into the legal requirements for tax etc. Do you have to withhold or are you paying them as a company and they looking after their own tax etc.

Also public liability insurance for wherever they are looking after the child, if it is in your own home, you get it, if it is their home, they should have it. Actually all households should have this regardless, to cover themselves if somebody injures themselves in your home (eg an electrician tripping over something in your home and injuring themselves).

Have you looked at nannying companies in your area? We have a big one here in SA and they do these types of arrangements and the girls are always vetted by the company and have strict standards they adhere too.

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I'd probably use the ATO allowance for vehicles, which is dependent on the size of the vehicle and the kms travelled. I would get them to keep a log book.

I'd also look into the legal requirements for tax etc. Do you have to withhold or are you paying them as a company and they looking after their own tax etc.

Also public liability insurance for wherever they are looking after the child, if it is in your own home, you get it, if it is their home, they should have it. Actually all households should have this regardless, to cover themselves if somebody injures themselves in your home (eg an electrician tripping over something in your home and injuring themselves).

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Currently my baby sitter is a family friend so just paying her to have the girls. Just like someone might have a friend babysit their kids when they go out for the night. So its baby sitting not nannying

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Have you looked at nannying companies in your area? We have a big one here in SA and they do these types of arrangements and the girls are always vetted by the company and have strict standards they adhere too.

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There is a couple, i'm looking at $700 fees though, on top of what i'd pay the babysitter.

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Currently my baby sitter is a family friend who is a SAHM so just paying her to have the girls. Just like someone might have a friend babysit their kids when they go out for the night. So its baby sitting not nannying
i'm looking at trying to do the same thing again - babysitting rather than nannying in which case i would then have to be do the tax thing etc.

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Only problem is that once she earns a certain amount, it can effect her benefits etc. This is one extremely fine line with regards to tax etc that I'd never want to cross, because all you need is for somebody to dob you and your babysitter into ato/centrelink/whoever you both could get in trouble.

Also written agreements are a contract, which implys a working arrangement.

I'd still be getting public liability insurance for your place if that is where the girls will be looked after, or at least asking your potential babysitter to get it if your children are staying there.

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Only problem is that once she earns a certain amount, it can effect her benefits etc. This is one extremely fine line with regards to tax etc that I'd never want to cross, because all you need is for somebody to dob you and your babysitter into ato/centrelink/whoever you both could get in trouble.

Also written agreements are a contract, which implys a working arrangement.

I'd still be getting public liability insurance for your place if that is where the girls will be looked after, or at least asking your potential babysitter to get it if your children are staying there.

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Thanks for letting me know.

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Thanks for this thread ladies - I was going to post something similar tonight!

The reason I haven't gone down this path already is the employment legislative requirements around hiring a babysitter, nanyang or whatever you want to call them.

I'm no guru on this - but I do work in human resources and I have sought some advice from an employment lawyer and tax accountant. I've been advised that if I hire someone as a babysitter or nanny on regular hours each week in I guess what you would call a permanent part-time position, then they will need an employment contract a salary or wage that meets the minimum wage requirements, and they will also be entitled to paid annual leave, sick leave etc. Particulary if you want to have formalized rules in place as you've listed above (which I totally agree with and I think is crucial to making it work!).

This means someone has to pay tax on the money you are paying them, so they need to earn minimum wage and either you pay them PAYG (so you withold the tax and pay for them) or they invoice you by ABN and they take care of their own tax. Other considerations are superannuation etc.

What I really want to know is - is it possible to claim the 8k or 7,500k child care rebate towards a nanny - like you would claim it for daycare or child care centre?and if it is with a registered carer how do you go about finding out about this? Would it be the FAO?

Good luck sunshine - I've been procrastinating because it seems so complicated.

X

Sunshine, I had a similar arrangement as what you are proposing for care of my DS when I returned to work part time. It was very difficult! If you are looking for someone to be reliable and to be satisfied in you 'employment' (and if they are working regular hours for you each week for financial gain, you are employing them) then I think it is important to recognise that they have all the same rights as any other worker. That means you need to pay sick leave, holiday pay and super. Our nanny/babysitter/what ever you want to label it relied on the income she earned from us each week - she wasn't there just for the love of it. So it's not fair to expect that she will not be paid just because I might be on holidays and not require her services. If you are looking for a more casual arrangement, I suspect that what you will find is someone who treats the position more casually! That is, someone who may not be as committed or reliable as a person who sees the arrangement as formal employment.

We found it very difficult to find the right person to care for our DS, someone who was punctual, reliable and cared for our kids in the way we were paying them to. Having someone care for your child, in your home whilst you are not there requires a great deal of faith and trust. We had a multitude of issues - everything from my clothing being 'borrowed' to my DS being left unattended in the bath at 12 months of age (despite my direct instructions that this was never to occur). Over the two years we had care in our home, we went through three carers and quite frankly, none of them was 'perfect'. And two of them were ultimately unacceptable. I have just picked up an extra shift at work and DD2 now requires care one day per week. We have elected to use a child care centre instead of deal with the search for an appropriate babysitter/nanny again.

Oh, the three carers we employed came through word of mouth, an online agency and a nanny agency (whom we paid $900 for the placement). We also interviewed numerous other potential carers. And I am not ridiculously picky about who cares for my kids - we wanted someone who would meet the physical and emotional needs of our children (DD1 on school holidays as well as DS), ensure their safety and also be punctual and reliable so that I could get to work. That's it - we didn't have unrealistic expectations.

Good luck, I hope you find the perfect arrangement for your family.

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What I really want to know is - is it possible to claim the 8k or 7,500k child care rebate towards a nanny - like you would claim it for daycare or child care centre?and if it is with a registered carer how do you go about finding out about this? Would it be the FAO?

X

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only if the carer is part of an approved care organisation through FAO - registered carers do not attract the child care rebate.