How to register your au pair with Ofsted

A number of our host families have enquired about registering their au pair with Ofsted in order to make use of childcare vouchers.

There are many different stages to Ofsted registration and it can be a fairly lengthy process (usually 12-14 weeks). Please note that the process cannot begin until your au pair has arrived in the UK.

Current guidance on the subject from the British Au Pair Agencies Association (BAPAA) is as follows:

• The au pair or nanny should call Ofsted and tell them that they want to become registered under the voluntary Ofsted registration scheme for home-based childcare.
• Ofsted will send out a form in the post to be filled in.
• The form must be returned with a valid Paediatric First Aid Certificate (further information below).
• Ofsted will carry out a police check (even if the au pair already has a CRB).
• If the person has lived in the UK for less than 5 years, then he/she will have to get a ‘good conduct letter/ certificate’ from his/her embassy which needs to be written in English or translated into English by an authorised translator. This depends on the country of origin of the au pair or nanny, so check with Ofsted first. Ofsted confirm that it is also acceptable for the au pair or nanny to get a police check from their country of origin and send it to Ofsted, but it must be an official document, on letter-headed paper, stamped and translated into English by an authorised translator.
• Ofsted will then send through another form (called a verify form) that must be taken to the post office, together with a form of ID (eg passport) so that their identity can be checked.
• The application fee, currently £103, must be paid.
• Annually, on the anniversary of the registration with Ofsted, the fee becomes payable again, as long as the au pair wants to remain Ofsted-registered.
• The au pair also needs a childcare (or similar) qualification from their home country, or from the UK, which is equivalent to level 2, or they must enrol on a Common Core Skills and Knowledge course (further information below).
• The au pair is also required to have personal public liability insurance, most households have an insurance which would not cover the au pair if she has an accident so she would need to acquire on of her own.

Smartaupairs recommends Babyem’s Ofsted compliant courses: Common Core Skills and Knowledge Training http://babyem.co.uk/common-core-skills-knowledge-training/ The common core skills course is accredited at level 3 through Open College Network, providing au pairs registering with Ofsted with an official childcare qualification and covers the 6 common core skills areas required by Ofsted. These areas are:

• Communicating with children, young people, their parents and carers
• Child and young person development
• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child
• Supporting transitions
• Multi-agency working
• Sharing information

Ofsted compliant Paediatric First Aid http://babyem.co.uk/paediatric-first-aid/ The paediatric first aid course covers all the necessary requirements for registration with Ofsted. Course content is as follows:

• Planning for first aid
• Dealing with Emergencies
• Resuscitation of babies and children
• Recognising and dealing with shock
• Anaphylactic shock/Electric Shock
• Bleeding, burns and scalds
• Choking
• Fractures