I was very lucky with my childcare when I first went back to work because my sister offered to help out. (She subsequently became a registered childminder so she could look after children she wasn't related to as well.)
And of course it's right that childminders should be registered if they're looking after children whose mothers aren't friends or related to them.
But close friends have shared childcare, either by minding each other's kids for a few hours after school, or in the holidays, for years. Many families would struggle to survive without these more 'casual' arrangements, particularly in the current climate. They should be allowed to continue, regardless of whether there's a financial arrangement in place.
So it seems totally daft to me that two policewomen who are close friends have been told they must be registered childminders to look after each's other's children.
Let me know what you think.
written by Liz Jarvis