Family help with childcare
Help from the state or your employer with childcare costs is available only if you use eligible childcare. In general, this cannot include the cost of childcare provided by your child’s grandparent or other relative. But there is an exception.
Provided the relative is a registered childminder, looks after your child in their home rather than yours and they look after at least one other unrelated child as well, this counts as eligible childcare. So maybe you could persuade your mum, dad, sister or other relative to take up childminding!
From April 2011 grandparents and other family members of working age who look after grandchildren or other children of the family up to age 12 for at least 20 hours a week will be able to gain National Insurance credits toward the basic State Pension.
To become a registered childminder, they will need to take an introductory course and gain a first-aid certificate. They and anyone else living in their household will be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau (just to make sure there is nothing in their past that would make them unsuitable to work with children). As a childminder, they will be self-employed, so they will need to register with HM Revenue & Customs to pay National Insurance and tax if their earnings are high enough. There will be a check on their home to ensure their premises are suitable and they will need to arrange insurance to cover the children and visiting mums and dads.