PM's Office says childsitting friends don't have to register with Ofsted

A petition, signed by 19,890 people, expressed support for policewomen Leanne Shepherd and Lucy Jarrett, who were prevented from looking after each other's children while one of them was working because this was defined as "childcare for reward". They would have to register as childminders under the Childcare Act 2006.

Responding to the petition today, the Prime Minister's Office said: "The Childcare Act 2006 requires anyone providing ‘childcare for reward' to register with Ofsted, with the aim of ensuring every child in a commercial childcare service is safe and well cared for. Parents would expect no less.

"However, our intention has always been that friends and families caring for children through informal arrangements should be exempt from having to register and we believed that was what always happened.

"In the light of this recent case, we are talking to Ofsted about how we can make sure there's a shared understanding with Ofsted, and with parents, of what the law means and how it should interpreted."