Direct Payments and self-employed workers

This can be done at Gov.uk: Employment status guidance for employed or self-employed.

If they are confirmed as being self-employed, they must be registered with HM Revenue and Customs and have the appropriate liability insurance cover. You must provide the Direct Payments team with a copy of their liability insurance for our records. It is the responsibility of the self-employed person to keep their insurance cover up to date and they should produce annual evidence of this to you.

We strongly advise that you also ask the person for evidence of their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and obtain a contract detailing their terms and conditions e.g. the hourly rate they will charge, how much notice they require for cancellation. You should always ensure that the self-employed worker provides you with a typed invoice each period, detailing the dates, hours and cost of care they have provided.

Please make sure you keep a copy of all invoices for audit purposes.

Childminders

If the person you wish to use to provide your care is a registered childminder, the Direct Payments team will need to see a copy of their Ofsted registration and their liability insurance.

As with self-employed workers, we recommend that you obtain a contract detailing the childminders terms and conditions e.g. the hourly rate they will charge, how much notice they require for cancellation.

You should always ensure that the childminder provides you with a typed invoice each period, detailing the dates, hours and cost of care they have provided.

Please make sure you keep a copy of all invoices for audit purposes.