HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

How to hire an evening babysitter in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to evening babysitters in your home in any UK nation. Here are the checks and what to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an evening babysitter in five steps

  1. Check referencesPhone them.
  2. Ask about first aid and vettingPVG in Scotland.
  3. Show the houseKeys, fuse box, monitor.
  4. Write it downBedtimes, allergies, numbers.
  5. Agree the way homeTaxi paid or a lift.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No compulsory register applies to evening babysitters in any UK nation. England exempts babysitting in the child's home between 6pm and 2am from Ofsted registration; Wales treats care in the child's own home, and care between 6pm and 2am, as outside registration; Scotland says babysitting needs no registration; Northern Ireland does not require home childcare to be registered.

Rely on references you phone yourself, photo ID that matches, and the criminal record check the evening babysitter holds.

PVG in Scotland

A babysitter hired by a parent in Scotland is a regulated role needing PVG scheme membership.

Ask for proof of PVG membership. mygov.scot →

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

England and Wales: childcare can get the enhanced DBS check with barred lists, and Ofsted requires it of a registered evening babysitter. Scotland: PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, through an Umbrella Body for the self-employed. A parent cannot apply on a carer's behalf.

Ask to see the evening babysitter's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry. gov.uk →

First aid and references

No register applies to first aid for an evening babysitter either, so ask — and phone the references.

Ask for the certificate and two families to call.

VAT

Evening childcare is exempt from VAT only when it comes from a state-regulated provider (Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Northern Ireland Trust), a charity or a public body; otherwise the standard rate applies. An individual sitter who is not state-regulated falls outside the exemption, but with earnings under £90,000 they are not VAT-registered and charge no VAT.

Check with the evening babysitter that the rate covers everything, with no VAT added on top. gov.uk →

“Can I call families you sit for in the evening?”

A good answer: Two references.

“Do you have paediatric first aid?”

A good answer: A certificate or an honest no.

“Which check do you hold as an evening babysitter?”

A good answer: PVG in Scotland; DBS or AccessNI elsewhere if held.

“What time can you stay until?”

A good answer: A finish time and late rate.

“How will you get home safely?”

A good answer: Agreed before the night.

“What do you do if a child wakes and will not settle?”

A good answer: Comfort, then call you if needed.

“Are you comfortable with the baby monitor?”

A good answer: Yes, after you show them.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and the late-finish rate after an agreed time
  • The minimum booking for an evening, and whether it is paid in full if you are back early
  • The taxi or lift home, agreed before the night
  • The evening agreed before the first hour: tea, bath, bedtime, screens, who to call
  • ID checked, the rating, and the cancellation notice both ways

Walk away if

  • No references
  • No first aid with a baby
  • Friends invited
  • Unclear finish time
  • Unsafe way home
  • In Scotland, no PVG
LOW
£10
TYPICAL
£12
HIGH
£13

What an evening babysitter costs: £10–£13 per hour

Evening babysitters charge by the hour, often with a minimum booking. Evening Babysitter price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Evening babysitters near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. ArrivalShow round.
  2. Tea and bathIf before bedtime.
  3. SettlingStories and lights out.
  4. ChecksMonitor on.
  5. Locking up and handoverOn your return.

6pm to 2am exemption
England's babysitting exemption.
PVG
Scotland's scheme.
Baby monitor
Monitor for sleeping children.
Paediatric first aid
First aid for children.
Minimum booking
The fewest hours charged.
Late rate
A higher rate after midnight.

AFTER

When the job is done

Get the handover at the doorHow the evening went.
Pay and settle the taxiAs agreed.
Book againIf it worked.
Write the reviewHonest detail about this evening babysitter helps the next person choose. If it went badly, start with the make-it-right step so they can answer.

STEP 1Tell the evening babysitter in writingKeep it to the date, what happened and the remedy you want. The duty of reasonable care and skill in section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 binds any evening babysitter in business, and if the babysitting missed it, section 54 entitles you to have it put right free or to pay less.
STEP 2Try the make-it-right stepUnder four stars for a booked evening babysitter, Locufy asks whether to pass it to them first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3Ofsted, if they are registeredWhere the evening babysitter is on Ofsted's register in England, you can complain to Ofsted if talking to them fails; otherwise an evening babysitter trading as a business can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland. If a child is at risk, call the council or 101, and 999 in an emergency.
STEP 4Small claims as the last stepWhere the evening babysitter still refuses, the small claims routes run to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland, with no solicitor needed.

Hiring an evening babysitter: questions people ask

No — England exempts 6pm to 2am in your home, and no other nation requires it.

In Scotland, PVG membership; elsewhere ask whether they hold DBS or AccessNI.

Only if agreed; settle it before the night.

£10 to £13 an hour, typically around £12. Late finishes and taxis add to the evening. Read the evening babysitter price guide for the factors, then search above to see evening babysitters in your area.

Only for approved childcare.

Raise it with the sitter; one in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in childcare & family

How to hire: BabysitterHow to hire: NannyHow to hire: Au PairHow to hire: ChildminderHow to hire: Mother's HelpHow to hire: Part-Time NannyHow to hire: School Run / PickupHow to hire: Holiday ChildcareAll 701 hiring guides →

Evening babysitters near you

Evening babysitters in LondonEvening babysitters in ManchesterEvening babysitters in BirminghamEvening babysitters in GlasgowEvening babysitters in BelfastAll evening babysitters on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — become a childminder or nanny (England)
  2. gov.uk — register as a nanny with Ofsted
  3. gov.uk — choose which Ofsted register to join
  4. Ofsted — registration exemptions (England)
  5. Ofsted — check if childcare is registered
  6. gov.wales — get up to 30 hours of childcare for 3 and 4 year olds
  7. gov.uk — registering as a childminder (Scotland)
  8. mygov.scot — the PVG scheme
  9. nidirect — home childcarers
  10. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  11. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  12. gov.uk — employing someone to work in your home
  13. gov.uk — National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
  14. gov.uk — Tax-Free Childcare
  15. nidirect — help paying for approved childcare
  16. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  17. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  18. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  19. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.2.1 Care and protection of children that are exempt; 3.3 State regulated providers
  20. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  21. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register