Nannies
What is a Nanny?
A Nanny is employed to care for children in the children's own home. They may live-in or come on a daily basis; they may be full or part time. They will take responsibility for your child/children's care routines.
Does a Nanny have to be registered?
There is no requirement for nannies to register but they can choose to join the voluntary part of the Ofsted Childcare Register. This would enable parents to access help with childcare costs through Working Tax Credits and parents will know that the nanny has met basic standards designed to safeguard children.
How do you find a Nanny?
You can contact a specialist agency or place your own advertisement in local Job Centres, Newspapers or Childcare publications, or look for venues where childcare courses may have students who may meet your requirements.
Trained Nannies will hold a recognised childcare qualification.
How do you choose a Nanny?
Whether you employ a Nanny with formal qualifications or not is up to you, you may want your Nanny to have some previous experience. The person you choose should be someone you feel happy to have in your home and to be responsible for your child/children.
They should have a responsible caring attitude, a clear liking to be with children, and the ability to provide warm and consistent care. They should be aware of multi-cultural issues and treat all children with equal concern.
You need to consider whether they will fit into your lifestyle, and that their integrity and professionalism will ensure the safety and development of your child/children.
Employment Conditions
If you interview the candidates yourself, it is a good idea to draw up a job specification and contract, this could be forwarded to all candidates to enable them to consider whether they meet your requirements, and how they will present their skills to you.
Contracts should cover: the hours and days required to work; time off and holidays; pay, including details of reviews, sick pay, paid weekly or monthly etc; confidential issues; grievance procedures; notice required on both sides; meals provided; for a live-in Nanny, accommodation and any extra duties you may require such as baby-sitting.
Long-term plans may also need to be discussed, as the nature of the employment often means nannies become an accepted part of the family, and children may become distressed if Nanny suddenly leaves.
Remember when you are interviewing, you too are being assessed. The Nanny will want to know about your family, the way you live, and will want to create a working relationship of mutual trust and respect that will enable you to talk about the welfare of your child/children.
Questions you might want to consider:
- How the Nanny envisages his/her role with the child/children. The daily routine.
- Health and safety aspects: First aid knowledge, safety of toys and equipment.
- Emergency procedures.
- Views on childcare: attitudes to coping with unacceptable behaviour, feeding, weaning, toileting etc.
- What television programmes they consider suitable for young children, the use (limited) of television in their programme of activities.
- What the long term plans are.
- CVs and references are very important and should always be followed up.
You will be employing the person who is to be your Nanny, Inland Revenue Enquiry Offices provide special documentation for employers of Nannies and similar employees, and will offer help to set up, as you will be required to deduct PAYE and National Insurance and forward these to the appropriate authorities.
House rules need to be agreed together.
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Family Information Service (FIS)
St Peter’s Children’s Centre
Trafalgar Square
Ashton-under-Lyne
OL7 0LL
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