childcare options

Nannies

Nannies look after your children in the family home, usually while you are working. They can provide high quality, flexible childcare in the familiar surroundings of the family home. They can look after children of any age and should provide plenty of fun and learning opportunities in a safe environment. Nannies can often work flexible hours and can be a suitable option if you work at times when other forms of childcare are not available. Types of nanny you may come across include:

Live-in nannies
This type of nanny lives with the family they are working for. The family provides them with food and a private bedroom in addition to their salary

Daily nannies
This type of nanny comes to the family home each day. Baby-sitting in the evenings might be arranged as part of the terms of employment, or in exchange for extra pay.

Nanny-share
An arrangement whereby a nanny is shared by two families. If a nanny is shared by more than two families, they may be required to register as a childminder Not all nannies are trained and there are no legal requirements for a person applying for a job as a nanny. Nannies can, however, now can register with Ofsted on the voluntary part of the Ofsted Childcare Register (OCR). Using registered childcare will give you greater reassurance that essential standards have been met. Also, eligible parents who use registered childcare can access financial support through the childcare element of working tax credits or employer supported childcare vouchers. For more information on registering your nanny contact www.ofsted.gov.uk.

Mother's helps/Parents help

Mother's helps usually work alongside you, helping with childcare and general household work. Mother's helps are unlikely to have formal childcare qualifications, but may be experienced. Some nannies start working as Mother's help and then they 'graduate into nannies'.

Maternity nurses

These are specially trained to take care of new babies for up to three months after the birth. They generally live with the family. They can be very costly. Most new mother's who employ maternity nurses find that a very good option as they can rest after the delivery of their child.

Au pairs

These are single young people, who come from a member state of the European Community or one of a limited number of other countries. They come to the UK to study English and, while staying with families, they help in the home for a maximum of five hours a day. They must have at least two full days off each week, and be provided with meals, an allowance and their own room. For 25 hours work a week the minimum wage is set now at £60 per week. Au pairs are not usually trained to work with children and therefore are not generally considered as being suited to looking after under 2 year olds while you are at work. However, they can be a good option for providing after-school childcare. THEY ARE NOT MAIDS and MUST BE TREATED AS A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY.

Au pair Plus

These are single young people, who come from a member state of the European Community or one of a limited number of other countries. They come to the UK to study English and, while staying with families, they help in the home for a maximum of five hours a day. They must have at least two full days off each week, and be provided with meals, an allowance and their own room. For up to 35 hours work a week the minimum wage is set now at £75 per week. Most of them get more from the families they work for. Au pair plus have generally some experience in looking after children in their countries of origin and certainly have got qualification (ie primary school teachers, psychologists, etc). THEY ARE NOT MAIDS and MUST BE TREATED AS A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY.

Childminders

A childminder is a professional childcarer who provides safe, good quality care on domestic premises, usually the childminder's own home. To look after children under the age of eight they must be registered with, and be inspected by, the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). Although Ofsted will expect childminders to meet required standards of care, it is up to you as the parent(s) to negotiate with them the exact terms and conditions of their employment. Your choice, your responsibility Remember, it is your responsibility as the employer to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the person that you employ. Making sure your child is safe, well-cared for and happy is one of the most vital concerns for any parent. Employing someone to look after your child is therefore an important responsibility. It is up to you, as parent and employer, to make sure that you are employing a nanny who will look after your children well. At nannies and childcare we make sure to take up references from previous employers and make sure that their papers are in order.

We have got an information pack with more information about how to employ a nanny, copies of contracts, about CRB checks, about the voluntary register, print outs for paediatric first aid, tips on how to interview a nanny. We feel that this pack is valuable to families who have not employed any type of childcare before. There are more than 25 pages of information there. If you would like a copy please send a cheque for £12 to the office and we will put it in the post for you.