Choosing child care

Types of childcare

Live-in nannies live with the family they are working for, who provide them with food and a private bedroom in addition to their salary.
Daily nannies come 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 (or more) families.

Other types of childcare in the home

Mother’s helps usually work alongside the parent helping with childcare and general household work. Mother’s helps are unlikely to have formal childcare qualifications, but may be experienced.
Maternity nurses are specially trained to take care of new babies for up to three months after the birth. They generally live with the family.
Au pairs are single young people, who come from a member state of the European Community or one of a limited number of other countries. Au pairs come to the UK to study English and, whilst staying with families, 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. Au pairs are not usually trained to work with children and therefore are not generally considered as being suited to looking after pre-school children while parents are at work. However, they can be a good option for providing after-school childcare.
Childminders: Childminders look after children on domestic premises, usually the childminders own home. To look after children under the age of eight they must be registered with and be inspected by their local authority social services department. Although social services will expect childminders to meet required standards of care, it is up to parents to negotiate with them the exact terms and conditions of their employment.

Choosing a Nanny

Nannies can provide families with high quality, stable and professional childcare, for which they need good working conditions and a well thought out job description. It is recommended that you prepare a contract of employment for your Nanny.
You will need to decide:

what duties you wish the nanny to perform;
what hours you will need the nanny to work;
whether you want a live-in or daily nanny;
Whether you have any special requirements, for example:

are you occasionally away from home overnight?

will your children need baby-sitting?

do you want a non-smoker?

is more than one language spoken in your home?

5. whether your nanny should –

like pets;

be a driver;

own a car;

have experience of children with special needs.

6. how much you intend to pay –

in wages or salary;

in any extra costs that are associated with employing a nanny, e.g. for outings and leisure activities, which your nanny will organise for your child, or mileage expenses for a nanny using her own car whilst performing her duties.

7. on the terms and conditions of employment.

Talk to other parents or join local parents organisations, like the National Childbirth Trust

What to look for:

Draw up a list of attributes to look out for:

Skills and knowledge: