Choosing a Nanny

What age range of child will a nanny look after?
Nannies can look after children of any age.

What hours do nannies work?
Nannies can sometimes work flexible hours to fit your work hours. Make sure the hours are reasonable and clearly explained before the nanny starts to work with your children.

What about part-time childcare?
Many nannies are happy to work part-time. They often take children to school, pre-school or other activities.

How much does a nanny cost?
Employing a nanny means you become responsible not only for paying the nanny’s wage or salary but also for deducting the tax and National Insurance contributions. The Inland Revenue operate an Employers Helpline on 0845 607 0143 for friendly advice on tax and National Insurance.

The National Minimum Wage is set currently at:

Main (adult) rate for workers aged 22 and over
£4.50 per hour from October 2003
Development rate for workers aged 18-21 inclusive
£3.80 per hour from October 2003

For more information about the national minimum wage, or to order some free guidance please telephone the National Minimum Wage helpline on 0845 6000 678.
The Sure Start Unit have launched a consultation on proposals to extend tax credits to a variety of childcare situations which are currently exempt under tax credit legislation, including nannies and group based care for children over the age of 8. If you would like to respond to the consultation it is called ‘Childcare: extending protection and broadening support’ and can be found on the DFES website at www.dfes.gov/consultations or by calling the DFES
Publications order line on 0845 60 22 260 or fax 0845 60 33
360 or email dfes@prolog.uk.com quoting refernce CHILAPP0504

How do I find a nanny?
You can find out more about nannies from your local Children’s
Information Service or you can talk to nanny agencies in your
area. The Childcarelink freephone service will provide details of
your local CIS on 08000 960296.
New guidance is available from the Department of Trade and
Industry on the revised regulations governing employment
agencies. These measures will offer parents reassurance that
nannies introduced by agencies are properly vetted.

Other types of childcare in the home

• Mother’s helps usually work with you rather than looking after children while you are out.
• Maternity nurses are specially trained to take care of new babies for up to three months after the birth. They usually live with the family.
• Nannies provide childcare in your own home. Trained nannies can provide you with high quality, professional childcare. They can look after children of any age and they can often work flexible hours to fit in with your working hours.

You need to provide good working conditions, a reasonable salary and make simple tax and national insurance arrangements. Nannies are covered by National Minimum Wage regulations.

There are no legal requirements to register or inspect a person applying to work as a nanny – so it is up to you to make sure that you are employing a nanny who will look after your children well.

Plus points

• nannies can provide childcare tailor-made for your children’s needs
• your children will be cared for in their own home.

Types of nanny

• Live-in nannies live in your home and will need a private bedroom and food in addition to their salary
• Daily nannies come to your home to look after your children
• Nanny-share arrangements can be set up to share a nanny with another family
• Home Childcarers: A home childcarer is a person who is a registered childminder (although once approved as a home childcarer, may cease to maintain their childminding registration) who looks after children in the home of the children’s parents.
• They are professional childcarers, offering safe, good quality childcare and providing children with play and learning opportunities that contribute to their development.
• Home childcarers are approved in accordance with the criteria set out in the Home Childcaring for Children Under Eight Code of Practice. The approval process and monitoring of the Code is conducted by Ofsted. The Home Childcaring Scheme was introduced in April 2003 and the number of approvals is steadily growing.
• Further work is in hand to extend the scheme, to allow people other than registered childminders to become home childcarers. The Sure Start unit has started a consultation on how best to take this forward.

Making a careful choice

Employing a nanny is an important responsibility because it will be up to you to make sure the person is able to look after your children well. Being a nanny is a skilled and demanding job. Look for training, experience and a positive attitude to the job. You can use a nanny agency or advertise for a nanny but always interview thoroughly and always CHECK ALL REFERENCES.

Nannies usually look after the children of just one family in that family’s home.

However in the case of nanny-shares the children of two or more families can be looked after. A nanny looking after children of more than two families must register with the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) as a childminder.

Au pairs are single young people from other countries who stay with a family to help with children while they learn English. They can help you for up to five hours per day. For more information in England talk to the Home Office on 08706 067766. Au pairs are not usually trained to work with children and therefore are not generally considered suitable to look after young children while parents are out. They can be a good option for providing after-school childcare.

Copies of this factsheet can be obtained from:

DfES Publications
PO Box 5050
Annesley
Nottingham NG15 0DJ
Tel: 0845 60 222 60
Fax: 0845 60 333 60
Textphone: 0845 60 555 60
E-mail: dfes@prolog.uk.com

Please quote ref: CCL6R
© Crown copyright 2004

Produced by Sure Start
This information is available in alternative formats
and is free of charge from the ChildcareLink website
and ChildcareLink information line:
Freephone and Textphone 08000 960296.

Visit www.Childcarelink.gov.uk

Extracts from this document may be reproduced for non-commercial or
training purposes on the condition that the source is acknowledged.

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