Having a 'gut feeling' that a particular nanny will be right for a job is no longer enough for many parents. Detailed references and police checks are now common items on the tick list at interviews - though perhaps it is the parents and agencies who don't thoroughly vet job candidates that have led to new laws being introduced for recruitment agencies (see box).
As nanny Gillian Barns points out, 'It is surprising that there are still some parents out there who are willing to hand over their children to someone they know very little about. I can think of a couple of occasions when the parents have asked me very few questions at the interview - not even things like my views on discipline or whether I smoke or not.' Gillian says she feels much more comfortable when employers scrutinise her CV throroughly and follow up all her references. 'It shows that they are approaching the care of their children in a responsible way, and these kinds of parents are more likely to value my position and place trust in me.'
But though nannies may welcome more conscientious parents, tightening up and monitoring the practice of checking candidates for nanny jobs continues to represent an enormous challenge for the authorities. While a compulsory national register of childcarers has been resisted by politicians for years, many nanny agencies have already signed on as an umbrella body to obtain Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for all their applicants.
CRB forms are processed for agencies by outside companies, such as Click Kids and Civilised & Corporate, and nannies may be expected to pay a cost of between 29 and 45 for the service. How often the forms are updated is down to the discretion of individual agencies, but most say that between two and three years is acceptable, or whenever a nanny changes address.
Gillian sees the CRB check as a positive development. 'I don't think it was something that parents necessarily thought of in the past, but now agencies are making it standard,' she says.
However, she does feel that the procedure should be more carefully explained to nannies by agencies, and that it is a big expense for them. 'I paid 44 for mine, and I think that if parents are that worried about a criminal record, they should bear at least some of the expense themselves,' she says.
Ruth Simmons, a nanny working in Surrey, says that she has never had an employer who has not carefully checked all her references. She believes that the CRB check contributes to the overall professionalism of nannies.
'My only reservation is that the form is only as good as the day it is dated,' she says. 'There is bound to be more pressure to update them regularly, which will be expensive for nannies.'
Large numbers of parents are prepared to recruit their nannies through advertising in magazines, local papers and shop windows, where the new agency regulations are irrelevant. But Carolyn Moss, who nannies in south London, says that agencies still set the safety mark for parents, even when they choose not to go through an agency.
'Many parents who advertise for a nanny will have used an agency at some point, so they will be aware of the level of references and checks that are needed,' Carolyn says. 'I have found that parents who advertise are often more concerned about checking references personally, because they know they haven't got the back-up of an agency.'
Safety is an issue on both sides of the fence when it comes to matching nannies with families in this way. For someone as experienced as Carolyn it has not been a problem, but she believes that nannies should err on the side of caution.
'You can't get a lot of detail about a position from an advertisement, so you have to know what kind of questions to ask,' she says. 'For an inexperienced nanny this may not be the best way to start out.'
The well-documented problem with a workforce that can operate outside of agencies and regulations is that anyone can eventually find work without any checks whatsoever. For qualified nannies who would like to see their professionalism taken seriously, this is a cause for concern.
One move to address professional status is the Nanny Accreditation Scheme now getting underway in the Channel Islands thanks to the Jersey Child Care Trust. To achieve accreditation, nannies have to meet a set of criteria that includes a level three qualification, three years' experience, various insurance, childcare and character references, and evidence of 12 hours of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in the previous year. The first candidate was officially accredited in January.
Jan Dyer, who is currently working towards accreditation, is enthusiastic about the scheme. She thinks it is an effective way of encouraging parents to be more careful about who they employ, and at the same time it demonstrates the level of quality care that professional nannies can deliver.
'What personally drew me to the scheme was the CPD element' says Jan. 'I have been nannying since 1984 and it was good to have the opportunity to go on courses to learn new things and get some fresh ideas. It also means that an employer can have a lot of confidence in an accredited nanny - which is great for both parties.'
Jan says that the scheme has also helped to publicise the need for parents to be more thorough in their approach to taking on a nanny. 'Apart from checking my references, I want potential employers to find out my views on discipline and what kinds of physical and intellectual activities I would want to involve the children in,' she says. 'All of these things are important and they show how responsible the nanny will be in the job.'
Knowledge is power, as the saying goes. Any move to give parents more information about the nannies they are considering employing has to be good for ensuring the best possible care for their children. It is certainly something that nannies themselves wholeheartedly agree with.
With thanks for contacts to Select Nannies (tel: 01932 402 146) and The Nanny Service (tel:020 7935 3515)
NEW RULES FOR NANNY AGENCIES
The new Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations coming into force next month is part of a series of measures being introduced by the Government to update the regulation of employment agencies and ensure that all employees are carefully vetted. The new guidelines require agencies supplying temps to work with children, the elderly and the infirm to carry out a range of checks which involve obtaining copies of relevant qualifications and two references, and they have a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the individual is suitable for the post. If new, adverse information comes to light, the agency will have to withdraw the temporary worker, or inform the employer where the worker has been employed on a permanent basis.
The rules will be enforced by the Department of Trade and Industry's Agency Standards Inspectorate, through inspections and spot checks on agencies.
The maximum penalty for breaking the regulations is a 5,000 fine for each offence and a ban on operating for ten years.
Professional officer at the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses, Tricia Pritchard, welcomes the new rules for tightening up the way agencies operate. She says, 'It means all agencies - even those considering themselves introductory agencies or those which operate from websites - will have to comply. We hope that the knock-on effect will be a register for nannies themselves.'
The Professional Association of Nursery Nurses is hosting a forum to inform agencies about the new regulations at its Derby headquarters on 29 March.
For details contact PANN at 01332 372 337.
WHAT IF THEY'RE NOT FROM HERE?
A parent using an agency to employ an au pair or nanny from overseas has every right to expect that checks are just as rigorous as they would be for a British national. London agency The Nanny Service specialises in New Zealand and Australian nannies and says it checks all its candidates invidually. Phone calls are always made on landlines rather than mobiles.
'This involves speaking to their colleges or agencies and following up all past employers,' says the agency's Corrina Slater-Simmons. 'A lot of Australian girls now come with something called a Suitability Notice, which is an identity card that incorporates a list of checks, including one carried out by the police.'
At the Surrey Au Pair Agency, owner Jackie Bearman says she acts as an introduction service between UK families and au pair agencies in countries such as Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. 'All our au pairs have to fill out our detailed forms which involve references and medical certificates, and the agencies I deal with are reliable and thorough,' she says. 'Ultimately it is down to the families to ensure they have all the information they need, although I always follow up au pairs after they have moved into a household to check that it is working out on both sides.'