What are the benefits of choosing to employ a Nanny?

Often today both parents in the family have increasing work commitments, successful careers, maybe a business to run and ever growing financial commitments. The world of employment and commerce as we know is a competitive one. In reality few employers are truly sympathetic to parents with young children, who need time off because their child is sick or needs to attend appointments. A nursery can provide a wonderful social environment for a small child, but often the restrictions of a nursery can limit a working family. You know how meetings at work can often run over and you know how it can be picking your child up late from nursery! Another consideration is If your child is ill, then you have another problem, nurseries cannot allow sick children to be kept in nursery. The nurseries opening hours may also be restrictive to a dynamic career. Families who employ a nanny to care for their children have the security of knowing that if their child is sick there is a professional and experienced individual there to look after the child in their own home and in familiar surroundings.

Young children benefit from the individual attention a nanny can provide. However, they need not miss out on the important experience of socialising with other children as nanny can take them to play and toddler groups.

When you are at work and cannot be there, employing a nanny gives you peace of mind. Knowing that at an important stage in your young child’s life, when they need a secure and nurturing environment, a professional nanny will be there to provide consistent care for your child or children, while you are at work.

What is a Nanny?

A Heavenly Childcare nanny is a qualified or highly experienced childcare professional, caring for children in the family home. Their training and experience means that you can be confident and trust that they will be responsible in your absence for the health, well being, education and milestones in your child or children’s development. They will work with you to ensure your child has the very best care.

Nannies can live in or live out and can be a permanent or temporary care giver. There are also options for nanny share. Just let us know what your requirements are and we will do our very best to introduce you to the perfect nanny for you and your family.

Nannies wages vary depending on the hours they are required to work, where they work and whether they are residential. For more advice please ask us.

Q) What is the role of a nanny?

It is important when employing a nanny that you provide them with a contract of employment. The role of the nanny usually involves: working with the parents to provide a consistent approach to the child’s care. This can include, providing healthy meals for the child, taking care of the child’s laundry, taking care of the child’s toys and rooms used by the child i.e. playroom and bedrooms and taking to and fetching child or other siblings from school. The nanny can plan and accompany the child on social activities such as swimming, the library and attending playgroups. It is not usual for a nanny to be involved with general household domestic duties unless you agree to this and it is specified within the job description. If you need help with arranging a contract of employment we are more than happy to help you with this please just ask.

Q) Why use an agency

Obviously it is extremely important when selecting someone to look after your precious child/ren whilst you are working, that the selection process is a vigorous and thorough one.

Agencies use their experience in recruitment and staff selection to endeavour to find the right candidate for you and your family. All childcare professionals introduced by Heavenly Childcare are personally interviewed and the qualifications and references they give are verified. Their identity is checked. They are enhanced CRB checked (please see link for further information) they hold or intend to sign up for an early years first aid certificate (paediatric first aid) and are either registered with ofsted or are willing to go through the process.

Our agency never cuts corners we endeavour to check all references and qualifications, if for any reason we have not been unable to do so, you will be advised in person. For extra peace of mind we advise our clients to have an additional CRB check done and check references if they decide to appoint a nanny, Heavenly Childcare can help with this, just let us know. As parents and childcare professionals ourselves we will not place a childcare professional in your home unless we would happily leave that person in charge of our own children!

Q) Who employs the nanny?

The client (parent/s) actually employs the nanny and of course with this comes the responsibilities of an employer. Do not be overly concerned by this, we will provide you in our ‘Heavenly Childcare welcome information pack for parents’ further information on this. There is also information on our web site to help you.

Heavenly Childcare also recommends the services of nannypaye and their other company domesticpaye they are so helpful and they offer advice and payroll services. Please see our links page and useful addresses and telephone numbers.

Q) What is a mothers’ help?

A mother’s help is usually a young person who is not qualified and lacks experience of working with children. Mothers helps are not nannies and therefore do not have responsibility for the children and should not be left in sole charge.

Their duties will be helping the parent look after the child and helping with other domestic duties under the supervision of the parent/s. Depending on age and experience their wages are between £50 – 60 and up to £140 per week net.

Q) What is a maternity nanny?

A maternity nanny is someone who is self employed and works with a family when they have a new baby. Maternity Nurses or nannies usually work for 6 days per week are on call 24 hours per day (although they must have breaks) and work for the family for usually 6 weeks. Although this is not a medical position often maternity nannies are midwives or paediatric nurses. There is no particular requirement for maternity nannies to be specially qualified many of them do hold an OCN maternity practitioners qualification. Ideally they are experienced with new born babies. Maternity nannies can also work just in the day time or at night and charge an hourly rate for this such as £8 - £11 per hour. Maternity nannies help mother and baby at this very special time, they help to establish routines, support breast feeding and bathing and can help with other siblings. The aim is to leave mother, baby and family happy, healthy, well rested and recovered from the birth, confident in their skills for the future care of their new baby.

Typical wages for maternity nannies are: for a single baby- £450 - £700 per week. Twins: £600 - £900 per week and Triplets: £900 per week. If baby is a late delivery or you agree a fixed period employment and then cancel it at late notice the maternity nanny may charge you 50% of the wages that would have been paid during that period. This is an arrangement between Nanny and the client and not the responsibility of Heavenly Childcare.

Q) What is a nanny share?

Complete share

This is where a nanny works for two families (not usually more) looking after the children of both families in one of the children’s homes. Although a premium is paid on top of the normal wages to take into account the extra responsibilities, it is still cheaper for each family as they share a large proportion of the nanny’s salary costs. There can be obvious difficulties to this arrangement, but lots of families do make this a success. This arrangement can be full or part time.

Split week share

Heavenly Childcare offer a service where we will try and put you in touch with another family in your area interested in nanny share.