| Caring for children |
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| At home |
| Outside the home |
| Educational settings |
| Institutions and standards |
| Related |
A nanny, childminder, child care provider, or a mother's helper is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service. Traditionally, nannies were servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern nannies, like other domestic workers, may live in or out of the house depending on their circumstances and those of their employers. Professional nannies are usually certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, qualified in First Aid, and have a degree or extensive training in child development. There are many employment agencies that specialize in childcare and online services that aid in finding available nannies.
A childminder cares for the child in the childminder's home. Depending on the country they live in, government registration may or may not be required.
A governess, in contrast to a nanny, concentrates on teaching and training children.
A special type of modern nanny is known as a mother's helper. They are hired to assist mothers in the chores of the household as well as care for the children.
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In the 19th and early 20th century, the position was usually known as a "nurse", and was, as for many childcare jobs, invariably female. In a great house the nurse was a more senior member of the household staff and ran her own domain, a suite of rooms called the nursery, supported by at least one assistant, known as a nursemaid (or nurserymaid). Because of their deep involvement in raising the children of the family, nannies were often remembered with great affection and treated more kindly than the junior servants. Nannies may have remained in the employment of the same aristocratic family for years, looking after successive generations of children.
Nannies were present in the households of the European colonial empires throughout the world. It was a characteristic feature of colonial society that the children of European administrative officers were entrusted to the care of native women.
Nannies in colonial times spent their lives in the home of their masters, often from childhood till old age, taking care of more than one generation, depending from the duration of the post. It was not uncommon for these nannies to be brought along with the family away from their native country when officers were posted somewhere else.
Although many families use the modern version of a nanny, some of the features used in historical practices are now rare. Uniforms may still be worn in some cases, but a respectful standard of dress is more common. Some nannies are highly trained, but there is no restriction on the use of the word, so education, training, and experience vary greatly. In the United Kingdom, a nanny can be registered on the voluntary Childcare Register,
A "live in" nanny is less common today than in the past. Typically, a live in nanny is responsible for the the entire care of the children of their employers. This includes anything from washing the children's clothes and tidying the children's rooms, to supervising homework and preparing children's meals, as well as taking children to and from school and activities. The job may include a separate apartment (sometimes called a "nanny flat") and a car. A live in nanny is available 24 hours a day, unless their employment contract states otherwise.
A live out nanny generally shares the same duties as a live in nanny, with the exception that once their working day is over, the children are once again their parent's responsibility.
Some families use what is known as a 'nanny share', where two or more families pay for the same nanny to care for the children in each family on a part time basis[1].
A more recent addition to the role of nanny is that of the maternity nanny or night nanny. The night nanny usually works with a family anywhere from one night to seven nights per week. Some night nannies work 24 hours a day, seven days per week, for the first few months of a newborn's life. A night nanny generally works with children from newborn to five years of age. A night nanny can provide a teaching role, helping parents to establish good sleeping patterns or trouble shooting the sleeping patterns of a child. Often this can include slowing down all movement, which lulls the child into sleep. This includes speaking slowly, moving in slow motion and a decelerated rate of all activity.[2] The role can also consist of assisting parents with feeding guidance, nursery set up, postnatal care of the mother and baby, and sleep guidance. The qualifications of a night nanny are usually in mothercraft nursing (see: Nursing in Australia), maternity nanny, sleep guidance specialist, or early childhood development. Pay rates vary from country to country but are usually well paid in comparison to the general nanny, as the night nanny is seen as a specialist or expert in their field.
Typically, women from their 20s to 60's take up employment as nannies. Some are younger, though normally younger workers are nursemaids or au pairs rather than nannies in the traditional use of the term.
A few positions are filled by men; the term manny is sometimes used for a male nanny, especially in the US and the UK.[3]
There are a number of national and international professional associations representing nannies and nanny agencies. The International Nanny Association (INA) was founded in 1985. INA is a non-profit organization which provides an educational association for nannies with placement, employment, and professional support. The Alliance of Professional Nanny Agencies (APNA) was founded in 1993. It is a non-profit organization that promotes professionalism in the nanny placement industry.
In the United Kingdom, no formal qualifications or training are required to become a nanny. However, the National Nursery Examination Board (NNEB) was founded in 1945 as the awarding body in qualifications for childminders and nursery personnel. In 1994 the NNEB and the Council for Early Years Awards (CEYA) merged to form CACHE - The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education, with their CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education providing the knowledge and undertstanding of child development and education needed to work as a Nanny.
Norland College is a private college near Bath, which offers highly regarded training as a nanny. It also operates its own employment agency for graduates, as well as a local nursery in Bath.
In the United States and Canada a childminder is referred to as a Daycare Provider, similar to a Nursery. In the United Kingdom, a childminder provides childcare for a small number of children from different families in the childminder's own home. A nanny provides care for the children of a single family in the children's home.
A childminder is the owner/operator of a small business[4], a nanny is an employee[5].
Although OFSTED define a childminder as someone who "provide[s] care for children under eighteen years of age, for more than two hours each day, on domestic premises, for reward"[6] there are a number of legal regulations that are applied to childminders which do not cover nannies.
All childminders in England are legally required to register with OFSTED on the Early Years register (if providing care for children under the age of five), and the Compulsory part of the General Childcare Register (if providing care for children aged between five and eight years old)[7]. Childminders do not have to be registered if they are only providing care for children over the age of eight.
Childminders registered with OFSTED are required to make a copy of their inspection report available on request. All inspection reports are available via the Ofsted website (in the case of childminders, names and addresses are removed)[8].
Childminders in Wales are required to register with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). The registrations requirements are nearly identical to those in England.[9]
Childminders in Scotland are required to register with the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS)[10]
In Northern Ireland, the Health & Social Services Trusts are the relevant authority for the Inspection and Regulation of Childminders[11].
It is an offence to work as an unregistered childminder in the United Kingdom.
In order to register as a childminder in England, the applicant must:
It is only once all of these criteria are met that a person is legally allowed to care for other people's children in their own home. However, if someone is still in the process of registering they are allowed to advertise their services, as long as all of these criteria are met by the time they are actually providing the care.
All childminders are required to have their registration certificate and public liability certificate on display during their working hours.
In Wales, a childminder must be registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW). The criteria for registration are much the same as those for registration in England[12].
Childminder in Scotland must be registered with Social Care and Social Work Improvement Services SCSWIS. The training requirements are different from those in England and Wales, as are the numbers of children that can be cared for, and only the Welfare Requirements of the EYFS must be followed[13].
The Health & Social Services Trusts are the relevant authority for the Inspection and Regulation of childminders in Northern Ireland[14]. As in Scotland, the training requirements and number of children that can be cared for are different to England and Wales.
The maximum number of children a single childminder in England and Wales can care for at any one time is six children under the age of 8 (it is not compulsory to register if care is only being provided for children over the age of eight). Of these six children:
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the number is six children between the birth and the age of twelve. The number of children can be increased if a childminder works with an assistant who also has a Paediatric First Aid Certificate.
It should be noted that these numbers are inclusive of any of the childminders own children.
It is also possible for OFSTED to grant a childminder a variation to allow them to care for additional children in each age category, for example to allow one childminder to care for a set of twins under the age of one.
In the wake of the case of Victoria Climbie, the government in England and Wales introduced the Every Child Matters initiative, with a detailed framework that requires the multiple agencies involved with children to work together. Frontline educational agencies, inluding childminders, are required to follow the framework.
In Scotland, a similar piece of legislation is known as Getting it Right for Every Child - GIRFEC.
In 2008, the Early Years Foundation Stage was introduced for children in between birth and the age of five. This consists of a series of Welfare requirements and a series of Learning and Development requirements. In England and Wales, childminders are required to follow the entirety of the the EYFS, but in Scotland, only the Welfare Requirements must be followed.
The EYFS is a controversial piece of legislation and in 2011 was reviewed by Dame Claire Tickell[15]. A series of amendments are due to be released in 2012.
The following UK legislation covers registered childminders:
There are three main childminding associations in the United Kingdom, the National Childminding Association (NCMA), the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA), and the Northern Ireland Childminding Association (NICMA). These associations provide training, advice and support to members, as well as representing the interests of childminders at national levels.
Many counties within the UK also have childminding associations, and also provide support, advice and training to their members.
There are no legal requirements for childminders to be members of any associations.
In order to register in the United Kingdom, a childminder must undertake a basic qualification in childcare practise, as well as obtaining a certificate in child protection, and a paediatric first aid certificate.
Once registered, there are no further qualification required, however there are a range of qualifications available within the field of Early Childhood Education, up to and including Postgraduate level.
Many television programs feature real nannies, many of which help parents discipline children.
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