INTERVIEW// Babysitters are expected to be professional and responsible, says the managing director of London babysitting agency

Vydáno 19.1.2014 Překlady Kateřina Dušková

Babysitting is an integral part of family life in abroad. How do agencies work to ensure procurement of these services? What standards must meet the babysitter to be prospective for clients? Questions answered managing director of the London agency Babysitters London and Care Book to Lydia Braeley.

Who is a babysitter?

A babysitter is a person responsible for caring for a child when the child's parents are absent in exchange of payment. A babysitter would not care for a child in the babysitter's own home otherwise they would need to be Ofsted registered. Babysitting may be regular or irregular work but is only part-time if it is regular.

What is a difference between a babysitter and a nanny?

There isn't a great deal of difference as the laws and policies for babysitters and nannies are very similar however a nanny does regular work for just 1 or 2 families whereas a babysitter works on request as and when needed for a variety of families.

What responsibilities does a babysitter have?

A babysitter is expected to keep children safe, tend to basic care needs, entertain and stimulate a child until the parent's return. The parent's may ask that a babysitter cooks dinner then gives the child/ren a bath, dresses them in nightwear and put them to bed. For a baby babysitters would change nappies, feed formula, wean them onto solid foods, comfort them with cuddles and songs etc and settle them to sleep. Older children may need collecting from school, have a meal prepared for them, receive help with homework and play games with them.

What ages will babysitters care for?

Our agency cares for children aged newborn to 12 years old.

How does the process of finding a babysitter work?

Clients contact us via phone or email and either choose a babysitter from our website or we match them according to location, age of the child/experience of the babysitter and languages spoken. We then ask the client to complete a short form on the children's details, address, preferences etc.

Is it possible to meet a babysitter beforehand?

Yes, it would involve booking a minimum three hour session.

Is it possible to get the same babysitter each time?

It is possible, many families do. Clients would need to mention this when they first contact us and let us know what regular days/times they may want and we would see if sitters are happy to commit to those times.

How can a client verify his/her babysitter when he/she arrives?

We use a password system. Parents choose a password and this is given only to babysitters that they book. All babysitters also have their photos on our website.

How are babysitters vetted?

We have a very thorough recruitment process. Applicants complete an application form which can be downloaded from our website. This gathers work history, qualifications training and much more. We then decide if the application has potential to be a great sitter and if so we offer an interview.

At the interview we will pose a few scenarios and assess their level of experience whilst scanning and verifying documents, photo identification and certificates.

If we decide the applicant is successful at the interview we ask them to sign and return a contract agreeing to our policies and we contact references. We ask that references are either given by phone or handwritten on headed paper and signed.

Once all stages of application are complete we place a profile for the babysitter online using information from the application form. As soon as this is all in place we can start matching the sitter to families.

What are your criteria for babysitters?

We ask that all applicants have experience with children, especially for under 5's and even more for under 1's. We also ensure all applicants are over 18 and are legal to work in the UK.

Do all babysitters have background checks/First Aid/CRB?

Not all do. Each babysitter has a profile on our website which details whether they have enhanced CRB/DBS checks first aid training, child protection training, food hygiene training and/or Ofsted registration. Many of our babysitters have primary jobs as nurses, teachers and nursery assistants. It is understandable that most parents want these assurances for their children's safety and we are happy to match parent's accor­dingly.

Is it necessary to give notice in order to book a babysitter?

The sooner a client books a babysitter, the more likely they would be available though we can provide a sitter with 3 hours notice, just long enough for a sitter to get ready for the job and travel.

Do babysitters work on holidays?

Yes, babysitters can be booked any day of the year though each babysitter chooses their own work hours and days accordingly to their availability and preferences so not all sitters will be available. We also have babysitters of different nationalities, cultures and religions so it may be that a sitter doesn't celebrate certain holidays.

What is the babysitter hourly rate?

We charge a booking fee of £8 per session and a rate of £7.50 per hour. This rate covers up to 3 children, for each additional child the rate will be an additional £2ph up to a maximum of 5 children. A very competitive rate!

What methods of payment do you accept?

Payments can be made in cash to the babysitter or over the phone by card in advance.

Do you have a cancellation fee or a deposit?

No but we do ask clients cancel with at least three hours notice or we may still charge them the 3 hour minimum booking to cover the sitters lost income and possible travel costs.

Are you insured?

We have public liability insurance.

Do you have professional certificates?

I have Ofsted registration with an Outstanding rating. Training Certificates – ICP childminding training, Paediatric First Aid, Child Protection Training, Completed Training as an Outreach Worker for families and children, Completed Training in Training Volunteers to Counsel Young People, Certificate in Counselling Young People, Certificate for foster care training, Qualifications – NVQ Level 3 Childcare, Education and Development, Diploma in Counselling, BTEC Level 2 in Health and Social Care Distinction, Level 2 Numeracy Level 2 Literacy Distinction.

How long have you been in this business?

I have worked in childcare in a variety of different capacities for fifteen years and Babysitters London is now in its 2nd year.

How does babysitting develop in the Great Britain?

There is always a higher expectation on training, qualifications and babysitters are expected to keep updated on the latest policies and training. Safety is becoming more and more paramount and so criminal checks, verifications and vetting systems are becoming more important to parents all the time.

Lydia Braeley is Managing Director of Care to Book and Babysitters London. She has worked in childcare for fifteen years ever since discovering she was pregnant at sixteen years old and deciding to dedicate her life to caring for children. She has worked as a child counsellor, mentor, trainer, family support worker, nanny babysitter, childminder, nursery worker and manager, youth worker, teaching assistant and volunteered for 5 years to a variety of different child related charities so have experienced many different sides of the childcare industry. She run a small full-time nursery from her home for children aged two months to nine years old which has been open for three years now. She also run Babysitters London which as the name suggests, is a London based agency providing babysitters at any time of day to the client's address. She also run Care to Book which offers all forms of childcare workers including nannies, au-pairs, tutors and children's party entertainers.