Lack of regulation in nanny industry puts children at risk, warn campaigners, as government accused of being 'lazy'

Experts have accused the government of being "lazy" towards the sector and unwilling to close a potentially dangerous legal gap in childcare.

In England, while childminders and nursery staff are required to adhere to certain standards and register with official bodies like Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education), nannies are not subject to the same mandatory oversight.

Instead, parents alone are responsible for arranging checks, references, tax and National Insurance for anyone they employ as a nanny.

Maria Culley and Allie Bell, co-founders of the National Nanny Association, have told LBC the lack of government regulation is putting children, families, and even nannies themselves, at risk.

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The National Nanny Association is calling for mandatory background checks, standardised training, a national registry and ongoing professional development for nannies in England.

Maria said: "We want the loophole closed and all children to be safe and protected. The main thing for us is that all children are safeguarded and that parents are given the understanding and knowledge to know that actually right now that's not where we're at."

"What we're trying to prevent is something [bad] from happening," Allie said. "This is children that we're talking about.

"This is why we are campaigning for what we are because we want children to be safeguarded. We don't want anything to happen to a child."

She accused the government of "turning a blind eye" to the risk, and said: "Every time we try and say anything about regulation of nannies, they just say that the families are the employers, but the problem is they're not educating the families properly. So it's like a vicious circle."

Dangers of online forums

This lack of regulation is becoming a greater danger as parents increasingly turn to WhatsApp groups and social media forums to search for and hire nannies.

Allie said: "The whole attitude of the government when it comes to nannies is just lazy and they don't want to get involved.

"But the fact is it's getting more and more dangerous now with AI, with WhatsApp, with Facebook.

"It will get to that stage with the nanny industry when something will happen. Something bad will happen if it continues."

They told LBC that these WhatsApp chats can have thousands of people in them, advertising jobs and services with no regulation over membership.

They expressed concern over how many people have shared photos and personal information about children in these groups.

"It just takes one nasty person who wants access to children," she warned, as she suggested dangerous people could target these groups because "it's so easy" to access.

"There's no checks to join the group," she said. "I've actually managed to join some of them just so I can see what's going on.

"You could be anyone, you could be one person with 10 phone numbers, getting information, names, addresses.

"Some people even post their CVs and pictures of children on there, which is terrifying.

"They're giving them open access to vulnerable children. All the children are vulnerable because there's no regulation."

Allie said: "Parents just want a quick fix. Sometimes, they get desperate because they've got to work.

"They don't take time to choose the right child carer and therefore that leads to issues with the children."

They said many parents might not even be aware that someone working as a nanny hasn't undergone checks.

Maria said: "I think the majority that we've spoken to presume we are already regulated in line with anyone else that has any access to children, whether they're a cleaner, nursing, nurse, anyone else.

"So there is a massive presumption that we are regulated, which doesn't help."

She continued: "Our theory is that actually this is happening a lot more and parents are scared to admit that they may have a nanny without any checks because they presumed, like so many do, that we are regulated.

"And there also is a bit of a stigma about having a nanny because it's also sometimes seen that it's only for the top earners and they don't want to see that there's a problem."

While there is concern that many issues are going unreported, some cases have made headlines in recent years.

In one case that was reported in 2018, Vogue Contributing editor Violet Henderson wrote how she hired a nanny - named only as Mary - to look after her four-month-old daughter when she returned to work.

She worked with the family for two years before her crimes were revealed, and she was later jailed for 16 months for stealing thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.

Describing what happened as "every working mother's nightmare", Violet said she feared the nanny was planning to steal her identity after taking her driving licence.

The nanny was hired by Violet and her husband after being recommended by a friend of a friend who she worked for as a housekeeper and came "unencumbered by hefty agency finder's fees".

Safe practice when hiring a nanny

Maria and Allie explained when looking to hire a nanny, parents should be checking that individual and asking for two to three references. They should also be doing an enhanced DBS check.

A first aid certificate would be preferable when looking after a child of any age, but especially for a child under three years old.

The nanny should feel confident enough to resuscitate a child, recognise choking and recognise if there's a real problem on their own in an emergency.

It is also important the nanny is insured, as Allie and Maria noted there is another issue at the moment with some not having the correct insurance.

A Department for Education Spokesperson said: “This government believes children growing up in our country deserve the best start in life. That’s why we are investing a record £9.5 billion in early years, expanding funded childcare, supporting disadvantaged children through unprecedented increases to the early years pupil premium, rolling out school-based nurseries and opening Best Start Family Hubs across the country.

“Employing a nanny is a private arrangement and parents are responsible for checking the suitability of anyone caring for their child. Parents can choose to employ a nanny who is registered on Ofsted’s voluntary General Childcare Register, which includes safeguarding requirements, or ask nannies to undertake enhanced DBS checks.

“Ofsted regulates and inspects early years providers to uphold the high standards of care that parents expect and children deserve. With 98% of providers rated good or outstanding, families can be confident in the quality of care in regulated settings.”