Poppins Agency

Nanny Services

Poppins Agency will:

• Listen carefully to your requirements in order to work out what kind of person would be suitable.
• Offer advice and guidance on pay, conditions and expectations.
• Once registered, we will send through a selection of CVs of candidates who have been interviewed and vetted.
• Support prior to interviewing candidates and post interview, we can offer guidance on what to look for in a nanny and on how to structure the interviews.
• We will determine who is capable of undertaking your position, leaving you to work out which person you click with as a family.
• We can offer guidance on the current guidance/legislation on employing a nanny.
• Supply sample contract of employment for you to tailor to your own needs.
• We work with a reliable established payroll service.

Qualified Nannies

Nannies who have passed a two year course and gained a CACHE Diploma or equivalent certificate in order to make a career in caring for children. The minimum age is 18 years. Their role is to care for the children and look after their needs: meals, clothing, entertainment, toys and keeping their rooms clean and tidy. Generally they will not assist with other work in the house, but some are more flexible than others. They usually have sole charge of the children while on duty and, in some cases, will only accept a position if they have sole charge.

Experienced Nannies

Nannies who do not have a formal qualification but have several years experience of working with children. Their duties are similar to the qualified nanny, but may be willing to help with some other work in the house and be generally more flexible.

Mother’s Help

As the name implies, their role is to assist the mother at home. They are usually unqualified, although we screen them as to their suitability for the job. The age range is normally 18-24 but they can occasionally be younger persons who are willing to accept a lower salary to gain experience, or a more mature person wishing to return to work after their own family has left home. Some may be capable of taking sole charge of the children at the parent’s discretion. Their duties are to assist the mother with the children and light housework.

Maternity Nurses

Maternity nurses may have a professional qualification or will have had considerable newborn experience. Maternity Nurses are a great help and support with newborns after returning home from hospital. They can be booked for any length of time (most bookings are for 4-6 weeks) but can be for as long as 6 months or as little as a few days.

Maternity nurses will help with feeding and care for baby and mum, assisting in structuring a good routine and should it be required, they take over completely.

Most maternity nurses work 24 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. It is advisable to book maternity nurses as early as possible as they do get booked up, however, we are able to source maternity nurses at short notice for emergencies.

A maternity nurse is expected to undertake responsibility for the care of the baby and mother and their duties include:

• preparing all milk feeds and sterilising equipment
• feeding or assisting with feeding baby day and night
• advising on breast feeding as necessary
• washing and ironing baby's clothes, cot linen etc.
• bathing and changing the baby as required
• daily tidying and cleaning all nursery
• assisting parents to establish a routine

Salary Guidelines for Maternity Nurses

Maternity nurses are self-employed and work on a freelance basis. Salaries vary according to age, experience and qualifications and the number of babies she is responsible for e.g. twins or triplets.

• Maternity Nurse (single baby): £750 - £900 a week or £125-£160 a day
• Maternity Nurse (twins): £850 - £1200 a week or £150-£200 a day
• Maternity Nurse (triplets): £1200+ a week or £200+ a day

A nanny with newborn experience who is aspiring to become a maternity nurse can offer a cheaper option for parents. This type of candidate may accept a rate of £100 per 24 hours as she is eager to gain experience and a reference.

The client is requested to reimburse reasonable travelling expenses for interviews and travel at commencement of post. For overseas positions, the employer is responsible for all travel and medical insurance and the cost of the return flight.

Living In

Your home becomes home to the nanny and a successful relationship depends on making the nanny feel welcome and at home, but at the same time the nanny must not forget that she is employed to do a job. There must be a mutual respect for working hours and privacy and agreed rules regarding entertaining friends. It would help if the nanny’s room has enough space to be able to relax in as well as sleep and providing a TV in the room helps the nanny’s privacy and yours.

Salary

Salary obviously depends on working arrangements and the age and experience of the candidate but the following is an approximate guide to gross pay:

Daily Sole Charge Nanny £6.50-£12.00 gross per hour
Mother’s Help £6.00- £8.00 gross per hour
Full Time Live-in Nanny £400-£750 gross per week
Full Time Live-in Mother’s help £300-£500 gross per week

Housekeepers/Cleaners £8.00-£12.00 gross per hour
Gardeners £8.00-£12.00 gross per hour
Full Time Live-in Couples £550– £1000 gross per week

Many nannies may quote net rates of pay, but we strongly suggest employers agree a gross wage, so that you know exactly how much you are going to have to pay. Additionally, it is in the nanny’s interests to agree a gross wage.

As the employer, you are responsible for the nanny’s tax and national insurance. We work closely with a nanny payroll company, Nannytax and include their website details for your information. nannytax.co.uk

Ofsted Childcare Register

Parents who employ an Ofsted registered nanny can receive some financial support towards their childcare costs either from employer-supported childcare vouchers or working tax credits.

To become registered with Ofsted, a nanny needs to demonstrate she has:

• received training in the core skills of childcare
• a valid paediatric first aid certificate
• public liability insurance
• a CRB check undertaken as part of the Ofsted registration process 

Please note, it is not compulsory for nannies to register with Ofsted.

Further information is available on following websites:

childcarevouchers.co.uk
childcarevouchers.co.uk/parent/childtaxcredits/index.asp
ofsted.gov.uk