Off the list

The Professional Association of Nursery Nurses draws our attention to nanny agencies operating 'blacklists' of nannies they do not intend to put forward for jobs, which they sometimes share with other agencies in their area. PANN professional officer Tricia Pritchard says, 'These illegal lists highlight very clearly the need for nanny registration. Sadly, many names appear on a blacklist simply because a parent and nanny had a silly fall-out or the parent made unreasonable demands on the nanny. A nanny should not be prevented from working simply because an agency has been told she's "not very good" or "I didn't like her". 'We urge all nanny agencies to consider very carefully the implications for them when operating a blacklist. What steps do they take to ensure the information they receive is fair and not made out of malice? Should the nanny take issue with the agency and be able to prove the information on which they based their decision to blacklist her was incorrect, does the agency have adequate insurance cover to resist a challenge? Blacklists are not the answer. They do not protect children or reassure parents, and they certainly do not protect nannies.'