Nanny register is long overdue

On 3 April I sat down to watch the ITV programme 'Who's Looking After Your Child?'. What I saw confirmed a long-held opinion of mine - the overdue need for a national register of nannies.

The programme showed that for parents, looking for a nanny at present appears to be something of a lottery. It also revealed that, due to inadequate checks on prospective nannies, even some nanny agencies failed to provide the assurances that parents take for granted but pay a lot of money for.

I am an experienced, fully-qualified nanny currently working as a registered childminder while my own children are young. In order to become registered I have had to have my background and childcare career checked as well as my home, plus police and health checks. My philosophy on childcare was discussed with my Ofsted inspector to ensure that I had the necessary views and skills to care for children well.

The Government has national standards for under-eights daycare and childminding for us to meet and it has Ofsted to police them. Reassuringly, I have the support of the National Childminding Association should I need help or advice. There is also provision for further training and I attend regular courses.

There are many dedicated, responsible nannies out there. However, no checks or inspections were made of the care I provided. Unlike some nannies, I had the grounding of an excellent training behind me. The job of a nanny can be very lonely and demanding, with little or no support available, and it is not surprising that a nanny can run into all kinds of difficulties.

Surely the formal registration of all nannies would provide parents with the same reassurances as those parents employing a registered childminder.

Although there are no guarantees, perhaps we could then avoid the kind of unpleasant incidents we witnessed in the TVprogramme. Don't our children deserve our protection?