Nursery World - Ofsted-listed nannies 'need no proof' of credentials

Nannies who are listed on the Voluntary Ofsted Childcare Register (VOCR) might not be required to provide proof of their qualifications or work experience, a childcare recruitment agency has warned.

Tinies highlighted its concerns as it published the results of a survey of more than 700 parents, which found that 46 per cent of parents who had previously used a professional childcare agency were planning to search directly for candidates in the future.

The VOCR was launched in April 2007 as a successor to the voluntary Childcare Approval Scheme. Nannies are currently exempt from having to register with Ofsted but, if they do sign up to the VOCR, the families they work for can benefit from childcare tax credits and vouchers.

Amanda Coxen, franchise director at Tinies, said, 'We are concerned that some of the checks parents expect to have been carried out when hiring a nanny registered on the VOCR, such as their qualifications, are in fact only a tick box on the application form.

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