Nursery World - Out in the cold

Despite wide support for introducing a register for nannies, the Government still resists it, and the Criminal Records Bureau may have little impact. James Tweed reports A new organisation, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), this month took over responsibility for police checks on childcarers in England and Wales in a move to provide greater protection of children from potential abusers. But its creation has again highlighted the fact that nannies remain unregulated, and has prompted many to renew their calls for a nanny register.

A new organisation, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), this month took over responsibility for police checks on childcarers in England and Wales in a move to provide greater protection of children from potential abusers. But its creation has again highlighted the fact that nannies remain unregulated, and has prompted many to renew their calls for a nanny register.

Registered childcarers already operate by national care standards, they are already inspected by Ofsted, and now the vast majority will be subject to the most rigorous of the three police checks available under the Bureau - the Enhanced Disclosure (see box). Yet nannies are again the exception.

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