Perfect partnership

Diana Barden had never considered employing a nanny. Her two children, Laurence and Lena, were happy in their day nursery. Between herself and her husband, time could always be organised so that someone was home if either of them had to work late or be away overnight.

Then the marriage broke up. Diana recalls, 'When I found myself suddenly single, I had to make a choice - should I abandon my fledgling training company and get a job that would fit into nursery opening hours? Or should I find childcare to cover my time away from home? Realistically, any job that would pay my mortgage and living costs would probably demand long working hours, whereas staying with my own business gave me a level of control over my time, and I was able to work from home when I was not away training. I had also decided to move to Cambridgeshire to be close to my brother and his family. Although my children love to spend time with their cousins I did not want them to have to be bundled off to another house every time I needed to be away. I also had to consider that they were going to leave the home, nursery and friends they had known all their lives. I wanted to make the transition as stable as possible. So I decided to take on a live-in nanny.