The final version of the standards will be used by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care to register and inspect nanny agencies. But Eddy Tulloch, who heads the Edinburgh-based agency Butterfly Person-nel, said the draft standards, published by the Scottish Executive just before Christmas, were 'aimed at trying to reassure people things will be all right, when no one can guarantee that'.
The six standards set out in Draft National Care Standards for Childcare Agencies - A consultation paper are written from the standpoint of the service user, that is the parent. The standard covering management and staffing arrangements says that a parent should be confident that the agency has selected carers on the basis of a number of checks, including an enhanced disclosure from Disclosure Scotland and international criminal records checks where possible. The checks should also include cross-referencing with the list of individuals considered unsuitable to work with children, referred to in the Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill currently making its way through the Scottish Parliament (see News, 12 December).
Eddy Tulloch said that agencies could face punitive costs if enhanced disclosure checks have to be carried out before a nanny is placed with a family.
'If we have ten girls on our books and five placements, do we have to get them checked before they are placed with a family? It is not clear. Either side could pull out and that means 13.60 - the cost of a check - goes to waste,' she said.
She said that rather than the onus being on agencies, nannies should be able to to obtain their own police and medical checks and then register directly with the Care Commission, and that agencies should not be involved in the disclosure process at all.
Carol Edmundson, who owns the Glasgow Nanny Agency, said, 'In principle the standards are a good thing and agencies should be regulated. But they will involve a lot more bureaucracy. If I have to ensure all these checks are carried out, in the end I might have to put up my fees.'
She said that a promise in Standard 4 that an agency will notify parents if their childcarer is 'unavailable or will be late' was unworkable and irrelevant. 'As an agency we introduce nannies to families and then it's up to them to communicate with each other. I'll definitely be commenting on this, as I just don't think it is our responsibility to let parents know if their nanny is ill.'
Michael White, regional officer of the Professional Association of Teachers, said those responsible for drafting the standards had failed to address the issue of regulating nannies who are hired directly by parents.
'We have already written to the Scottish Executive because the care standards do not apply to nannies not hired through an agency. Now we will be making the same representations, because the numbers of nannies being hired privately are growing, and they are totally unregulated.'
Margaret Davidson, who runs Iona's Childcare Agency in Edinburgh, queried the meaning of the pledge in Standard 5, 'You can be confident that the manager or anyone responsible for placing childcarers will demonstrate a high level of professional competence and skill and a thorough understanding of childcare issues.' If that meant a manager had to have a teaching or nursery nurse qualification, she said, it could have serious consequences for the running of her agency.
The standards are available on www.scotland.gov.uk/health/standardsandsponsorship or from Rab Mowatt, Care Standards and Sponsorship Branch, Scottish Executive, 2ES, St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh EH1 3DG.
