Working as an emergency nanny can be a tough call. Would you feel confident about stepping into an unfamiliar household where a member of the family has been taken ill or called away on business, leaving behind children who feel their whole world has been turned upside down? Or coping with a child who is sick at home and being left by parents who have to go out to work?
Many of these worst-case scenarios are just a phone call away for those who are prepared to work in emergency childcare situations. These nannies will come to the rescue, often at very short notice, and take on a wide range of duties that can make all the difference to a family struggling in the face of adversity.
This work is not for the faint-hearted, and agencies that supply nannies for such temporary posts say the candidates have to be experienced and flexible. Along with practical know-how, 'people skills' are vital, as emergency zones often require careful handling of distraught adults as well as children.
However, if you have the skills and the determination to do the job, you can expect a steady demand for your services. These days more corporate companies are prepared to pay for emergency childcare to keep their staff at work when a domestic crisis strikes. Nannies in these situations often have the opportunity to earn more than the standard rate of pay, although the pressures can be intense.
At Select Nannies in Surrey, agency owner Angela Spencer says she currently has around 20 temporary nannies on her books whom she knows are willing to tackle this kind of work and have the confidence to do it well.
'Flexibility and the ability to keep a cool head in a crisis are the most important requirements,' she says. 'These nannies have to be relatively open-minded about what their job will entail and be prepared to do anything in the home, because these kinds of positions are rarely just about nursery duties.'
This may not be every nanny's cup of tea, but for many who feel they have made a real contribution to helping a family out of difficulty, the work is rewarding. Being thrown in at the deep end is also a good test of skills.
Jeanette Barker has 20 years of experience as a nanny and has recently combined emergency work with a part-time post as a maternity nurse. She says that although the assignments tend to be at short notice, it is still vital to get as much upfront information as possible about a child's health, routine and likes and dislikes. Where nannies are left in charge of unfamiliar households, aspects of security are also particularly important.
'In addition to knowing all about children's ailments and dietary requirements, the nanny has to be aware of who is likely to be coming and going in the house, and be able to deal with burglar alarms and other security routines,' she says. 'It's a case of quickly getting to grips with all the nitty-gritty details and feeling confident in a strange environment.'
Jeanette, who also specialises in emergency work with newborns, reports that one of her most satisfying jobs was helping the mother of premature twins to achieve her goal of breastfeeding them while in hospital. Often this care extends to getting the mother home and helping her to establish a routine until the permanent nanny takes over.
'When a baby arrives early it can upset the best-laid plans and put the whole family under pressure,' she says. 'A temporary nanny with maternity experience can relieve the pressures associated with a premature baby and also give the mother a lot of much-needed reassurance.'
According to temporary nanny Katharine Watkins, emergency posts are all about grace under pressure. One of her most challenging jobs was taking sole charge of two young children after their mother had experienced a breakdown, and had been taken into hospital.
'It was a case of stepping in and taking over every aspect of the mother's role with very little guidance, because the father was out at work and he wasn't particularly hands-on,' she says. 'What also made it difficult was that one of the children had very bad eczema, which had to be treated, and both children were very distressed by their mother not being there.'
Katharine says that in any temporary post where there are external stresses placed on the family, there is a need to bond with the children quickly.
'You don't have the luxury of a long period of time to build up a relationship and you have to know how to gain their trust immediately,' she says. 'Emergency situations often arise in families who have no experience of nannies, and this doesn't make it any easier. On the other hand, some children will be on their best behaviour with a stranger.'
Harlow-based agency Parents' Choice corroborates that call-out nannies have to have a talent for empathising with children in situations where they are at their most vulnerable. This skill is frequently put to the test by the demands of the agency's corporate clients which require emergency childcare within the radius of the M25 motorway.
One of the agency's nannies, Georgina Ryan, responded to a call at 10am to start a job at 12 the same day. This involved looking after a little girl who was asleep in bed with a bad cold and who was distressed to awake and find her mother had been replaced by a stranger.
'Initially she seemed to be very suspicious of me, but by the end of the afternoon she was sitting on my lap and allowing herself to be cuddled,'
Georgina says. 'These kinds of situations can be distressing for children and you have to realise you can't force yourself on them. You have to give them time to make up their own mind about whether they want to come to you.'
For Clare O'Hara, an emergency job looking after five-month-old baby Jack, required giving the mother almost as much attention as the child.
'She had broken her knee falling downstairs and was stuck indoors,' says Clare. 'She liked to be with Jack as much as possible, which meant I was very restricted in terms of taking him out and about. It got a bit claustrophobic at times, but I developed a good relationship with her and I think my being there was a big support.'
Just as Clare found herself carrying out household duties that weren't strictly connected with Jack, other nannies testify to the fact that emergency positions can run the gamut of domestic chores.
When Katy Jenkins took a short-term post with a family who were trying to cope with an accident involving a grandparent, she found she had to juggle the care of a four year-old and young baby with a punishing schedule of hospital visits.
'The father had lost his leg in an accident, so it was a very difficult time for everyone,' says Katy. 'But apart from this there was the practical consideration of getting the grandmother to hospital visits on a regular basis. I was happy to run her around and help in any way I could. But I tried to remain focused on the children, because at the end of the day they were who I was there for.'
Not all emergency situations are so dramatic. Frequently nannies are called in at short notice just to enable beleaguered mothers to attend business meetings, keep to social engagements or even have a few hours to themselves.
But according to Katy, the pressures on an emergency nanny remain unchanged. 'Whatever the reasons for a nanny being called in at short notice, the objective is always to make life as smooth as possible for the children in your care. It's all about damage limitation, and it takes an experienced nanny to achieve that.'
With thanks to Kensington Nannies, Platinum Nanny Service, Select Nannies and Parents' Choice for contacts. Names have been changed.
