Once I actually saw her hit my three-year-old son across the head, thinking that he would see it as a joke, but she actually hurt him. What concerned me was that if she was that casual about the way she treated the children when I was there, I couldn't rely on her caring for them while I was not there.
As a result, I fully agree with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's call for nannies to be registered (News, 17 January). Nannies are in a position of trust and are usually completely unsupervised as they work. Without resorting to 'Big Brother' tactics such as hidden cameras, how else can parents be sure that their children are in safe hands?
I think that there should be a UK-wide register, that all childcarers should be on it, that they should have police checks done before starting work, and that nannies or any other carers should be struck off the register and no longer be allowed to work with children if they are found guilty of any kind of abuse.
Jane Akroyd, Adelaide, South Australia
