Sound knowledge

Wednesday, July 25, 2001

If our child safety quiz on page 6 shows that you're dangerously clueless in such matters, you could ask your employer to send you on a first aid course tailor-made for nannies and au pairs. Safe and Sound is a training service set up a year ago by two London mothers, Roma Felstein and Tina Lazarus, after they realised that vast numbers of children were looked after by au pairs who didn't like to admit they didn't know what to do in an emergency. They offer a basic first aid, a lifesaver or an au pair's course, all taught by trained medical staff, and you can book into a scheduled course or arrange one yourself for a group. Reading a first aid book is never enough, says Roma - 'You can never replace the practical. When panic sets in and you switch to autopilot, you'll know what to do if you've actually practised it.' Fees range from 40 to 65, and Roma says that nearly all the nannies who've done the courses have their fees paid by their employers - but she's amazed how many parents are reluctant. 'I find it mind-blowing that people would even question paying that money, where their child's life is concerned, when they'd pay it for a sweater or a pair of jeans,' she says. At any rate, doing a course will earn you a certificate valid for three years. Contact Safe and Sound on 0208 348 1797, e-mail info@safe-and-sound.org.uk.