Users can rate and review childcare settings in online directory

The Good Care Guide has information on almost 60,000 childcare and eldercare providers. It has been created by My Family Care, whose managing director is Ben Black of Tinies Childcare, and social enterprise United for All Ages, headed by Stephen Burke, former director of the Daycare Trust, and Denise Burke.

The guide, which is similar to consumer websites such as Trip Advisor, invites parents to search for and rate nurseries, pre-schools and nanny agencies on their quality of care, facilities and value for money, as well as leaving additional comments.

The directory also enables users to find and rate care homes and home care agencies.

Childminders are not included.

Inspection body Ofsted, payroll service Nannytax and a number of charities, including the Daycare Trust, all helped develop the online directory.

The creators of the guide say they hope it will improve transparency and the quality of care by giving families a say.

According to Ben Black of My Family Care, tight measures have been put into place to ensure that only honest comments are left by proper users of childcare. However, providers or parents can ask for any comments they believe to be unfair to be removed and they can respond to comments.

To post a comment, users must say how long they have been using a provider's services. The creators of the guide say they think that this will stop a provider's competitors leaving negative comments or staff giving glowing reviews about their own nurseries.

Each provider's entry includes their address, contact details, the local authority in which they are based and a link to their most recent Ofsted report.

Nurseries, pre-schools or nanny agencies can enhance their listing by taking out an annual subscription to the Good Care Guide for £60, which allows them to add key information and photographs.

Denise Burke, co-founder of United for All Ages, said, 'We developed the website as there is a clear gap in the market.

'For most people, looking for child or elder care is an important step, so they don't want to make a mistake in the place they choose.

'We believe that lots of providers will be encouraged to enhance their listing and we have one large provider that is already doing so, which will probably create a trickle, trickle effect.

'The cost to enhance a listing is relatively small for increased publicity. It also enables a nursery to add not only photos, but the qualifications of their staff and the history of the setting.

'The Good Care Guide offers parents an alternative to contacting their local family information service for the nurseries in their area and does more than just provide a list of settings.'

More information is available at http://www.goodcareguide.co.uk.