Shortage of nannies could become a safeguarding issue

Many nanny agencies up and down the country are experiencing a nanny practitioner shortage as more and more families are turning to nanny agencies to source good-quality childcare. 

Since Brexit and Covid-19, many families are finding it harder to source childcarers, either from the EU or Australasia.

This in turn means qualified, experienced nannies are therefore in huge demand, leaving many desperate working parents turning to candidates who are inexperienced and not qualified. Could this be a safeguarding issue with these families putting their children at potential risk by employing ‘nannies’ who are not qualified, experienced, DBS-checked or first-aid-qualified? 

Our best efforts are being hindered by Government policies and an apparent lack of understanding of the impact of Brexit and Covid-19.

Our agency currently has the most clients registered since we set up in 2017. Eighteen months ago, the majority of our calls were from nannies seeking work, and now the tables have turned.

We are also experiencing a lower number of nursery practitioners moving over from the nursery sector into nannying.

We spoke to some of our colleagues within the nursery sector who believe the reasoning behind this could be the change in the EYFS (less paperwork being the main factor) and the rise in the National Living Wage being offered next year.