TNT January 26th 2004

Better Safe Than Sorry

Child Carers Beware: Unsafe Agencies Abound, Tarnishing The Reputation of the Industry in the UK. Emily Colston Reports.

Almost two-thirds of childcare agencies have failed independent safety tests, according to a survey investigating the UK’s childcare providers.

A total of 849 agencies nationwide were independently tested throughout last year by Best Bear Childcare. Of those, 338 failed the test outright, 298 had closed or gone out of business since they were last tested and only 213 passed. That means, of the 551 agencies in the survey that continue to trade, only 39% passed the stringent undercover safety tests Best Bear conducted. If you include the closure of an agency as a failure, this figure becomes an even more alarming 25%.

The results reveal some agencies are willing to immediately send nannies out on interviews having only spoken to them on the phone and without verifying essential references. This placement of business before safety can only lead to unscrupulous carers lying about their experience to better their chances of getting placed with an employer. Many agencies also have an inadequate understanding of the business, including a worryingly negligent knowledge of necessarily qualifications such as the NNEB, according to the report.

Despite the current climate and rising fears for child safety, little is being done to protect children from inexperienced, unqualified and unregulated childcare agencies. The industry in the UK places thousands of nannies, au pairs and mothers’ helpers every year, yet anyone can set up a private childcare agency without any qualifications, registration or police checks. This is not only worrying for parents and agencies, but also legitimate carers looking for work.

Jean Birtles of Top Notch Nannies agrees with Best Bear findings, and warns childcarers to be careful about who they sign up with. “There are agencies who operate under such devious methods,” Birtles says. “Top agencies only reach that status by operating in a professional and ethical manner. I suggest that clients investigate the history of their potential agencies and register with one or two reputable agencies. An agency that has been operating for a number of years and is a registered member of a recognised body, for example REC (The Recruitment and Employment Confederation), is an agency that operates with professionalism and ethics.”

Sally Harrison, Director of Best Bear Childcare, says that while there are rogue agencies out there, it is hard for people to sort the good from the bad. “Despite the results of the 2003 survey, there are obviously good agencies out there that really care about the safe placement of childcarers and, thankfully, we now know who they are. Until such time as agencies are regulated – either by the government or through a self regulation scheme – we will continue to provide this service.”

Best Bear has the only listing of independently tested childcare agencies in the UK. Only childcare agencies that pass their test are invited to appear on their website (www.bestbear.co.uk). Some agencies that pass the test choose not to appear on the website, though, so if a company isn’t listed that doesn’t necessarily mean they failed the test.