We are extremely frustrated by the move to persuade nannies to become 'home childcarers' or registered childminders in order to gain limited recognition.
A nanny is a professional in her own right. If she wanted to register as a childminder to enable her to work as an Approved Home Childcarer, she would have done so and the Government's Home Childcarer Scheme would not have been the failure it turned out to be.
PANN has recently judged the candidates for the Professional Nanny of the Year Award. The standard of entrants was breathtaking. All had several years of childcare experience, all were qualified to at least NVQ3 standard. All were first-aid trained and many had completed a number of childcare and early years career development programmes to further their knowledge and expertise, at their own expense. Each candidate's application had to be endorsed by their current employer and a professional practitioner such as health visitor, midwife or family doctor.
PANN calls on all childcarers to support their nanny colleagues as nanny colleagues. Nannies are not a threat to childminders or nursery nurses.
They are another option of childcare for parents and complement the many varied options of childcare currently available.
Tricia Pritchard
Professional officer, PANN
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