Eden Nannies & Maternity, in our capacity as part of the National Working Party for the registration of childcare agencies, has redoubled efforts to ensure the safety of children, privately supervised, at all levels.

Our specific code of practice runs in parallel with that under legislative review, led by PANN (The professional Association of Nursery Nurses). In association with the NSPCC and other leading authorities, Eden Nannies & Maternity will provide only suitably qualified staff who possess faultless references and encourage all Childcares undertake the Criminal Records Bureau Enhanced Disclosure process.

In delivering the highest quality personnel, we operate a scrupulous inspection procedure through Civil & Corporate Security, the UK’s primary vetting service (also working with the National Working Party) assuring parents that no stone is left unturned when dealing with the safety of their children.

For those permanent nannies who are successfully placed in a position by Eden Nannies & Maternity, from 1st January 2004, and who remain in that position for the first 8 weeks, we will pay for the cost of obtaining a CRB Enhanced Disclosure.

What Is The New Police Check Professional Nannies & Maternity Nurses Should Have?

Recently discussed in the media has been the shortage of teachers that have been CRB checked. (Criminal Record Bureau) The CRB is an executive agency of the Home Office and has been established to improve access to information on criminal records held by the police and government departments. At Eden Nannies & Maternity we firmly believe professional child carer's should undertake to have themselves checked frequently. This is something any professional child carer should see as a benefit to their professionalism towards working with children and also offers additional peace of mind to any potential employers.

At present we cannot automatically check all registered candidates, but we have recently linked up with a company who can do these checks for any nannies and maternity nurses looking to obtain one. The checks take around six weeks to get, and vary in cost depending in the check you require. For further information on getting a Criminal Records Disclosure done please call us on 0845 128 4279

What is a Criminal Records Disclosure?
A 'Disclosure' is a document containing information held by the Police and Government departments. More and more employers are requesting that a record check is undertaken for nannies they are looking at employing.

There are three types of Disclosures:

• Basic Disclosure
  This only contains information held on Central Police records that are unspent according to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
  
  
• Standard Disclosure
  This contains information about both spent and unspent convictions, as well as cautions, warnings and reprimands. This disclosure also contains any details from lists held by the Department of Health and The Department for Skills and Education of those considered unsuitable for working with children.
  
  
• Enhanced Disclosure
  This is the most comprehensive and appropriate check that is available. In addition to the information contained in a standard disclosure it also provides any information held on List 99, the Protection of Children Act list and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list. These are lists of Adults deemed NOT suitable to work with children, but who may not have been prosecuted.

Benefits to Employers.
The main benefit to you, as an employer is that by asking for a disclosure you obtain "Peace of Mind" in knowing that your employee or potential employee has been found suitable to work for you and to be in close contact with your children.There is also security in the knowledge that your employee or potential employee has not been convicted of an offence of theft, and therefore your home and possessions should, in theory, remain safe.

Finally, asking for a disclosure can help in building a trusting relationship with the new nanny that you are letting into your home.

Benefits to Nannies & Maternity Nurses
Obtaining a disclosure will show you are very serious about your choice of
profession, and therefore will be looked upon more favourably by potential employers. Additionally, having no convictions that could potentially put a client's children at risk can be used as an extra selling point when you are at the interview stage.

If you are going to work overseas you can take your disclosure with you to prove that you have undergone thorough security vetting in the UK, therefore saving the time of a potential employer in checking background information.

What about Nannies from overseas?
A UK disclosure can be obtained for anyone who has been living in the UK for at least six months. Checks can also be obtained from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Prospective nannies from other countries may be able to obtain checks from their embassy in London, or before they arrive in the country.

If you need further information, please email info@eden-nannies.co.uk