Hiring nanny care often comes with a whole host of questions for parents.
How does employment work? What are our responsibilities as an employer? How can we ensure the nanny we choose is trained in nanny care safety?
These are just a few of the most common concerns we hear from parents as an experienced nanny care agency.
Nanny Care Safety: Why use an Agency?
Choosing to source childcare through a nanny care agency is an excellent way to alleviate any worries and take the technicalities out of your hands. Most importantly, a nanny care agency can provide the crucial reassurance that your children will be safe, secure, healthy, and happy in their new childcare arrangement.
3 Vital Ways Nanny Care Agencies Offer Enhanced Nanny Care Safety and Security
1. Ensuring nannies are fully vetted.
Their child’s safety and security are every family’s top priority when hiring a nanny. But if you’re employing a nanny as an individual, it can be difficult to get hold of all the relevant information needed to complete thorough background checks. A nanny care agency will take care of this process for you, conducting everything from criminal background checks, reference checks and drug screenings, to personality assessments and driving record checks.1
At Oliver’s Nannies, for example, each of our nannies must undergo thorough background and reference checks, followed by a multi-step interview process to determine their suitability for the job. They must also pass a physical and be able to provide an up-to-date vaccination record. This process provides great peace of mind to parents that their children are in the safest possible hands from the get-go.
2. Providing detailed, secure care plans and ongoing nanny training.
A nanny care agency can help you set up a detailed care plan for your child or children. A nanny care plan should include clear safeguarding guidance on things like sleep safety in your home, medical conditions, medications and allergies, and permitted visitors. Having a robust plan of care in place for your nanny will allow them to provide the safe and secure care your child deserves.
Nanny care agencies also typically require their nannies to complete regular training. This can offer families peace of mind that their nanny is up to date on all the latest in childcare, health, and safety. For example, nannies should receive regular training in areas like first aid and CPR, plus car seat, playground, and sleep safety.
3. Providing employment, insurance, payroll, and tax support.
Just like any other kind of worker, nannies in the USA have several employment rights.2
For example:
- Nannies must be accurately paid for all hours worked, and receive correctly calculated overtime pay where required.
- The employer must make the correct tax deductions from the nanny’s paycheck (e.g., social security and Medicare, income tax).
- Workers’ Compensation means an employer is legally responsible for paying any medical bills and lost wages incurred due to a work-related injury.
If you directly hire a nanny, you’ll be responsible for making sure they are properly compensated and protected at work. You’ll also be liable for costs if things go wrong. Not only will getting the right provisions in place for this take more time, but it will also mean more expense. For example, household employers in New Jersey are required to have a Workers’ Compensation insurance policy,3 which varies in cost.
Some nanny care agencies employ their nannies directly. This means parents needn’t worry about the intricacies of being an employer. For example, every nanny in our agency is employed and fully insured by us, taking the pressure and responsibility off parents. And while other nanny care agencies don’t employ their nannies, they are well-versed in areas like employment law, payroll, and necessary insurances, and should be able to offer parents robust support and advice.
Why Choose Oliver’s Nannies for Nanny Care Safety?
Oliver’s Nannies is an experienced nanny care agency serving families in Milburn, NJ and beyond. All our nannies are fully employed, managed, and insured by us, and undergo both rigorous background checks and regular training updates. This offers families all-important peace of mind that their child is safe and secure in the care of an experienced local childcare expert.
Get in touch today to find out how we can offer the nanny care safety and support you and your children deserve.
Sources
- https://allaboutnanniesaz.com/2020/10/01/how-to-show-appreciation-for-your-nanny-copy/
- https://nanny.org/support/employment-rights-of-nannies/