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I am getting a temp nanny starting shortly. Should I get a CRB check? We found each other through gumtree. She has excellent references which I intend to speak to by phone before confirming the offer. If I do need a CRB check, how do I go about it?

She will be working 4 days a week for two weeks. Can anyone suggest a checklist of what I need to do before she starts, e.g. draw up a contract, register as an employer, ...???

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

CRB checks can take some weeks to come back. You and the nanny can't apply for one yourselves, but if you go to a nanny agency they can probably do one for you for about £50 I think.

Does she have an existing CRB from anywhere? CRBs do, unfortunately, take forever and a day to do. If she's OFSTED registered or has had another one done in the past few months then I wouldn't worry, personally, but if she has no evidence of a clean background then it might be a little more worrisome.

You will need a contract - she may be able to supply one, if not then let me know and I'll happily send you the one I use for temp work. You will need to check whether she's registered self-employed or not (temp nannies can be under certain circumstances) and if she isn't then you should operate PAYE for the 2 weeks.

If she will have sole charge then you'll need some kind of handbook/guidelines written down. Professional temps are often very good at jumping in feet first and not bothering the parents, because the nature of it means we hit the ground running, but if you write down anything important then she'll be able to refer back to it. Not an issue if you're around and don't mind being disturbed. Also written information about the children can be helpful - routines, likes/dislikes, favourite toys/comforters, your preferred methods of discipline, tried and tested distraction techniques etc. Essentially do a brain dump about your children in a word document, print it out and leave it for her to refer to.

Thanks, this is really useful. CRB checks sound like a nightmare. But I am pretty satisfied with her work record and references so I think I can stop worrying about that. I'm ok to draw up a contract asa I do this all the time in my "other" (non-mummy) life. Thanks for the suggestions.