sack nanny after neighbours spoke to us about observed behaviour

[oldshprite]

we’ve employed a nanny to cover for our regular one over the past 2 weeks and we were planning to continue part time in the future, to supplement our reg nannys hours. found her via a babysitting website, so no personal recommendation. she seemed ok, not super warm at first but ok. we had a visit from the downstairs neighbours today, they came to say they are concerned about the new nannys behaviour as theyve noticed her visibly annoyed when our child was crying and left her to cry at some distance from her ‘for a long time’, displayed lack of patience, etc.
i felt as if i have no other option but to sack her, immediately. aibu? feel a bit bad in not giving her a chance to explain/investigate but equally feel uncomfortable leaving my child with her

It is illegal to film people in your own home. If you wish to rely on it you have to tell them before you film them.

No it is not ! Where are you getting your facts , if you have cameras in your home you tell your employees ! If they don’t want to therefore work anymore because of the cameras then well what does that tell you ? Clearly have something to hide !!

Sack her and use recommendations going forward.

Illegally yes . But why should it be done illegal what have they got to hide ? it’s only same as working in a retails store or anywhere else there is cctv watching you all day long , why should it be any different working in somebody’s home , if retailers want peace of mind via cctv then anybody can have peace of mind via cctv . Simple not hiding anything , don’t have to make a big song and dance about there being a camera

I cannot believe that you left you child with a stranger !!! How very very sad for your little one.

No it isnt illegal, unless you put cameras in the toilet or other private areas such as a live in nanny's bedroom. Its not illegal to put security cameras or even hidden nanny cams in open non private areas of your home.

Google it rather than argue back and forth.

So is she a Nanny or just some random that offers babysitting ?

Your neighbours sound concerned. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, they clearly took that responsibility seriously and informed you to try and prevent distress and possible harm to your children. Listen to them and listen well, so many people turn a blind eye and say nothing, think of all the catastrophic events that have occurred towards children where events could have been different if people had spoken out. The world is becoming more enlightened towards abuse for a reason. Listen, be responsible towards your children , sounds like the nanny isn’t.

You know a dbs is completely a tick box that means nothing.

This pretty much sums it up .

I think it makes sense to have let her go as I think your neighbours are hardly going to say something that's not true as why would they?

What were her references like?

Getting a nanny from a babysitting website?! You get what you pay for I’m afraid. Don’t do this next time. Get a qualified nanny.

I would let her go. I once witnessed a childminder behaving horribly towards the children she looked after at pick-up and drop-off. On several occasions I saw things that made me deeply uncomfortable, including cruel behaviour. The final straw was when I saw her push the youngest child, who went flying.
I knew the school mum, but I was still very nervous about saying anything. In the end, I felt I had to, so I spoke to her and told her what I’d seen. Within days, the childminder was let go. When it comes to your children, it’s not worth taking the risk.

If your neighbour had no reason to lie, I would let her go. You’ll never relax worrying that this is the case.

Why don’t you ask her to explain ? You could install a nanny-cam or tell her you are going to get one it might get her to do the job you are paying her for
if you don’t trust her you should look for someone else she is not good value if she is not doing the job she has been paid for you don’t need to be stressing about whether your child is getting the care you have paid for
the customer is always right

You can put cameras in but it’s the hidden aspect that may not be legal.
I have cameras in my living room, kitchen, my bedroom and my daughter’s bedroom.
My daughter has autism and LD and has a carer and I’ve had issues with carers sleeping while on shift (not an overnight shift-8-330pm).
The cameras are in plain sight and only record if I set them to record while I’m watching on the app.
When I found previous carers sleeping it was brought up that I could not record them without their permission!
Bizarre but true apparently!
just to say the camera are there as my daughter spends a huge amount of time in her bedroom (just on her tablet) so it mean the carer can see she’s okay without invading her privacy
For me it’s just reassurance that I can check in on her when I’m at work.

That is easily overcome from a legal perspective by placing cctv signs at the entrance of the house .

I’d go with your gut. Are you friends with your neighbours? I am with ours, so if they said something like this to me, I’d trust them.

Hi OP, we’ve had nanny’s for five years now and I would definitely listen to your neighbour and end the arrangement given it’s only been two weeks and you had doubts previously. If she had been with you for a few months and you were happy, of course I’d have a convo and follow up, but after 2 weeks the outcome would be a given for me.

Get rid of her immediately. Don’t take any chances when it comes to your kids.

I'd bring it up with her hear what she has to say.
Then I'd let her go.
Also if she isn't from an agency how can you let others know about your concerns.
Protect your child at all cost .

Id want her version of events but yes, i would not be able to trust her. Its not like she was a permanent replacement so not sure why you are even posting here. Not like she has been employed by you for 10 yrs and you are contemplating sacking her.

How is it illegal to install cameras in your own house? So long as you aren't filming beyond the boundaries of the house, and if you want to be double-sure, put a little notice up saying if you're inside then you're being filmed and consent to this, and don't do anything stupid like putting a camera in the loo or the bathroom, then you should be fine.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property

Surely if your child was having a tantrum to get their own way you wouldn’t expect the nanny to beg them to stop crying or pander to the behaviour? I think as long as your child was safe it’s fine to allow a child to cry … different if they were head butting something or doing something dangerous… but standing and crying sounds more like testing boundaries because she’s said no to something!
ASK HER what the circumstances were…
If your child was crying because they’d been told off or told no, then she was doing her job! If the child had fallen over and was crying because they were hurt then yes she shouldn’t have left them crying!

Surely the context here is everything!! @oldshprite

the devil is always in the details. our reg nanny deals with tantrums in a calm manner and treats my child with consideration, without appearing annoyed and frustrated, i saw this in the 2 years shes been with us. the replacement nanny did not, according to neighbours. we all have different approaches as parents and nannies as well, or so i learn. i dont want our nanny to be stern and strict in how she handles difficult moments. this is why i took what neighbours said on board. the lady had good references and worked for decades so i assume she can be a great nanny for another kid/family.