Home Childcarer - Is that the right name?

[nannynick]

I was at a nanny seminar today and one of the main points which got raised was that Ofsted is giving nannies who are registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, the name Home Childcarer, rather than calling them nannies.

Whilst Ofsted may well be right to have a more generic name for childcare provision which is based at the child's own home, is Home Childcarer what nannies want to be called and is it confusing for parents? Does Ofsted need to recognise us as being nannies, in the same way they talk about Childminders?

I have no idea why they couldn't just stick with nanny....although I suppose it avoids the nanny/MH/AP confusion. Also would it make nanny a protected title the same way CM is? I suspect not as registration is voluntary but worth considering.

So in short I don't think they thought about it and it just makes it more confusing.

Childminder is not a protected title - anyone can call themselves a childminder, the same as anyone can call themselves an accountant

Childminder is however a term defined in law (by the Childcare Act 2006), as is Childcare (and so a Home Childcarer is presumably someone who provides Childcare in the home of the children being cared for). The term Nanny is not used in any extant statute: persons other than childminders who register in Part B of the Childcare Register (i.e. voluntary registration) other than childminders are simply termed "other childcare providers" (or alternatively "persons providing early years provision or later years provision in respect of which they are not required to be registered" - now that one really trips off the tongue!

I believe that the term Home Childcarer was traditionally used to describe a service provided by some Local Authorities and other agencies, particularly to care for children with special needs, and it is still used in this way by Oxfordshire for instance. Use of this term to describe Nannies in general seems to be to be even more confusing.

Nick, aren't you in Surrey?

It's what the Surrey Early Years services and Children's Centres are calling Nannies and Childminders.
Their playgroups, seminars and training for childminders are also open to nannies, although some are restricting it to OFSTED registered only.

They needed a name that would cover both so they (eventually) hit on Home Childcarers (you wouldn't believe the discussions they had over it ).

Are you saying that SurreyCC CHOOSE that name, rather than being told by Ofsted that they had to use that name? If so, I think SurreyCC had better choose a different name, fast. The message was loud and clear yesterday that nannies don't want the name Home Childcarer... what's wrong with Registered Nanny, Professional Nanny, or something along that line?

Have sent you a PM.

I thought they did - the groups I know certainly argued long enough about it

From what you're saying, it does sound like they may have been told to use the home carers title, though.

Thank god for that, or they'd probably still be arguing it out

They wanted a name that accurately described both jobs.
The acronym mustn't be rude or have unfortunate connections

Finally they hit on Home Childcarers.

Then there was this argument that SAHMs were Home Childcarers and might get confused.

So they decided Registered Home Childcarers.

Until it was pointed out that Registration isn't compulsory for nannies and it would exclude the nannies that weren't registered...

And so it went on...

I can't see Nannies being used in an Act or SI but it is in explanatory notes. Such as The Childcare (General Childcare Register) Regulations 2008 where it says Different requirements apply in respect of childminders, nannies (referred to in these Regulations as ?home child-carers?) and other providers of childcare.

SurreyCC say (in Way Ahead, Winter 2011, Page 8) "Home-based childcarers is the title used to describe registered childminders, nannies and au pairs."
I can't find reference to "Home-based childcarers" in an Act or SI - anyone else able to locate it?

SurreyCC say (in the same publication) "Home childcarer is used to describe just nannies and au pairs."

Coming away from the seminar yesterday I got the impression that nannies did not want to be grouped with Childminders. They read "Home Childcarer" and automatically think that the council are meaning childminders, so ignore the communications coming from the council. The communications from the council was where an issue was identified... if the council could use the word Nanny, or Nannies or something like that, then it would make it much clearer (in my view, anyone else agree?) that the information being sent from the council was aimed directly at the recipient, not just being sent on mass to all Ofsted registered childcare providers, or "home child-carers".

I along with a lot of others at the meeting would like the council to change the name used in communications the council sends... is it too much to ask? Seems like it might be... supposedly their hands are tied, they have to use home childcarer, though will try to modify it to home childcarer (nannies). But do they really have to use that name to describe nannies... could they not just call us nannies?

Some stats: Invitations were sent to just under 700 people. Around 30 responded. Less than 5% response rate, from a targeted mailing list. Why the low uptake... it may have been the words being used. Ok, so it may not have been but won't know unless they can change the name and try it again.

So what I am trying to establish is if they actually HAVE to use that wording, or could they call us nannies, or something more well defined as being for nannies, rather than childminders & nannies?

They wanted a name that accurately described both jobs.

Why? What's wrong with:
Childminders and Nannies

Or indeed, Registered Childminders and Registered Nannies - as many things the council does are only available to those who are registered.

Well, quite!!

I'm fairly sure there's no legal name and, in fact, we still refer to ourselves as childminders and nannies in the groups.

I thought only those registered could use CM? Or us that an aspirational NCMA thing?

Thinking about it an over 8s CM needn't be registered so it might have been the NCMA.

There are ways to discover whether the wording is putting people off responding but whether the council can really be bothered is debatable. I agree that if nannies don't want to be referred to in that way it's alienating.

If you started a new thread saying 'Nanny vs Homechildcarer - which is right' you would probably get more responses but I bet people are not reading this precisely because they see home childcarer and switch off.

Different requirements apply in respect of childminders, nannies (referred to in these Regulations as ?home child-carers?) and other providers of childcare.

Well spotted Nick. The term 'nanny' was used in the Childcare Act 1989, for example S71(5) "Where a person is employed as a nanny for a child, she does not act as a child minder when looking after that child wholly or mainly in the home of the person so employing her."

Now that legislation has been superceded by the The Childcare (Voluntary Registration) Regulations 2007 which contains the familiar definition:

?home child-carer? means an individual who?(a)cares for a child for a parent (?P1?), or(b)in addition to that work, cares for another child for a different parent (?P2?),and whose work consists (in a case within paragraph (a)) of caring for the child wholly or mainly in P1?s home or (in a case within paragraph (b)) of caring for the children wholly or mainly in P1?s home or P2?s home or both;"

So it seems that the only people who think that 'home childcarer' includes childminders are Surrey CC, and even they can't make up their minds.

Is it any wonder that rational people would like to cast the whole lot of them adrift in a boat with a slow leak?

Or us that an aspirational NCMA thing?

Probably. Perhaps they believe if they roll over to a few more Ofsted invented procedures instead of standing up for their members, and for common sense, they will get a Royal Charter.

Fraktal I'm a bit worried you didn't get my last PM?

Fraktal, you're right about childminders having to be registered: it's nannies that can choose to be registered or not.

MrAnchovy, I'm fighting a strong urge to put the cat among the pigeons and show them this thread

No, childminders only have to be registered if they are paid to provide care for children under the age of eight that are not related to them for more than two hours a day.

Anyone that provides care that is not caught by the provisions can still call themselves a childminder.

There is a lot of misconception about protected titles in the UK - for instance anyone can call themselves a 'nurse', but if you call yourself a 'dietician' without registering with the HPC you face a fine of up to £5,000.

I think it's because a lot of things are 'registered' so you can be a nurse but not a registered one. A lot of professions want to get the titles protected, which I'm sure would make life clearer and easier for a lot of people.