Would a nanny consider this position?

[JammieMummy]

Hello,

I have 2 children DD9 is at school and doing well she has a number of activities but mostly managed by us. DS7 is complex, he has ADHD which is well managed by medication but also has attachment disorder (due to being adopted) he is currently home schooled due to not being able to cope with the pressure and transitions of school.

We would be looking for a nanny 3 or 4 days a week to take him to his regular and one off activities, his OT appointment and his tutors (currently 3 hours a week but looking to step this up a bit). When he isn’t at one of these activities then the nanny would be expected to take him on bike rides with the dogs, do science experiments and help him complete maths and English work (all age appropriate) which is all pre-prepared, mainly in workbook form, and he tends to do 3-4 pages of each per day plus some educational apps.

We would consider live in or live out and could guarantee every Friday off and a least a half day off every Monday. My question is, would a nanny consider this position? When I look on line they have lots of experience with toddlers and small children or just after school experience with older children. With the right person the lack of specific experience wouldn’t both me (We are an unusual situation after all!!) but I don’t know if we would be wasting out time looking for someone?

Definitely not wasting your time looking for someone. Some nannies do prefer looking after older children and would love a job like that. Most nannies have lots of experience with babies and toddlers, because that's where most of the jobs are, but I'm sure if you advertised, you would find someone who would like a change from nappies etc!

Have a look at the snap care website - it recruits for all sorts of special needs nannies, carers, companions etc. Not used them myself but have looked at them in the past when I was job hunting.

Indeed, when looking online, many refer to their pre-school experience with toddlers and small children or only after school experience with older children. Some families discontinue the requirement for a nanny when their youngest attains school-age, some only want after-school care but this can be problematic as few people wish to only work for part of the day.

This isn't always the full story. Many will be caring for older siblings, but don't specifically mention this in vacancy listings as their primary area of qualification and experience will be with the preschool age group. I have had many nanny-shares where the children have been babies or toddlers, and before you know it, they are having their eighth of ninth birthday and we are building go-carts together!

You might wish to consider broadening the definition of what you are looking for. I would suggest considerations more down the 'playworker' role route. These people typically have had experience in school, after-school or holiday care settings, but generally meet a more diverse range of families, some of whom may have underlying CP issues - they will therefore have a much more realistic understanding of your DS's needs (and should have extra regard to this owing to professional development training).

Whilst this person would happily cover all of the necessary attendance at appointments etc, your next issue would be finding the right person who has the passion for play, the creativity for the activities you mention, and the aptitude to assist your DS with his learning tasks.

The only cautionary note I would throw in here is that whilst a lack of specific experience wouldn’t both you, you will need to really carefully assess how quickly you can bridge this gap so as not to cause turbulence that might disrupt your DS's progression with his new forever family.

I don't think you are wasting your time completely, but many agencies don't have a clue when it comes to this area. You may get lucky with your own research, the right people will be out there, but you might have to join an orderly queue!

Yes you will find someone

Prob won’t be a nanny as such

Agree try snap

It does take a special someone to look after a sn child and even more so to teach them or over see their work

Also when he is at a tutor 3hrs. Is that a day ? Would would you want the nanny /child aged me do in that time

This sounds to me like a good job for a good TA or LSA, I know it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get such roles (goodness knows what situation will be like after all this) so there may well be experienced school support staff looking for work.

We have a nanny/tutor who does a similar job to this.

We have a 12yo who independently gets himself to and from school every day. So he is only with the nanny for ten minutes in the morning and then an hour and a half after school, so she will give him dinner, supervise some homework and generally bakery him company. Sort of a big sister role.

But my 8yo DS has classic autism and other co-morbidities. He does half days at school, so she takes him and picks him up and prepares his school bag and packed lunch. She collects him after lunch and then does home learning with him (we follow an ABA Programme so she stays on top of this and prepared the materials and records data), takes him on outings eg to parks, out on his bike or scooter, things like haircuts, buying new shoes etc. Whatever he needs really. He has weekly activities, like trampolining club, and she takes him there too. She gives him dinner before I get home from work.

It is a 42 hour week, spread across four days.

We recruited through Snap for the role, and they were great. We’ve used them twice now. Their fee is very high, and you will pay vat on top. But they seem to have a monopoly as an agency for roles like this. This can be a good thing, as nearly all prospective employees will go to them.