Child stealing from (live-in) nanny and parents refuse to discipline. What can she do?

[SourOldBat]

I'm using my alter-ego for this one, sorry, to protect the nanny. J is good friends with our nanny, S, and S told me the other night that the child J looks after has been going into her room and stealing her money. She (the child) also sprayed J's perfume round the room and wrote on her mirror with her make-up. J also caught the child stealing money from her mother's purse. She told the mother, who didn't want to deal with it and said it would have to wait until the father came home from work. Father just said "She's a kid, it's no big deal, it's what kids do."

The child was made to give the money back but didn't give it all back, as when J was shopping with her the next day, she caught her trying to buy something without being caught. She told the mother, who simply wasn't interested.

J now feels that she can't discipline the child on her own as she has no back up from the parents. Any ideas on what she might do (apart from resign)? The child is 9, so old enough to know better.

Keep her bedroom door locked............

Leave.

leave, let the hopeless parents deal with it all....

I'd resign, if I was employed by someone who treated me this badly (come to think of it, I did! Although different circumstances...). Shame the kid isn't ten, then she could call the police and really give the parents the shock they need.

i would say that if they want the child to carry on doing this then she will leave.
otherwise she wants some back-up on disciplining her

I think J will resign. I know she is looking for other jobs. She is also going on holiday with the family next week and is dreading it .

I think the child is attention seeking, rather than genuinely nasty. Her father works away from home and is usually only there at the weekend and the mother travels a lot too.