Why use Caring Services?
We are a specialist recruitment company with over 25 years’ experience in supplying temporary and permanent staff for education and social care settings. This includes nurseries, schools, training centres, children’s centres, households, sheltered & support living schemes, respite centres and local authorities all across the North West. We also use our experience to help families and private clients to find the best childcare solution for them.
For Recruiters
We take time to understand your needs exactly, so we can find a member of staff who will meet all your needs and provide a professional, high-quality service. We have an extensive database of full and part-time candidates with a wide range of skills and specialities, including nursery nurses, teaching assistants, class cover supervisors and special educational needs (SEN) support staff and support workers for vulnerable adults
For Education and Support Staff
We offer a warm and personal service for our staff, ensuring that we find the roles most suited to your skills and requirements. Not only do we have great links with social care providers, nurseries, schools and children’s centres across Merseyside, we also provide additional training, such as First Aid and Manual Handling and a CV advice and update service.
How do I register for work with Caring Services?
Registering with us is easy! Simply click on the ‘Register Now’ link above and complete your details. We will be in touch with you to complete the process and invite you for an interview.
What are SEN teaching assistants and learning support assistant (LSA)?
SEN stands for ‘special educational needs’. A SEN teaching assistant or learning support assistant (LSA) works in special and mainstream schools with children and young adults who require additional support.
There are many types of special needs that SEN teaching assistants or learning support staff members are qualified to work with, from those with physical disabilities, to children who are deaf, blind or who have speech and language difficulties. SEN teaching assistants or support staff members can also care for children with conditions such as autism, or those who are emotionally vulnerable, have behavioural difficulties or a combination of any of these disabilities.
Why become an SEN teaching assistant or support staff member?
Working as a SEN teaching assistant or support staff member, while demanding, can be one of the most rewarding jobs in education. SEN teaching assistants and support staff members aim to help children and young people with disabilities and learning difficulties to achieve their educational goals. This in turn helps them to develop self-confidence and independence.
How much are nursery nurses paid?
The rate of pay for a nursery nurse will vary from national minimum wage (NMW) up to £12 per hour, depending on a number of factors, including qualifications and experience/
What is a nursery nurse’s job role?
A nursery nurse is an individual who is employed by nurseries, schools, hospitals and private homes to assist with the non-clinical care of young children and babies. The majority are required to have a childcare qualification, either a National Nursery Examination Board (NNEB) certificate or NVQ Level 3 in Childcare and Education. They usually provide day care while parents are at work and typical responsibilities include taking care of children’s personal needs, providing and supervising play, providing educational sessions, organising meal/feeding times and changing, bathing and soothing young babies.
How much should I expect to pay my nanny?
Rates of payment can vary from nanny to nanny and even location to location. They can also be affected by amount of experience a nanny has, his/her professional qualifications or the level of responsibility bestowed upon the nanny. For example, nanny who also undertakes some additional household chores may charge more than one that does not. For temporary roles, time and a half is payable at weekends and double pay on Bank Holidays.
- Wages are negotiable at the time of interview, but below is a guide to some standard expected rates
- Nannies - £8 to £15 per hour
- Part-time nannies - From £8 to £15 net per hour
- Babysitters - £8.00 per hour, £9.00 after midnight (minimum of four hours)
What qualifications should a nanny have?
It is not a legal requirement for nannies to have any formal childcare qualifications, although many agencies and families will expect them. There are a range of professional childcare qualifications which good nannies may have including qualifications in Childcare Learning and Development and many also hold degrees in subjects such as Early Childhood Studies, Childhood Studies and Childhood and Youth Studies.
Should my nanny be Ofsted registered?
Nannies are not obliged to be registered on the Ofsted Childcare Register (OCR), but they can join the voluntary part of this register (vOCR), which launched in April 2007. Nannies who are registered on the vOCR need to meet certain requirements, such as holding an appropriate first aid qualification. They also need to hold public liability insurance and have received core skills training in areas such as communication with children, young people and families.
Please contact us should you require further information or help in registering your nanny.
What are the benefits of Ofsted registration?
Families who employ an Ofsted registered nanny may receive financial contributions towards their childcare costs, either in the form of childcare vouchers or for the childcare element of working tax credits. It is important for parents to check with HMRC first if they are eligible for either of these, before making any arrangements.
How easy is it to find a temporary nanny?
It is easy to find a temporary nanny with Caring Services. The process is exactly the same as the way we supply nursery staff. We have a supply agency which can provide temporary nannies to nurseries, schools and children’s centres at short notice.
How does your babysitting service work?
Our flexible, reliable babysitting services are provided by strictly vetted individuals, who have either extensive nannying or childcare experience or professional qualifications. Our babysitters all have enhanced DBS checks and we try to ensure that you receive the same sitter each time, to build up familiarity with your children. In order to use this service you need to pay an annual registration fee of just £20, as well as a booking fee each time you book a babysitter.
What do I do about a Nanny contract?
As an employer you are required to provide your nanny with a written contract, which acts as a legally binding agreement between you and your nanny and will ensure that he/she is clear about his/her responsibilities from the first day of employment. At Caring Services, we can help you to find the right contract for your nanny and make sure it covers all required areas. Visit our nanny payroll and legal obligations page find out more about providing contracts.
What happens if my nanny is off ill?
If your nanny is off ill, you just need to call Caring Services and use our temporary and emergency nanny service to help you cover for the day. We can provide qualified and experienced temporary nannies that have been through our safeguarding process. This emergency cover option works in a similar way to our babysitting service, where you will be required to pay a small agency fee whenever you use the service.
What is the difference between an employed and self-employed nanny?
A self-employed nanny will be responsible for their own tax and national insurance contributions through self-assessment. For an employed nanny this responsibility will lie with the employer – the family, establishment or agency.
What are the responsibilities of a nanny?
The responsibilities of your nanny will depend on what type of nanny he/she is – the responsibilities of a night nanny, maternity nanny and housekeeping nanny will all differ for example.
Typically, nanny responsibilities include everything connected to the care of the children she is looking after, from preparing meals, keeping them clean and providing entertainment for them. Some will not undertake any further household chores such as cleaning your house or doing laundry, while others have no issues providing these additional services.
It is important to make it clear what responsibilities you’d like your nanny to have from the start of employment and that these are laid out in a contract, which should be provided and signed by yourself and your nanny at the start of employment. There, however some basic expectations you can have from your nanny as an employer:
- Your nanny should act professionally with both you and your children and respect your privacy at all times
- Your nanny should adhere fully to the terms & conditions laid out in his/her contact and fulfil all responsibilities outlined within it
- Your nanny should arrive on time for work. If there is an issue with this, either due to a delay or illness, he/she should notify you in a timely manner
- Your nanny should keep you informed of your child’s whereabouts, activities and eating habits while in his/her care
- Your child’s basic needs should be attended to by your nanny and he/she should always foster a positive environment
How do I recruit a nanny?
Recruiting a good nanny without support, can be a challenge, so we are here to help. Here at Caring Services, we start the recruitment process by asking you a number of questions regarding your requirements for childcare and the type of service you are looking for. These will include an overview of your family life, the ages of your children, the hours you need support and the responsibilities you want your nanny to have.
Once we have a clear picture of your needs and an accurate view of your family life, we use our 25 years’ of experience to carefully select the candidates from our extensive network who we believe will best meet your needs and then ascertain if they would be interested in working for you.
Once we have generated a shortlist, we email over their CVs and references and arrange an interview time for you to meet each candidate face-to-face. We can even provide interview tips and questions, guidance on contracts and legal requirements and support in registering your nanny with Ofsted, to make the process even easier.