If you are employing a nanny for the first time you may be overwhelmed when faced with everything you have to consider. Many families choose to use a nanny agency who not only selects a number of suitable candidates for you to interview but they should also ensure that the nanny’s references are properly checked. Many agencies will also encourage nannies to have a CRB check and public liability insurance in place before they apply for a new position.

We would always recommend using a nanny agency but we do understand that some parents decide to employ their nanny directly. One of the more time-consuming phases of the employment process is checking your new nanny’s references. Irrespective of whether the nanny comes highly recommended from a personal friend or is Ofsted registered, it is essential that you check her references thoroughly. This can take a lot of time and is often delayed even further if the nanny’s previous employers have relocated and now live abroad.

Check-a-Nanny is an employment and character reference checking service brought to you by Nannytax, the UK’s leading experts in nanny and domestic employment. Established since 1993 we have extensive experience in payroll, employment law and nanny insurance, and we understand domestic employment better than anyone else.

Check-a-Nanny is quick and easy to use and can be done entirely online. You simply provide details of your new nanny and the contact details of his or her referees. The referees are sent a unique login code to complete the reference. Once this is done the results are emailed to you. You can go online to check the status of your references at any time using your own access code and once all the references have been received, a final report will also be emailed to you. Download an example report below.

Check-a-Nanny will also follow up on referees that have not responded within 7 days and will allow a further 7 days to reply. The whole process will take just 14 days.

The other good news is that we charge only £50 + VAT (£58.75) to contact three referees on your behalf.

It really is that simple!