Category: Information

Family Connections, a Sutton Coldfield Nanny Agency put people first.  We connect the right nanny or childminder with the right family.

Too often we see other agencies who connect the wrong people.  We make it a point to get our people matching right first time, and our families and nannies will testify to that.  All of our childcarers are CRB checked and have First Aid training so your children can be safe with them right from day one.

Send your details to us now using our quick application form, completely free of charge, to find a nanny in Sutton Coldfield and surrounding areas that suits your family.

Sutton Coldfield nanny jobs

We are always on the lookout for qualified people to join our ranks too. If working in and around the Sutton Coldfield area would suit you, then please contact us through the nanny application form

Find a quiet time when you can interview, nannies accept that it is very common for interviews to be held in the evenings or weekends and therefore are quite comfortable in doing so.

Make sure you have read the CV we have sent you so you can ask added questions and talk more in depth about their career to date. Use it as a guideline throughout the interview.

Ideally when interviewing leave at least an hour between interviews.

Always keep a note of likes or dislikes about each candidate as it will be useful when comparing them and may help to make your final decision.

If you are offering a live in position be sure to show the candidate the accommodation and make it clear if they are responsible for any bills. Also make it clear to the candidate on how you feel about friends/boyfriends visiting.

Questions that will help you in the interview

Discuss the previous and present employment’s
What did their duties involve?
How many and the ages of the children they have looked after?
What activities they did with the children?
How long they were with their family and why did they leave?
Were they happy there?
What qualifications they have got?
What they like to do in the private time?
Why did they choose a career in childcare?
Are they looking for a long-term position?
How does he/she feel about discipline?
What activities would he/she do with the children?
Where does he/she want her career to take her?
Has he/she any holidays booked?
What are his/her weak and strong points?
Discuss the position, what’s involved and what your expectations are.
Talk about the salary, what you are looking to pay and what the candidates are looking for.
Talk about holidays, how many days a year and if you have any booked.

PLEASE REMEMBER THE FIRST MEETING IS AN INITIAL INTRODUCTION AND WE RECOMMEND AT LEAST A SECOND INTERVIEW INVOLVING THE CHILDREN BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISIONS.

Interviewing guidelines

Find a quiet time when you can interview, nannies accept that it is very common for interviews to be held in the evenings or weekends and therefore are quite comfortable in doing so.
Make sure you have read the CV we have sent you so you can ask added questions and talk more in depth about their career to date.
Use it as a guideline throughout the interview.
Ideally when interviewing leave at least an hour between interviews

Always keep a note of likes or dislikes about each candidate as it will be useful when comparing them and may help to make your final decision.
If you are offering a live in position be sure to show the candidate the accommodation and make it clear if they are responsible for any bills. Also make it clear to the candidate on how you feel about friends/boyfriends visiting.

The Ofsted Childcare Register (OCR), introduced in April 2007, replaced the Childcare Approval Scheme (CAS). If you would to be able to take advantage of the childcare element of working tax credits or use childcare vouchers, you need your nanny to be Ofsted Registered.

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They are a non-ministerial department that inspect services, providing education and skills for learners of all ages. They also inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people.

For more information and to apply please contact 08456 404040 or https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted for further details.

Family Connections nanny agency in Staffordshire appreciate the importance of providing the best child care for your family’s needs. This is why they offer a bespoke service to all their clients helping them through every step in the process. Whatever your childcare needs, be it part-time, full time Nanny, Au Pair or child-minder, Family Connections Nanny agency aim to have the solution for you. Family Connections is a local nanny agency serving the whole of the West Midlands and South Staffordshire. Being local means that the Family Connections Nanny agency is on hand to provide help and advice and to answer any questions their clients may have. In this way clients feel reassured and confident in the knowledge that they have made the right choice of nanny agency. The comprehensive service offered by Family Connections in Staffordhsire supports the client from the initial conversations with the agency representative assigned to the client, through the recruitment process, the employment contracts and to providing ongoing help and advice should any issues arise or need further clarification. From the nannies and childcare professionals registered with us, we can then forward details about their skills and experience to you to help you make your choice.

The best nanny agency in Staffordshire

Even though the Family Connections nanny agency website provides most of the information prospective clients might need, they welcome enquiries. It is interesting to note that they do not charge a registration fee for clients using their services unlike many other providers. The Family Connections website also includes testimonials from some of their many satisfied clients which, along with their inclusion in the ‘Good Nanny Agency guide’, is reassuring for parents and clients. To be included in this guide validated by nanny-nanny.co.uk, nanny agencies are checked to see if they meet the rigorous standards set.

Another organisation that provides quality assurance for Nanny agencies is Best Bears (bestbears.co.uk). Again the Family Connections nanny agency is one of the few agencies that currently meet their criteria.

Family Connections act as the broker or go between for families seeking a nanny or other child care provision and the nannies, au pairs, or housekeepers or other child-minders seeking employment. To maintain their excellent reputation it is therefore in their interests to ensure that both the clients and their nannies feel comfortable with the arrangements and are fully supported. To assist this process, we only recommend appropriately qualified nannies who have generally got three or more years of experience in different child care settings. These criteria meet the guidelines set out on the Directgov.co.uk website offering suggestions for employing a Nanny. In addition all child-minders placed through Family Connections have had an up to date criminal record check (CRB). As getting your child care arrangements right is so important, the Family Connections nanny agency enable all clients to meet with their prospective nannies at least twice prior to making their final decision. These informal face to face meetings help to reassure both the clients and candidates alike and enable them to begin to form that essential relationship that can make such a difference. These meetings go a long way to helping clients feel comfortable and confident in the person recruited and importantly your children also feel happy and safe with their child-minder. Having selected your child care provider clients are then faced with the often difficult prospect of sorting out the employment contract and making sure that the rates of income tax and national insurance are correct. The Family Connections Nanny agency through their partnership arrangement with Tiny Tots accounts can offer their clients considerable help and support with the paperwork, taking away much of the hassle involved. So if you are looking for a nanny agency to help you to find your ideal candidates, the Family Connections nanny agency in Staffordshire could provide all the answers you want.

Choosing a Nanny agency is the first step towards securing the nanny or child care you are looking for. However, choosing the right nanny agency can be one of any family’s most overwhelming and bewildering challenges. This article sets out to provide you with some pointers to help you make the right choice.

You want to feel that you can trust the nanny agency and their workforce to do all that they can to help you secure the most suitable person for the role. The key function of Nanny agencies is to provide help, advice and no-nonsense support to parents seeking a nanny or other form of childcare provision. You want to feel confident that the candidates identified by the Nanny agency from which you are to choose are competent, have the right experience, personal qualities and skills for the job. By choosing the right Nanny agency you can certainly take away much of the stress and worry of the recruitment process.

Also you will maximise your prospect of securing the most right nanny or childcare provision to go with your family’s wishes. Generally, Nanny agencies achieve this by developing effective relationships with the clients (parents) to identify their specific childcare needs. Most frequently this is done initially by means of the clients completing a registration form. The form provides the agency with basic information about the family, the address, the ages and gender of the child or children to be cared for and the nature of the child care required. Firstly, we believe that there are no shortcuts. Be prepared to do some careful planning, thorough research, and invest some time in the process.
By planning carefully for the initial meeting with a member of the nanny agency team you can assist them in getting a much better picture of the sort of nanny or child-minder you are looking for. You should weigh up whether you need a fulltime nanny, au pair or housekeeper or part time nanny or child-minder.  Aim to be clear about the hours the nanny is required for. Be sure to find out the likely hourly or salary rates that are expected for a Nanny or child-minder carrying out the duties you require. Live-in Nannies rates of pay are adjusted to take account of the free accommodation. Live out nannies work the hours and times agreed in the contract. This is generally up to 10 hours per day.

Consider what sort of personal qualities, experience or skills sets are of the most important for you and your children? These will in turn form your selection criteria. Other questions to bear in mind are what responsibilities precisely would you want the nanny to have? Here are some examples to help you with your thinking. Will you need them to take and or pick the children up from school? Take them to classes or clubs? If so, do they will require a driving licence and access to a car? Will you want them to wash and iron the children’s clothes? Tidy up after them? Cook meals for them? Put them to bed? Will you want the Nanny to live in or live out? Nannies and au pairs who ‘live in’ are provided with suitable accommodation most commonly within the family home. Are you likely to want the nanny, housekeeper or au pair to do any babysitting duties in the evening? Babysitting duties are not usually included in the contract of live out nannies but may be negotiated if situation change. When the nanny agency has got all this information they will embark upon the recruitment process, searching for a number of suitable nannies, au pairs, housekeepers or child minders which fit the criteria mentioned earlier.

Choosing which Nanny agency to use

As a rule any professional and reputable Nanny agency will have websites on the internet so this should be a place to start. Choosing a local nanny agency has a number of advantages as they should be better placed to offer a more personalised service. You should be able to form a trusting bond with a specific agency staff member. In addition, being local means that they should be able to answer any queries that you as the clients may have. There are Nanny agencies based across the West Midlands and South Staffordshire. How can you find out which are the best ones? Well, you can check ‘The Good Nanny Agency Guide’ to see if there is a Nanny agency in your area listed. Any Nanny agency listed on such sites as Nanny-nanny.co.uk or bestbears.co.uk has been through a rigorous vetting process to ensure that their policies and procedures meet the required standards. Family Connections is the only recommended Nanny agency currently listed for Staffordshire. In addition Family Connections is one of only three Nanny agencies to make their recommended list in the West Midlands.

Child protection is of paramount importance to both the Nanny agency and you as parents therefore should check what safeguards the nanny agency have in place to ensure that candidates for the job are appropriately qualified, competent and have an up-to-date Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check? When you receive the application forms of the prospective candidates for the job will you understand what the different Nanny or childcare qualifications mean in terms of the level of training they have received? By entering a ‘Qualifications for Childcare and Nannies’ search into Google you can get a better understanding of the training that your prospective Nanny or child-minder has had. The most common qualifications are: Diploma in Childcare (formerly NNEB). The National Diploma in Child Studies which is comparable to NNEB. National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in Childcare come in levels 1,2, and 3. Level 3 being the highest and is the corresponding of NNEB. Each level covers a child’s physical, emotional and social development.

The Directgov.co.uk website recommends that child-minders and nannies should have experience of working in different child care settings. Preferably they will have at least three years’ experience and hopefully in different settings. Be sure to ask how Nanny agency fees are worked out and exactly what they cover. Finally, having made your selection, ensuring the contract of employment, salary, income tax and national insurance arrangements are in place can be a bureaucratic nightmare. The Family Connections agency have an arrangement with Tiny Tots Accountants so that they can provide help and advice with employment contracts and keep you up to date with tax rates and any other changes that may affect your employment responsibilities. Check their website for details. So when choosing for a nanny agency to help you secure the right nanny or childcare provision for your family there are some simple steps that can help you choose the right one for you.

If you are hoping to find a nanny in the Midlands you should begin by using a reliable Nanny Agency. Whether you need a nanny, au pair, housekeeper or other child care provision, full or part time, a good Nanny agency is the place to start. Whatever your childcare needs the Family Connections Nanny Agency has the solution for you.

Family Connections is a Midlands based agency with great location, enabling them to offer a more personalised service to their clients. Family Connections are on hand to provide help and advice and to answer any questions to ensure clients feel reassured, confident in the knowledge that they have made the right choice. Choosing someone to look after your children is one of any parent’s most important decisions and it can be very stressful. This is where Family Connections come into their own as they offer a bespoke service to all their clients helping them through every step in the process from your initial enquiry right through to finding the most appropriate and cost effective child care provision to meet your family’s needs.

The initial conversation with a member of the Family Connections team is where the process starts. It is this conversation that helps to establish your requirements and define the precise nature of the child care provision you need. From this discussion the Family Connections team can begin to identify which of the many nannies, au pairs, and child care providers could be best suited for your family. Family Connections will then proceed to forward details about the potential candidates to you for your consideration. You will receive information about their qualifications, their skills and the experience they have gained to date. It is a good idea to have discussed with the Family Connections team the key selection criteria that you might want to use.

For example, you might want candidates to be qualified at least to NVQ level 2 in Child care or have NNEB qualifications and have a minimum of three years’ experience in child care settings. Another feature of the Family Connections service is that they advise and enable their clients to meet with prospective nannies at least twice prior to making their decision. This informal face to face meeting helps to reassure clients and candidates alike that they will ‘fit’ into the family and the child or children respond well to them. Once you are happy with your choice of nanny, au pair, housekeeper or other child care provision, Family Connections through their partnership with Tiny Tots accountants can also provide advice and support with those bewildering contracts, income tax and national insurance payments thus taking away all the headache of the paperwork.

Finally, as specialist Nanny agency Family Connexions guarantee that their clients will continue to benefit from on-going support and advice so that should any unexpected issues or misunderstandings arise they are dealt with efficiently and effectively. Family Connections does not charge a registration fee for clients using our services unlike many other providers. Family Connections is listed on the Good Nanny Agency Guide set up by nanny-nanny.co.uk and the bestbear.co.uk list of approved nanny agencies.

So if you are trying to find a nanny in the West Midlands the Family Connections Nanny Agency offer a professional nanny and child care service that you can rely on.

When choosing a nanny, housekeeper or child-minder for your family there are a number of steps you can take to improve your odds of getting the right person. Using the internet is a good starting point as it enables you to do some research about the role. There are a number of articles providing advice, and tips about the how to go about the process and how to prevent making mistakes. There are a number of useful websites to look at including https://directgov.co.uk/en/parents/childcare which provide advice about how to recruit a Nanny any what makes a good nanny. The site suggest that a good nanny should be able to plan and arrange safe, fun learning opportunities. They should know how to plan and prepare healthy meals and snacks. They must have had first aid training as part of their training towards gaining a recognised qualification.

Obviously, given the range of tasks and responsibilities the nanny or child-minder will be required to carry out often simultaneously they will need good organisational skills. The site suggests that it is preferable if the prospective nanny has gained by experience of working with children of various ages, in a variety of different settings. Good nannies demonstrate a natural and genuine an interest in children as individuals and have a confident and positive personality. It may be important to the client that they have driving experience as this may be one of the key responsibilities of the post. Parents are advised to see candidates car insurance to check that business usage is included or to update their own vehicles insurance if the child-minder is to have use of a family vehicle.

Choosing a nanny, housekeeper or child-minder

When choosing a nanny, housekeeper or  child-minder  one  decision to be taken is whether to use a Nanny agency or whether to do the recruitment independently. Given the potential pitfalls and even legal implications of recruiting somebody to care for your precious family there are many advantages of using the expertise of a well-established and reputable Nanny agency. The majority of Nanny agencies can be found promoting their services on the internet and in local newspapers. By spending some time doing research you can make a comparison of the different Nanny or child care agencies in your area. Local Nanny agencies tend to be able to provide a more personal service and you are more likely to be able to liaise with the same member of the Nanny agency team throughout the recruitment process. This person will get to know you, your family members and crucially your precise child care requirements over time. This in turn increases the likelihood of the prospective candidates they put forward matching your criteria. Another benefit of using a reputable Nanny agency is that they will be able to use the professional experience of the child care industry to offer you the advice and support you need to prevent from you from overlooking some detail or requirement that later could become a problem. In addition to providing advice Nanny agencies can usually generate a wider field of suitably qualified, experienced and criminal record checked prospective candidates for the vacancy than you can by placing a costly advert in a local newspaper. Some Nanny agencies provide technical advice with employment contracts including the potentially thorny issues of income tax and national insurance rates. Indeed some have partnership arrangements with specialist organisations such as Tiny Tots accountants that help their clients with all the paperwork. So to sum up when doing something as important as choosing a nanny, housekeeper or child-minder for your family, using a reputable nanny agency such as Family Connections makes absolute sense.

When looking for a Nanny or child minder you can either advertise for one using a range of media such as local newspapers, shops or you can use a Nanny agency.

Whichever route you take there are a number of factors you may wish to consider before making your final choice. The advantage of using a nanny agency is that you should get a personal service. Using a Nanny agency can definitely take away some of the hassle and help maximise your chance of securing the most suitable nanny or childcare provision for you.

Most reputable Nanny agencies have websites to provide you with information about their services. Use them to get an idea about the services they offer and the safeguards they have in place in terms of child protection. Do they have any awards or are the quality assured by other organisations? Do they have any recommendations or testimonials from other users of their services?

The Nanny agency should be able available to provide you with answers to any questions you might have about the role of a nanny or other child care provider. This is usually done through the clients completing an initial registration form highlighting what they are sort of child care the family are looking for. A good nanny agency will then arrange to meet you to establish precisely what sort of child care provision you are seeking. They will also be able to advise you about, the hours, duties and responsibilities and importantly the rates of pay, tax and national insurance expected by nannies and child minders. By planning ahead for your initial meeting with the Nanny agency representative you will be more able to assist them to get a clearer picture of the sort of nanny you are looking for. Try to be clear about what hours the nanny will be required for? What sort of personal qualities, experience, knowledge or skills sets are important for you and your children? You should think about whether you need a fulltime or part time nanny or housekeeper? Try to work out exactly what you would want the nanny to do.

Looking for a nanny or child minder – tips and tricks

What makes a good nanny? A good nanny is likely to have experience of working with children of different ages and in a variety of different child care settings. A good nanny should be able to plan and arrange safe, fun learning opportunities for the children in their care. Planning a preparing healthy meals and snacks may also be a significant part of a nanny’s role. A good nanny will have had first aid training and preferably a qualification. They should know what to do for both minor bumps bruises and scrapes and in potential emergency situations such as choking, scalds and burns. They will need to have the contact numbers for key family members, GP surgery and hospital. An important criterion for your nanny may be being qualified to drive with children (yours) in the vehicle. Having just passed their test may not give you the reassurance you want in terms of experience and also the issue of the nanny’s motor insurance needs to be considered.

Good nannies share a number of key personal skills and personality traits. They will need to have good organisational skills as there will be times when they will be required to multi task. They may be preparing a meal, entertaining one or two children and washing clothes following an outdoor activity. Websites suggest that one distinction between a good nanny and a merely competent one is the level of interest they show in the children as individuals. This goes a long way to reassuring you as parents and building a positive relationship with the children in their care. Good nannies tend to be confident and have a positive personality. This can be reflected by their choice of words when discussing everyday events involving the children. Good nannies and child-minders use terms of endearment, give praise and reward positive behaviour. You can see they are relaxed and enjoy being with the children in their care. They have the knowledge and experience to recognise changes in the child’s physical and emotional development.

So whether you are looking for a nanny or child minder like ‘Mary Poppins’, ‘Super Nanny’ or even a ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’, using a nanny agency makes sense. We believe that Family Connections ticks all the right boxes, so sign up with us and let us help you to find the perfect nanny.

Are you looking for reputable Nanny agencies in Birmingham? Do you need a housekeeper, nanny or au-pair? Do you need a full time or part time nanny or child minder? What personal qualities do you want the nanny to have? Do you need a nanny or childcare for the Olympics or other special events?

Nannies, child minders and au pairs each bring with them a range of personal skills and experience.  What skills would you want your nanny or childcare provider to have? What tasks would you want them to carry out? Do you want them to be able to drive, to collect children from school, help with homework, supervise play, feed them, put them to bed? Would the ability to speak a particular foreign language e.g. French or Spanish be one of your criteria? These are just some of the questions you might wish to consider prior to contacting the Nanny agency of your choice. A good nanny agency should be able to offer help and advise you with all these key questions.

Choosing  Nanny agencies in Birmingham

There are several nanny agencies in Birmingham and the surrounding area to choose from. Choosing a nanny agency is a key decision for you and your family as you need to know that your children are in safe hands. Safeguards need to be in place to reassure you that you can trust the appointed candidate with your precious children? Check out their websites and get an impression of how professional the Nanny Agency is. Do they all offer similar services or are some Nanny agencies and child minder providers prepared to go further to meet customer needs? Read the customer feedback testimonials as these will add supporting evidence to the information contained on the websites pages. In addition whichever Nanny agency in Birmingham you choose they should organise and support you with the selection process.

Offering advice to you about the contracts, Income tax and National Insurance issues are extremely useful services as they will save you a lot of time and fuss. Family Connections are a local nanny agency based in the Birmingham area. This enables Family Connections to offer a personal, bespoke service for their clients. They provide support through every step leading to successful recruitment of the most suitable candidate. They recognise that it is essential that their clients and their families feel confident that they have made the right choice for their childcare needs.

Nanny tax support in Birmingham

Family Connections offer a comprehensive support service enabling clients to meet and interview prospective nannies. Family Connections in partnership with Tiny Tots Accountants are able to provide up to date advice regarding employment contracts including income tax and national insurance. Being a Midlands based Nanny Agency they are on hand and can respond quickly whenever clients wish to discuss or clarify any issues that may arise. So if you are looking for Nanny agencies in the Midlands you might want to take a look at the Family Connections website.

Looking for nanny agencies in the Midlands to help you secure the right nanny, childcare, housekeeper for you? Arranging childcare for your family through a nanny or other childcare provision is one of any family’s most important decisions. You want to be able to trust the nanny agency and their staff completely. You want your children to feel safe, happy and cared for by the childcare provider. Some time and careful planning and asking the right questions can certainly help maximise your chance of getting the childcare for your family that suits your needs.

Choosing a Nanny agency

Using a local nanny agency makes sense as they are more likely to offer a personalised service to best meet your requirements. You can establish a relationship with a specific agency staff member. Also they are on hand to provide help and advice and to answer any questions to ensure clients feel reassured, confident in the knowledge that they have made the right choice. There are a number of local agencies located across the Midlands including, Sutton Coldfield, Solihull, Birmingham, Worcester and Warwickshire. Check that the particular nanny agency is properly licensed, affiliated, insured and regulated. What safeguards does the nanny agency have in place to ensure that potential candidates for the job are appropriately qualified, competent and have an up-to-date Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) check?  Nanny Agencies have different scales and arrangements for charging fees.  Be sure to check what their fees are and what precisely do they cover? The nanny agency needs to understand your precise needs and the needs of your precious children. In this way they are more likely to nominate the best nannies or housekeepers for you to select from. So planning ahead before your initial conversation helps. You may want to consider if you need a fulltime or part time nanny or housekeeper? Living in or only required on certain days? What times are they required for? What sort of personal qualities, experience, knowledge or skills sets are important for you and your children?

Midlands based Nanny agencies

Family Connections are a nanny agency based in the Midlands who pride themselves on their ability to build a trusting professional relationship with both clients and their registered nannies. They are able to offer advice and enable clients to see the CV’s of prospective nannies or child care providers for you to consider. In addition it is recommended by them that the agency arranges for the family to meet with short listed, prospective nannies at least twice prior to making their decision.  This informal face-to-face meeting helps to reassure clients and candidates alike and help them to make an informed choice. Having selected your nanny or housekeeper, Family Connections will take away all the fuss of filling out of employment contracts and can give advice on Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. Finally, families should be able to receive on-going, monitoring, support and advice from the agency particularly if any unexpected issues or understandings arise. Through a positive relationship these can then be dealt with efficiently and effectively. So when looking for nanny agencies in the Midlands there are some simple steps you can take to help you get it right.