Four essential things to look for when hiring a babysitter or nanny
Finding a babysitter or nanny that you can trust can be a frustrating process, but with Sittr, we take the hassle out of the search. Here are 4 essential things your babysitter should have to ensure safety is paramount:
1. Working With Children Check
A Working With Children Check (also known as a WWCC or a Blue Card if you reside in Queensland) is a government issued clearance required of all Childcare workers. Unlike a Police Check which is a point in time snapshot of a carer’s criminal record (or lack thereof) and is out of date the day it is generated, a WWCC is continuously monitored by the Government and can be revoked if required.
While a WWCC isn’t required in all states for casual babysitters, it won’t be long before it becomes mandatory. As a parent, you should request this of anyone you leave your children with.
Sittr verifies the status of Working With Children Checks for all carers on the platform. You can find out more about working with children checks here.
2. First Aid training
CPR training isn’t enough when it comes to looking after children, although many carers do assume that CPR means “first aid certified”. Thankfully, there are a number of more senior first aid courses that are required of professional workers in the childcare industry which include more complex care scenarios including the management of asthma and anaphylaxis. All carers that are serious about safety will hold these senior first aid credentials and keep them up to date.
Sittr verifies the first aid credentials of all carers on the platform and requires a minimum level of first aid training that includes management of asthma and anaphylaxis. You can find out more about child care first aid here.
3. Public Liability Insurance
As parents, we don’t like to think that things could go wrong. But accidents do happen. They can happen when parents are present or when under the care of grandparents, a babysitter or a nanny — no matter how careful we are.
Professional nannies, babysitting agencies and child care centres have carried Public Liability insurance for decades; however, until Sittr was launched, it was not something that online platforms have focussed on and for good reason. It requires thorough vetting of carers and building trust with insurers — something other platforms shy away from because their goal is to sell access to their database and absolve themselves of all responsibility for what happens after the parents and carers connect.
Before Sittr, babysitters that wanted to protect themselves with insurance had to take out their own costly policies. With Sittr, they are automatically covered every time they accept a job through the platform. You can find out more about babysitter insurance here.
4. References
All good babysitters should have someone that is willing to vouch for their personal and professional conduct. On Sittr, you can easily view verified reviews and ratings from other parents that also use the Sittr platform. There are no fake reviews on Sittr — all reviews are tied to a legitimate booking and all references are linked to a valid account.
Sittr is run by parents for parents. We understand your busy schedule and work tirelessly to bring you trusted, reliable childcare.
Join Sittr for FREE and start connecting with qualified, verified and fully insured carers.
About Sittr
Sittr is using technology to solve issues around the safety, complexity and affordability of informal childcare such as babysitters and nannies. The Sittr platform allows parents to search, hire and pay pre-screened, qualified carers for a flat hourly rate. All carers have senior first aid credentials, are background checked and are covered by Sittr’s comprehensive public liability policy.
