Here are answers to some of the questions that parents often ask
us before they join sitters.
If your question is still unanswered
call us free
on freephone 0800 38 900
38
or you can email your question to enquiries@sitters.co.uk.
Q: Can I have the same
babysitter each time I book?
A: Where ever possible your bookings will always be
offered first to babysitters you have met before. One of the
strengths of Sitters' service is that we will always endeavour to
find you an experienced and reliable babysitter. Many of our
childcarers have commitments to their own families and it may not
always be possible to supply the same babysitter on every occasion.
In practice families find that they get to know two or three local
babysitters who cover most of their bookings. You can let us know
your favourites via the member pages on this website.
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Q: Can Sitters
provide care for my children during the day (child daycare)?
A: Sitters has become Britain's leading evening
babysitting service by concentrating on recuiting babysitters who
are available in the evenings. However we are also able to help
with most requests for short term, short notice daycare. If you
have a need for day time cover please phone and ask as we are
usually able to help.
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Q: I have some
uncertainty about leaving my children with someone I don't know,
wouldn't you?
A: Yes, many parents have these feelings on occasions
when they leave their children with a babysitter they don't
initially know. You wouldn't be the first or last to have felt this
when leaving your children at a playgroup, nursery or daycare
centre. What Sitters' clients have found is that their families
soon get to know a small group of babysitters from their area.
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Q: Do I have
to pay the babysitter for travelling time?
A: No, although we do recommend that you pay them for a
minimum of three hours per booking and that you round fractions of
an hour up to the next quarter hour.
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Q: How do you
check childcarers' references?
A: All Sitters babysitters are experienced and capable
individuals recruited from childcare professions. Each applicant is
vetted in a three stage process including a face to face interview.
While we hold written references for all our childcarers we also
take up verbal references with previous childcare employers. This
allows us to gain a fuller understanding of a childcarer's
character and past employment.
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Q: What do you
mean by professional childcare experience?
A: All Sitters babysitters have experience in
professional childcare employment. Most have worked as qualified
nannies, nursery nurses in playgroups and daycare centres or as
registered childminders.
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Q: Why is
there a minimum booking of three hours?
A: In order to ensure that families know exactly how much
a babysitter may charge Sitters does not permit them to charge
extra for their travelling costs. On the other hand we have to
ensure that childcarers are willing to give up their evening to
look after your children. In our experience the combination of the
hourly rate and the minimum booking of 3 hours provides the balance
required to ensure our professional childcarers are prepared to
attend your bookings.
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Q: Why do you charge both
membership and booking fees?
A: The simple answer to this is because it's the fairest
way of charging families for the service provided. Some families
use Sitters' service every week, others may only call on us 4 or 5
times a year. Your membership covers the fixed cost of attracting,
interviewing and reference checking sufficient childcarers to
provide a reliable service in your locality. And booking fees cover
the variable cost of scheduling a babysitter for you when
required.
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Q: Are all Sitters babysitters
police checked?
A: More than half of Sitters babysitters have experience
working as a Registered Childminder and would have been cleared
through the CRB as part of their OFSTED registration. Nannies
working for families have not yet been required to obtain CRB
checks and for this reason we are very thorough in following up
references with previous employers.
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Q: Is there a maximum number
of children per babysitting?
A: There are limits as to what we consider safe. Under
usual circumstances if there are more than 2 children under three
years old or more than 5 children in total a second babysitter is
required. Please remember that membership of Sitters is for the
care of the children of one family per membership. A separate
membership is required for each family whose children are present.
However, a second babysitter is only necessary when the above guide
numbers are exceeded.
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Q: Can I
meet the babysitter beforehand?
A: We suggest that on your first sitting you arrange for
the babysitter to arrive 30 minutes before you leave. You can then
introduce her to your family and be in a position to see how well
she relates to your children. If the children are ready for bed she
could read them a story or if they are older you could start a game
together. Our experience is that when you introduce your babysitter
in this way children soon feel comfortable.
Our sitters have been carefully selected and have experience
working in the childcare professions. They have chosen to work with
children because they enjoy it - you'll find they are quick to put
you and your family at ease. It is usually not practical to meet a
sitter before you need her to babysit as she may not be available
when you do need a babysitter. If you are very nervous about
leaving your child for the first time, why not make your first
evening out very local and arrive home early.
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Q: Can you
provide care for my child who has special needs?
A: Unfortunately we can't. Although some of our
childcarers have special needs experience we cannot be sure that we
have sufficient carers with the right experience in your area.
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Q: How much
notice do you need if I want to book a babysitter?
A: We'll always try to meet those spontaneous last minute
needs - even if we're given as little as four hours notice.
However, thankfully, most bookings are made with three or more days
notice and we're quite happy to take your bookings two or three
months ahead. The more notice you give us the better your chance of
booking your preferred babysitter before someone else does.
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Q: What time does the service
start and do sitters stay after midnight?
A: Most of our babysitters have commitments to their own
families so they are usually available to babysit for you from 7pm.
It is often possible to arrange babysitting to start earlier if we
are able to give the babysitter a few days notice. Most babysitters
are prepared to sit until close to midnight or occasionally even
later.
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