Your questions answered
Here are answers to some of the questions that parents often ask us before they join sitters.
Q: Can I have the same babysitter each time I book?
Q: Can Sitters provide care for my children during the day?
Q: I have some uncertainty about leaving my children with someone I don't know, wouldn't you?
Q: Do I have to pay the babysitter for travelling time?
Q: How do you check the childcarers' references?
Q: What do you mean by professional childcare experience?
Q: Why is there a minimum booking of four hours?
Q: Why do you charge both membership and booking fees?
Q: Are all Sitters babysitters police checked?
Q: Is there a maximum number of children per babysitting?
Q: Can I meet the babysitter beforehand?
Q: Can you provide care for my child who has special needs?
Q: How much notice do you need if I want to book a babysitter?
Q: What time does the service start and do sitters stay after midnight?
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.
Q: Can Sitters provide care for my children during the day?
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.
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 someone 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.
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 four hours per booking and that you round fractions of an hour up to the next quarter hour.
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.
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.
Q: Why is there a minimum booking of four 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 4 hours provides the balance required to ensure our professional childcarers are prepared to attend your bookings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
