Research to look at nanny workforce

Thursday, 16 October 2008

The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) is leading a programme to gain more knowledge about the work done by nannies in England.

Tricia Pritchard

The project, carried out in conjunction with education union Voice and the National Childminding Association (NCMA), aims to get a clearer idea of the nanny workforce.

A spokesman for CWDC said: "At present, very little is known about the nanny workforce in this country, especially where official statistics are concerned. We want to know who they are and what their support and training needs might be."

The CWDC, Voice and NCMA have commissioned the Social Issues Research Centre to identify the needs, aspirations and composition of the nanny workforce. Throughout this month, the centre is running focus groups and contacting nannies to get feedback and ascertain the levels of qualification and experience in the workforce. With this information it plans to conduct a more detailed online survey from 1 November.

Tricia Pritchard, senior professional officer for Voice, said: "The research will construct the most comprehensive picture of the profession to date."