We're available 7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday.
Staying safe when booking a nanny
If you are welcoming a Nanny to your home, to lower the risk of spreading germs we are also asking for our families and staff to follow the Public Health Agency advice on good hygiene practices, including:
Wash your hands with soap and water often - do this for at least 20 seconds. As a reminder, before handling or eating food, after going to the toilet, after changing a nappy, after using public transport, etc.
Always wash your hands when you get home or into work
Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available (gel that contains at least 60% alcohol)
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze. Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
Clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces, including door handles
Only travel on public transport if you need to - please note the practitioner will only take a child for a walk if there is no garden available. If there is no garden available, then the practitioner is not allowed to take a child on public transport or to any crowded places.
Carry out other good wellbeing practices such as:
Manage stress and anxiety by taking breaks from news stories, making time to unwind, eating healthy, exercise regularly, and getting plenty of sleep.
Thank you for your cooperation and support during this time.
Your Service
What is Emergency Childcare?
Emergency Childcare members are able to book an emergency nanny, nursery or childminder across the UK with as little as 2 hours' notice.
After all, it's not if you have a childcare breakdown, it's when.
We make sure only the highest standard of childcare is available via our service and website. One of the main differences between us and several other services is that checks are run on the childcare you book through us.
We provide that extra peace of mind for our members.
Benefits of Membership
Be prepared for life's little emergencies. Members can:
Search for their local childcare options
Save favourites for future reference
Arrange to visit any they're interested in
Suggest other childcarers they'd like to join
Book last minute childcare with us
When and why you might need us
Whether it's a last minute panic booking or a pre-emptive solution booked well in advance, we provide the choices parents need.
Whichever childcare option you choose, you can be confident that your child is in the best possible hands. There is currently no other comparable service in the UK.
Childcare can be booked for whenever you need - today, tomorrow or in 3 months' time (on a day-at-a-time basis).
A few examples of when parents use us:
Their usual nursery is closed for the day
Their permanent nanny is off sick
Their childminder is going to be on holiday
The school has (another) inset day
They want some time for themselves.*
*That's right - it doesn't just have to be an 'emergency'. Members can book childcare with us whenever they want, for whatever reason.
Detailed registration form
To get started and become a member of Emergency Childcare you only need to fill in a short form.
We strongly recommend that you then go on to complete all your details prior to needing to book with us. This allows you time to investigate the different options available to you so you feel comfortable with the provision should you experience a childcare breakdown.
The form is detailed, but easy to complete and contains all the relevant information on your child(ren). This ensures the emergency childcarer you book has all of the details they need to provide the highest level of care.
You only need to complete your details once, but from time to time it's a good idea to double check your information is up-to-date.
Opening hours
Our team is available 7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday.
Parents have the default option of "Pay as you Go" - with no ongoing subscription fees. If you choose this option, we charge a 0% booking fee.
To save and pay a lower 0% booking fee we offer different membership subscriptions.
Subscribe and save
Membership subscription is either £9.60 per month OR £99.60 annually. Please see our Pricing Plan for more information.
We pride ourselves on always being on hand to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding our service. This charge allows us to provide a high level of personal service to you.
N.B. We work with many companies that help their employees with their childcare costs. If your employer does not offer our Emergency Childcare service currently, please feel free to pass on our details to HR.
Please note
If you choose Monthly Membership, then an initial payment will be taken on a pro rata basis for the month in which you register and thereafter on the first day of each month. There is a 3-month minimum contract, starting the day you sign up.
If you choose Annual Membership, payment for the entire year will be taken when you sign up. There is no refund should you cancel early and membership will be automatically renewed when your year is up, subject to prior cancellation.
Childcarers' daily rates
Nannies: Expect to pay £20 an hour (excluding VAT) - our partner nanny agencies will payroll your nanny. It means you don't have to worry about sorting out their tax and NI.
Nurseries: Nurseries set their own prices so the daily rate will vary depending on who you decide to book with. It can range from £35 to £100 per day or more in certain parts of London. Please note that we only accept nursery bookings for a full day. Half day bookings are not available.
Childminders: Childminder rates also vary considerably depending on location; facilities and services provided; and childcare experience / qualifications. Expect to pay from as little as £4 to as much as £12 per hour.
Are there any additional costs?
To provide a responsive, quality service with easy access to emergency nurseries, childminders and nannies we do add a booking fee. Our booking fee will be applied to the whole booking and shown clearly at the confirmation stage.
When you book an emergency nanny you can be assured that they will be payrolled by a nanny agency. It means you don't have to worry about sorting out their tax and NI.
We do not offer a 'cash in hand' booking option.
Cancelling your Membership
Please remember that you can continue as a "pay as you go" member - so no ongoing monthly/annual fee, but with a higher booking fee. Let our team know if you would like to switch to this option.
We're always sorry to lose one of our members. If you do decide to leave Emergency Childcare at the end of your contract period, all you have to do is send an email with 'Membership Cancellation' in the Subject field to:
You don't need to give us a month's notice - but please allow up to five working days for your membership to be fully terminated.
Childcare Providers
Nannies, nurseries, childminders
Our highly trained nannies and childminders are fully DBS/PVG checked and the vast majority have first aid training.
As well as being regulated by Ofsted and other appropriate regulatory bodies, the majority of our nurseries and childminders have been used and recommended by individual parents and carers.
The minimum booking time for nannies/childminders is 4 hours. Childminders need a minimum 1 hours' notice, and nanny agencies 2 hours.
Read a little more about each type of childcare we offer:
We make sure only the highest standard of childcare is available via our service and website. That's why:
All our nurseries are Ofsted registered (with at least a "satisfactory" grade)
All of our childminders in England and Wales are certified members of PACEY (Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years) and Ofsted/CSSIW registered
All of our Scottish childminders are verified members of the SCMA and are regulated by the Care Commission, and
All the nannies* we use are DBS/PVG police checked, have a First Aid certificate, have verified references and have been properly interviewed.
* We make sure you're notified if any of these promises can't be met.
Using a preferred childcarer
If there's a local nursery or childminder you would like to be able to use that isn't already on our website, please let us know.
It's free for them to join and take bookings, and there are many benefits.
We've found in the past that if you've already spoken to them about Emergency Childcare, and let them know you want to use us to book last minute places - they're far more receptive about joining.
Please visit our nomination form and provide us the details of the provider you wish to join our network, and we will contact them on your behalf.
Information passed to childcarers
Whilst developing our registration form, Emergency Childcare worked very closely with a number of leading nurseries, PACEY, SCMA and Ofsted to ensure all the correct information is collected.
The childcarer you book will receive this information.
Even so, if there is time before the booking commences, the nursery manager / childminder / nanny agency will take the time to answer any questions you might have and gather any further information about your child you deem relevant.
Your Child
How to add a child to my registration form
You will see an area to enter your child(ren)'s names and date of birth in My Details.
Simply click the green plus to add another child.
Once you save, you'll unlock a new section later in the form where you can complete more of their details.
Settling in with a new provider
All of the nursery nurses and childminders involved in Emergency Childcare are highly trained and experienced carers.
If a child is unable to settle, we will contact you to arrange collection - under these circumstances 50% of your booking fee will be refunded to you. This is extremely unlikely: in more than 5 years of business and with thousands of nursery hours booked, we’ve not had to remove a single child.
If your child is unwell
If your child is ill and unable to attend their regular nursery or childminder, we do ask that you inform us when booking an emergency nanny of any illnesses.
In particular we require you to disclose if a child has a contagious illness, such as chicken pox, impetigo, hand foot and mouth, norovirus etc.
The nanny agencies we work with need to know of any illnesses that can be passed on very quickly to a childcarer, and hence onto any children that the carer may look after when not doing that emergency booking.
This information helps us to find the appropriate nanny to meet your needs. If a parent does not disclose a contagious illness and it is discovered when the emergency nanny arrives for the booking, the nanny can refuse to accept the booking.
All information regarding illnesses and medication should be recorded in the relevant sections on the registration form.
This information is passed on to the emergency childminder or nursery as soon as you've booked. Your local nanny agency consultant, who will deal with your emergency nanny requests, will also forward all information.
We do recommend that you talk through your child's requirements prior to booking. For emergency nannies it is also advisable to print your registration form in order to keep a copy at home when and if needed.
Making a Booking
How do I book?
Once you're a member, booking with us is a straightforward process. We explain in a little more detail in each of the childcare types sections:
All bookings start with a search. Choose your preferred childcare option, enter your postcode (your home postcode is the default) and click 'Search'.
Nannies: When you book a nanny with us your local agency (based on the postcode you enter) will be immediately informed and one of their consultants will source an appropriate nanny for your requirements.
Nurseries / Childminders: You'll see a list of available providers (if you've booked before you'll already have some favourites you can go straight to). Just select the dates and times you'd like to request*, and let us know if there are other local nurseries/childminders you'd consider if your preferred choice is unable to help for any reason.
*Once we receive your request, our system and team double checks with the provider before we confirm your booking.
Minimum booking times
The nanny agencies we work with endeavour to get you a nanny within 2 hours and the minimum booking time is 4 hours.
You can book a nursery place as little as 30 minutes before a nursery opens, as long as there is availability. Nursery bookings are for full days only.
Childminders need 1 hours notice, and will accept bookings as short as 4 hours.
Please note that if you do book outside our office hours, we will only start working on the booking from 7:30am the next working day. However we'll do our utmost to ensure your booking is filled.
Cancelling a booking
In order to obtain a full refund you need to cancel your booking with at least 2 working days' notice.
If you cancel less than 2 working days before the start of the booking, you will incur the following charges:
Nanny Booking - 4 hours (+ VAT)
Nursery Booking - 100% of the fee
Childminder Booking - 100% of the fee.
Nannies you Book
What to expect from your emergency nanny
An emergency nanny is employed to provide quality childcare only and therefore cannot perform all the duties you might expect of a permanent, live-in nanny.
As well as direct supervision an emergency nanny MAY undertake light chores relevant to your child's care, such as ironing and folding away your child's clean clothes, tidying your child's room and toys, doing the 'school run', and preparing his or her meals.
The nanny is NOT contracted to assist in general housework such as vacuuming, washing, ironing, providing care for anyone else, shopping and/or preparing the entire family's meals. If you are in any doubt, please ask the emergency nanny for guidance or contact your nanny consultant.
When your nanny arrives
We want you to feel safe and secure handing the care of your children to one of our nannies. So if she hasn't volunteered suitable photographic identification (a passport, driving licence or government ID card) on arrival, please don't be embarrassed to ask for it. In the extremely unlikely event an emergency nanny can't provide suitable ID, please ask her to wait while you give us a call.
Repeat bookings
We spend a great deal of time, effort and money recruiting superior quality emergency nannies. Indeed, many parents have such a good experience with their nanny that they want to book them again!
That's absolutely fine - as long as you approach the nanny through us and not directly, which would be in breach of our terms and conditions.
Our nannies are contractually obliged to inform us if a parent approaches them for any further temporary or permanent work, including babysitting. Thank you for your co-operation.
Asking a nanny to stay later
We advise that you book the maximum period of cover you think you will need, at the time of making a booking. (A nanny will be sourced to provide cover for those specified hours, and it might not always be possible to extend them once the booking has commenced.)
Making a same day nanny booking
During our office hours (7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday) we aim to get a suitable nanny to your door within 2 hours of booking.
Therefore the earliest a nanny could reach your home for a booking made at 7:30am would be 9:30am. However please bear in mind that availability in your area and travelling times could affect this. Your nanny agency consultant will do their utmost to fill your booking, and keep you informed at every step of the process.
Outside normal office hours you will be unable to make same day nanny bookings, as our partner agencies are closed after 5:30pm.
Making a same day nanny booking for the evening
You can make a same day nanny booking up until 5:30pm for evening care. We aim to provide a nanny within 2 hours: please be aware that giving as much notice as possible enables us to maximise our search.
Overnight nanny bookings
If you think you might need an overnight nanny please give us as much notice as you can. Many nanny agencies can provide overnight care but this depends on the availability of carers.
Alternatively, some childminders also provide overnight care - so we recommend you research childminders in your area. Take the time to visit their home before any care takes place so that you feel completely comfortable leaving your child with them.
Your Security
Secure payments
Your payment is absolutely secure. You will be able to use the same card as a previous booking - the information is processed by our payment gateway Opayo, and we do not store the card details.
Please visit Opayo for more details. Emergency Childcare is PCI Compliant and our certificate can be shown on request.
Childcare choices
Childminders care in their own home for children aged 3 months up to 12 years.
The majority of childminders on our website have been used and recommended to our service by individual parents. More about our childminders
Our last minute on call nannies look after newborns up to 16 year olds in your home.
Sourced via our collaboration with the UK's leading nanny agencies, we insist on only the best nannies for our members. More about our nannies
Nursery spaces can be booked for children aged 3 months up to 5 years.
Members have access to over 1,450 Ofsted regulated nurseries. Many nurseries have been recommended to us by parents. More about our nurseries
Trusted by parents
"
When I made a request, I got a call back within the hour to confirm who my nanny would be, and it gave me great peace of mind to know I could leave my son with a qualified, CRB checked nanny that had been arranged through a professional agency."
Book online or over the phone - quickly and easily, with all the stress removed.
Our team is available 7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday.
We'll start working on bookings made outside these hours first thing the next working day - come rain or shine.
Start using Emergency Childcare today - as easy as 1-2-3
