Babysitting Policy

1. Purpose

Rabbit Patch Day Nursery recognises that parents and carers may wish to ask members of the nursery team to provide babysitting services outside of the practitioner’s normal working hours.

This policy sets out the expectations and boundaries surrounding these arrangements to protect children, families, practitioners and Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

Babysitting arranged between a parent/carer and a Rabbit Patch employee is a private arrangement between those individuals. It does not form part of the childcare service provided by Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

2. Private Babysitting Arrangements

Any babysitting arrangement must take place:

Outside the practitioner’s normal contracted working hours at Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.
By private agreement between the parent/carer and the individual practitioner.
Independently of Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.
Without the nursery arranging, managing or providing the babysitting service.

Rabbit Patch Day Nursery does not employ staff to provide babysitting services on behalf of the nursery.

Parents/carers who choose to enter into a private babysitting arrangement do so with the individual practitioner and accept that the arrangement is separate from their child’s nursery place.

3. Contact and Arrangements

Parents/carers and practitioners may exchange contact details in order to discuss private babysitting arrangements.

Details regarding:

Availability
Hours
Location
Payment
Cancellation arrangements
Additional requirements

should be discussed privately and not during the practitioner’s working time at the nursery.

Babysitting arrangements should not interfere with the practitioner’s responsibilities, attendance or performance at Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

4. Payment

Payment for babysitting is a private matter between the parent/carer and the individual practitioner.

Rabbit Patch Day Nursery does not set, collect, process or administer babysitting payments.

Practitioners should discuss their own fees and payment arrangements directly with the parent/carer.

5. Responsibility and Liability

Rabbit Patch Day Nursery accepts no responsibility or liability for incidents, accidents, injuries, loss, damage or other circumstances arising while a child is under the sole care of a practitioner acting as a private babysitter.

Once the practitioner is providing private babysitting outside their normal nursery working hours, they are acting in a private capacity and not as an employee providing childcare on behalf of Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

Parents/carers should satisfy themselves that they are comfortable entering into such an arrangement before agreeing to private babysitting.

6. Professional Conduct

Although private babysitting arrangements are separate from the nursery, Rabbit Patch practitioners remain expected to maintain appropriate professional standards.

Practitioners must:

Maintain appropriate professional boundaries with children and families.
Continue to act professionally.
Maintain confidentiality regarding the nursery, children, families and colleagues.
Not disclose confidential information obtained through their employment.
Not use nursery records, information or resources for private babysitting purposes.
Ensure private arrangements do not negatively affect their work at Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

7. Safeguarding

The fact that babysitting is a private arrangement does not remove a practitioner’s professional responsibility to behave appropriately around children.

Any safeguarding concern relating to a child, whether identified during nursery hours or through a private babysitting arrangement, should be taken seriously and dealt with in accordance with Rabbit Patch Day Nursery’s safeguarding procedures where appropriate.

Practitioners must never use their position at Rabbit Patch to place pressure on families to use their babysitting services.

Parents/carers should also understand that Rabbit Patch Day Nursery cannot supervise or monitor private babysitting arrangements.

8. Confidentiality

Practitioners are expected to maintain a high level of confidentiality regarding:

Children attending Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.
Children’s families.
Personal information.
Nursery business and operations.
Colleagues and employees.

Information learned through employment at Rabbit Patch must not be shared with others or used inappropriately during or following a private babysitting arrangement.

9. Nursery Staff Boundaries

Private babysitting must remain separate from the practitioner’s employment at Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

Practitioners must not:

Arrange babysitting during working time.
Allow private babysitting arrangements to interfere with their nursery duties.
Discuss private payment arrangements in front of children or other families.
Use nursery communication systems for private babysitting unless specifically authorised.
Represent themselves as providing babysitting services on behalf of Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

10. Agreement and Acknowledgement

Before a practitioner undertakes private babysitting for a Rabbit Patch family, the parent/carer and practitioner should complete the Rabbit Patch Babysitting Waiver.

The waiver confirms that both parties understand that the arrangement is private and independent of Rabbit Patch Day Nursery.

The waiver should be signed by:

The parent/carer.
The practitioner.
The Nursery Manager or Deputy Manager.

The completed agreement should be retained in accordance with Rabbit Patch Day Nursery’s document retention arrangements.

11. Management Position

Rabbit Patch Day Nursery does not arrange or guarantee private babysitting services and does not recommend that any particular practitioner be used.

The nursery’s role is limited to ensuring that staff understand the professional boundaries surrounding private arrangements and that appropriate documentation is completed.

The nursery cannot resolve disputes relating to private babysitting arrangements and encourages parents/carers and practitioners to address any concerns directly with one another.