When employing a nanny it’s vitally important to take up references and most nannies request a written reference at the end of a position. Ex-nanny employers should expect to be contacted by parents even 10 years down the line, as for some nannies this might still be within the ‘most recent’ referees.
A written reference for a nanny should confirm the dates of employment and duties as a bare minimum. It’s also nice to include anything the nanny did particularly well and give concrete examples of how they performed their duties. Comments on reliability and timekeeping, ability to deal with emergencies and the nanny’s general attitude towards the children and the job provide a good starting point for anyone checking the reference verbally. Written references need to be neutral, sticking to very basic factual information, or positive. It’s not against the law to give a ‘bad’ reference (although we would recommend that anyone who feels they can’t give a broadly positive reference seeks individual legal advice) but a written reference is not the place to raise any disciplinary issues.
An ex-employer is obliged to give an honest and fair reference. Essentially this means not holding back information where you can prove what you’re saying. If someone asks whether there were ever any issues raised with the nanny or whether any disciplinary action was taken a fair reference must respond truthfully. It’s intended to be fair to the employee and the future employer after all.
Disciplinary action is an easy question to answer, and a reason why it’s important to keep records of formal warnings. If there was no disciplinary action then no need to worry! Broader performance management is a finer line. It’s expected that at the beginning nannies will be given feedback, and unless the nanny didn’t respond to that it would be unfair to mention it in a future reference. A reference shouldn’t mention anything a nanny hasn’t been given an opportunity to correct, so if a nanny was consistently late but there was no conservation about lateness then a nanny could easily argue they weren’t able to act on this and improve their timekeeping.
Most previous employers will give an unreservedly glowing reference, focusing on the quality of the nanny’s relationship with the children, and that’s a really good sign of a great nanny because it shows a lasting positive impact. Their tone of voice and willingness to answer questions will say a lot about how genuine their feelings are, and that’s one reason why it’s important to follow up written or email references with a phone call. A final test for a reference is to ask whether in the same situation they would employ the nanny again. It goes without saying that you’d expect the answer there to be a ‘yes’.