National Nanny Association

National Nanny Association Leading the way for professional nannies—raising standards and shaping the future of childcare.

Research doesn’t always happen in a laboratory.Sometimes it starts with a nanny noticing something.Why does she keep cho...
19/08/2026

Research doesn’t always happen in a laboratory.

Sometimes it starts with a nanny noticing something.

Why does she keep choosing that book?

Why does he suddenly want to do that activity again and again?

What changed when we introduced music?

Why does she become more confident when she’s creating?

This is practitioner research.

It’s about observing rather than judging, following children’s interests and taking the time to reflect on what we see.

And nannies already do this every day.

The difference is that this year, we’re going to capture it, learn from it and build it into the evidence base for professional nanny practice.

You don’t need to be an academic.

You just need to be curious.

https://thenationalnannyassociation.co.uk/nna-research-programme/

The Nanny Job Market Survey is back — and this year is particularly important. 📊For the second consecutive year, the Nat...
18/08/2026

The Nanny Job Market Survey is back — and this year is particularly important. 📊

For the second consecutive year, the National Nanny Association is gathering data on the UK nanny job market.

Last year gave us a valuable snapshot of the profession. This year, we can begin to look at change.

By running the survey annually, we can start to identify trends in areas such as salaries, working patterns, recruitment, expectations and the experiences of both nannies and employers.

That matters.

Good decisions about the future of the nanny profession need to be based on evidence — not assumptions.

So whether you’re a nanny, a nanny employer or work within the sector, we’d really appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete the survey. We had approximately 500 of you last year!

One survey gives us a snapshot. Two years of data starts to give us a story.

Take part here: https://forms.gle/d2QU9VqdfRNvGDD39

Please also share the survey with other nannies and employers. The more responses we receive, the more useful the data becomes.

What happens when we stop directing and start noticing?This year, we’re exploring Creativity, Expression & Belonging in ...
17/08/2026

What happens when we stop directing and start noticing?

This year, we’re exploring Creativity, Expression & Belonging in Home-Based Childcare.

From music and movement to imaginative play, art, books, maths and experiences in the wider community, our research will begin with something simple:

What interests the child?

What makes them curious?
What captures their attention?
What makes them feel connected and confident?

Nannies taking part will choose a research project based on the individual child they care for, observe what happens, reflect on what they notice and share their learning.

Because sometimes the most interesting research begins with:

“I wonder why that happened?”

More to come…

The best research starts by listening.Professional nannies have a wealth of knowledge built through years of experience,...
14/08/2026

The best research starts by listening.

Professional nannies have a wealth of knowledge built through years of experience, observation and caring for individual children.

The NNA Research Programme will not simply look at professional nannying from the outside.

It will listen to the people who live it every day.

We want to understand your experiences, your insights and the questions that matter to you.

Because research should not just be about nannies.

It should be created with nannies.

Together, we can build a stronger evidence base for our profession and help turn research into better practice.

Introducing The National Nanny Association Research Programme.

Every child is unique.Their personality.Their interests.Their ways of communicating.Their individual needs and strengths...
12/08/2026

Every child is unique.

Their personality.
Their interests.
Their ways of communicating.
Their individual needs and strengths.

Professional nannies have the privilege of building deep, trusted relationships with the children they care for — often over many hours, days and years.

But what can research tell us about these relationships?

How does a deeper understanding of an individual child influence the way we support their development, learning and wellbeing?

And how can evidence help nannies continue to grow as professionals?

We’re exploring these questions because understanding children better helps us care for them better.

Something new is coming soon…

For years, nannies have built their practice through experience, observation and a deep understanding of the children th...
10/08/2026

For years, nannies have built their practice through experience, observation and a deep understanding of the children they care for.

But there are still important questions we need to explore.

How does professional nanny care influence children’s development?

What is unique about a child being cared for in their own home environment?

And how can research help nannies understand children even more deeply?

We’ve been working on something very special…

Coming soon…

Have your say on the future of the titles Maternity Nurse and Nursery NurseThe Department of Health and Social Care - DH...
30/07/2026

Have your say on the future of the titles Maternity Nurse and Nursery Nurse

The Department of Health and Social Care - DHSC has launched a Call for Evidence questionnaire looking at how the professional title “Nurse” should be protected.

The purpose of this questionnaire is to help Government understand which roles currently use the word “nurse” in their title and whether exemptions should apply.

We know there has been lots of questions about the titles Nursery Nurse and Maternity Nurse.

The National Nanny Association believes it is important that the voices of childcare professionals are included.

The titles Nursery Nurse and Maternity Nurse have a long and respected history within childcare.

Nursery Nurses have supported babies and young children for generations, with the National Nursery Examination Board (NNEB) qualification becoming one of the UK’s most recognised childcare qualifications.

Maternity Nurses provide specialist newborn care and support families during the important weeks following birth. They are childcare professionals, not Registered Nurses, but their role requires specialist knowledge, practical experience and strong safeguarding awareness.

The NNA supports protecting the integrity of the nursing profession while also recognising established childcare professions that use the word “nurse”.

We believe this is an opportunity to improve clarity and confidence for families by ensuring that professional titles reflect appropriate:

-Qualifications
-Practical experience
-Safeguarding knowledge
-Paediatric First Aid
-Safer sleep education
-Continuing professional development
-Better regulation for training providers in maternity care and sleep consultancy.

We are submitting the National Nanny Association’s response, but we encourage childcare professionals to complete the questionnaire and share their own experiences.
Your voice matters.

If you are a:
- Nursery Nurse
-NNEB practitioner
-Maternity Nurse
-Nanny
-Early Years Practitioner
-Sleep Practitioner .....please consider responding.

📌 Search: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/using-the-professional-title-nurse

The questionnaire closes on 8th October 2026.

The National Nanny Association has submitted evidence to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Early Years Educati...
27/07/2026

The National Nanny Association has submitted evidence to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Early Years Education and Childcare Market Study.

As part of our commitment to transparency, we wanted to share an update on the work we are doing behind the scenes to represent professional nannies and maternity practitioners.

So, what is the CMA Market Study?

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is an independent organisation that looks at how markets work for people. They are currently reviewing the early years childcare market to understand the challenges facing families, childcare providers and the wider sector.

This is an important opportunity for the voice of professional nannies and maternity practitioners to be heard, as we are always overlooked.

Professional home-based childcare is an essential part of the childcare industry, supporting thousands of families with flexible, personalised and consistent care.

In our submission, we have highlighted the importance of:

💙 Recognising professional home-based childcare within the wider childcare market
💙 Helping parents make informed choices through clearer childcare role definitions and standards
💙 Consistent safeguarding expectations across professional childcare roles
💙 Reviewing funding and support mechanisms so families have genuine choice
💙 Considering the future of registration and regulation for professional nannies and maternity practitioners

Our aim is simple:
To help create a childcare system where families can make informed choices, and where professional childcare providers are recognised, supported and valued.

Coram PACEY has also sent their submission which also has supported the nanny community-thank you to them for including Nannies into the conversation.

We will continue to work with policymakers and the wider early years sector to ensure the voice of nannies and maternity practitioners is heard.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support our work.

Disappointedly, Olivia Bailey MP has now stepped down as the Early Years Minister. We had constructive meetings with her...
24/07/2026

Disappointedly, Olivia Bailey MP has now stepped down as the Early Years Minister. We had constructive meetings with her, and we welcomed her engagement with the nanny industry. We felt she listened and understood our concerns. We thank her for all her efforts.

As part of our commitment to transparency, we are sharing the letter we have sent today to Lucy Powell MP, Secretary of State for Education, following the recent ministerial changes.

The National Nanny Association believes it is important that professional nannies have a recognised voice within early years policy discussions, and we want our members and the wider nanny community to see the conversations we are having on behalf of the profession.

Our letter highlights:

✅ The important role professional nannies play in children’s early development and family life
✅ The challenges currently facing the nanny workforce
✅ The importance of safeguarding, professional standards and recognition
✅ The evidence gathered through our workforce surveys and research
✅ The work already undertaken by the NNA, including the National Nanny Register and our engagement with government, parliamentarians and the wider early years sector

We have welcomed the opportunity to engage constructively with the Department for Education over the past year, including discussions with Olivia Bailey and departmental officials, and we look forward to continuing this work with the new ministerial team.

Our aim remains simple: to ensure that professional nannies have a strong voice, that families have confidence in home-based childcare, and that children receive the highest possible standards of care.

We will continue to share updates with our community as our work progresses.

Choosing childcare can feel overwhelming. With so many different job titles now being used—Nanny, Babysitter, Childminde...
22/07/2026

Choosing childcare can feel overwhelming. With so many different job titles now being used—Nanny, Babysitter, Childminder, Maternity Practitioner, Night Nanny, Family Assistant and more—it’s no wonder parents can feel confused.

But each role has a different purpose, skill set and responsibility.

We’ve created a new guide and blog explaining the differences between the most common childcare roles, helping families understand who they need and what each professional can offer.

From the role of a professional nanny, to maternity support, early years professionals, housekeepers and family assistants, our guide aims to bring clarity to a sometimes confusing area.

Because choosing the right childcare professional matters—not only for families, but for ensuring every childcare professional is valued for the specialist role they provide and expectations match.

📖 Read the full blog here: https://thenationalnannyassociation.co.uk/childcare-roles-explained-a-parents-guide-to-choosing-the-right-childcare-professional/

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