Taste’n’Tell Guest Blog

I remember fondly the year before I commenced my training as a registered nurse and midwife. I was employed as a nannie for a high profile American family based in the UK. It was a role that was challenging at times, but hugely rewarding. I have so much admiration for the wonderful people involved in caring for children, helping to shape their futures.

We all recognise the importance of food and nutrition to the well-being of growing children. We also know how boring food can appear to the active child and the difficulties we can face when introducing them to new tastes, when all they want is to have fun.

This is exactly what Taste’n’Tell is about. ‘Making kids’ food fun’. Taste’n’Tell allows you to introduce healthy food samples, which are placed in a hygienic container, within a book. The book has a base to allow other books in the series to be used as well. There are five characters, each representing the main food groups. Holly honeybee (fruit), Veggie vole (vegetables), Millar mouse (grain), Beefy bear (protein) and Darcey dragon (dairy).

The characters go on adventures, discovering their favourite foods and having lots of fun along the way. The book uses vivid photos of food, entertaining rhymes written in an educational font, and a call to action to try the healthy food within the pod. An experience that encompasses all the senses, Taste’n’Tell also features a reward chart with stickers, adding to the fun and feeling of achievement.

At the start of this piece I mentioned my time spent as a nanny, and my admiration for those of you who carry out this role. My experience during that time, along with my more recent role as a parent then grandparent, have clearly helped to shape our vision for Taste’n’Tell.

Our grandson Daniel has the same personality and zest for life as his parents. It was Daniel who initially inspired the idea of Taste’n’Tell. He recently celebrated his third birthday, and has been enjoying his ‘mock up’ Taste’n’Tell book since age two.

We devised this book to encourage him to eat his vegetables at a time when he wasn’t interested in trying new food. Broccoli for example was a no go area. On one occasion, when Ronnie and I were looking after Daniel, we were trying to encourage him to try a piece of broccoli. Exasperated, I decided to place the vegetable covered in foil inside the flap of a new lift the flap book. I conjured up a character in my head who loved broccoli and wanted him to try it. Suddenly, Daniel couldn’t wait to find out what ‘Veggie vole’ had placed in the book and to our surprise he lifted the flap, found the broccoli, popped it in his mouth, then asked for more.

 

This was our eureka moment, as Ronnie and I looked at each other, an idea quickly forming. And so, Taste’n’Tell was born.

We’ve had really enthusiastic responses to the product at events we have attended, including picking up two awards. One for best new product, awarded by MiniMe and Luxury at the Birmingham Baby show and 3rd place in the Manchester Childcare Expo Star Product Award. It has shown us that there is a need for more products aimed at healthy eating and literacy, and we can’t wait to reveal our plans for the future.

You can watch clips of Daniel enjoying the Taste’n’Tell experience at:

www.tastentell.co.uk

Daniel loves it. We hope you do too. 😊

Tips to keep you child safe in the sun

Encourage your child to play in the shade – for example, under trees – especially between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is at its strongest.

  • Keep babies under the age of six months out of direct sunlight, especially around midday.
  • Cover exposed parts of your child’s skin with sunscreen, even on cloudy or overcast days. Use one that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or above and is effective against UVA and UVB. Don’t forget to apply it to their shoulders, nose, ears, cheeks, and the tops of their feet. Reapply often throughout the day.
  • Be especially careful to protect your child’s shoulders and the back of their neck when they’re playing, as these are the most common areas for sunburn.
  • Cover your child up in loose cotton clothes, such as an oversized T-shirt with sleeves.
  • Get your child to wear a floppy hat with a wide brim that shades their face and neck.
  • Protect your child’s eyes with sunglasses that meet the British Standard (BSEN 1836:2005) and carry the “CE” mark – check the label.
  • If your child is swimming, use a waterproof sunblock of factor 15 or above. Reapply after towelling.

Nannytax- Nannyshare Information

Nannytax has specialist consultants who can offer advice and support in payroll for Nannyshares, including how to go about a ‘Tax code split’. The Nannytax service also includes employment law support to help you with Nannyshare agreements and the Contract of Employment.

Nannytax advise the key to a great nannyshare is communication and recommend that all parties involved keep in regular contact – perhaps with fortnightly or monthly meeting to iron out any issues that may arise.

These are Nannytax’s top tips for a successful nannyshare:

  • Agree a gross wage

Nannytax always recommend that a gross wage is agreed rather than a net salary. More information on the importance of agreeing a gross wage can be found on the Nannytax: Gross Vs Net (https://www.nannytax.co.uk/gross-vs-net-salaries/gross-vs-net)

  • Get a contract in place

Each family should have a separate contract with the nanny so that they can continue the relationship should the other family leave the nannyshare. Find more information on Contracts of Employment on the Nannytax website (https://www.nannytax.co.uk/all-inclusive-service/employment-contracts)

  • Discuss holidays in advance

Discuss holiday arrangements with the other family and the nanny — a common solution is for each family to decide on one week and the nanny to decide on two weeks. It is a good idea to agree this in advance, especially in a nannyshare situation where arranging holiday entitlement that works for all parties can be slightly more complicated.

  • Set out rules and standards

If the children of two or more families are being cared for at the same time, rules and standards will have to be agreed between the families and the nanny up front. It is worth having a seperate written agreement and Nannytax can help with this as well. For further details on this you can contact the Nannytax team on 020 3137 4401 or by emailing [email protected] or find more information visit: www.nannytax.co.uk/all-inclusive-service/nannyshares

 

 

Nanny Interviews- Ten top tips

1.Take your portfolio with you

2. Arrive 5 minutes early

3. Interact with the children if they are there

4. Look smart, hair tied up and minimal makeup

5. Be confident but not pushy

6. Talk about your skills and what makes you different

7. Smile!

8. Don’t mention money/holidays unless they ask

9. Ask questions

10. Thank the family for their time

First Aid Course 22nd and 23rd July

First Aid Course

Knowing you have comprehensive knowledge and training of First Aid will ensure you can deal with an emergency effectively and promptly.

This Paediatric First Aid course is designed for child care workers, babysitters, parents and anyone living or working with children. The full twelve hour course meets all the requirements for registering with Ofsted and the Child Care Approval Scheme and is therefore suitable for candidates.
• Dealing with an emergency
• Resuscitation
• Identifying signs of shock
• Diabetes
• Bleeding
• Sickle Cell
• Fractures
• Choking
• Anaphylactic Shock
• Epilepsy & Seizures
• Meningitis
• 999 Calling
• Conditions of Heat & Cold
• Bites & Stings
All course participants will be given a Referral First Aid Manual and additional literature on current topics relating to First Aid Training and practices.
All of our courses are held in small groups to ensure effective understanding. All students who complete the course and are deemed to have reached the required standard will be issued with a recognised certificate valid for 3 years.

DATES:  22nd and 23rd July
DURATION: 12 hours 9.30am to 4.30pm (on both days)
PRICE:
£ 120 inc vat
VENUE:
Learn Plus Us, 65 Colney Hatch Lane, London, N10 1LR

CALL 02031993860 to book

The Importance of Insurance for Nannies

The Importance of Insurance for Nannies

The majority of nannies in the UK are employees of the parents they work for. This is because employee status is established by meeting a set of legal criteria such as working regularly and exclusively for a particular person, family or organisation. Even if you have been told you are self-employed or a contractor, you may not be, unless you are working for multiple families or are directly employed by an agency.

As an employee you are entitled to certain legal rights and protections such as holiday and sick pay, a pension and the right not to be unfairly dismissed. Likewise the parents who employ you also have to comply with certain legal obligations. One of these is to take out Employer’s Liability Insurance (ELI). This protects you if you become ill or injured at work and need to claim compensation. If your employers do not obtain ELI and you are not a close family member, they are breaking the law and potentially putting you at risk.

Employers are obliged to make their ELI certificate available for you to see. If they have not done so, they might not have an insurance policy at all. In some cases parents are not aware of their obligations, or sometimes even that they are seen as employers in the eyes of the law. Getting insured though is easy. Morton Michel offers a standalone Employer’s Liability policy that is ideal for parents employing nannies. Visit https://www.mortonmichel.com/EmployersLiability/ for more details.

If you have not already, you should seriously consider taking out an insurance policy yourself too. Incidents and accidents can happen at any time. Morton Michel’s Public Liability insurance protects you against claims by third parties, while its Legal Expenses insurance ensures that you have access to legal advice and representation should you need it, including employment disputes. Not only that but being insured by a reputable company, such as childcare insurance specialist Morton Michel, is often taken to be the mark of a professional, proof that you take your responsibilities seriously.

To add to this, Morton Michel have teamed up with flick learning to bring their childcare insurance policyholders a range of FREE RoSPA-accredited, CPD-certified online training courses. So if you take out an insurance policy with them, you are entitled to more than 35 training courses saving you over £350! Morton Michel also offers a wide range of benefits and discounts exclusive to policyholders via their ChildCare Club.

For further information please visit www.mortonmichel.com/Nanny/. Alternatively you can call Morton Michel on 020 8603 0942 or email [email protected].

 

Nannytax- What you need to know

Found a Nanny? It’s not over yet…

Once you have been matched up with your perfect nanny, there are a few tasks that you need to undertake or outsource before you can relax and enjoy the domestic serenity.

  • You must implement proper payroll, paying tax and National Insurance Contributions, and providing your nanny with regular payslips.
  • You must by law hold Employers Liability Insurance.
  • You may have to set up a workplace pension for your nanny.

Don’t worry – you’re nearly there! Nannytax is your one-stop shop for all this and more.

Nannytax Payroll

The standard Nannytax payroll service includes setting you up as an employer with HMRC, dealing with all HMRC correspondence and administration, providing payslips on a weekly or monthly basis as required and providing a quarterly summary of tax and National Insurance Contributions due and instructions on when and how to pay.

It also provides you with a Contract of Employment and access to Nannytax Legal, a team of lawyers who specialise in employment law.

Subscribing to Nannytax couldn’t be easier by phone or online – www.nannytax.co.uk/subscribe

Nannytax Payroll Plus

If you upgrade to Nannytax Payroll Plus the service also includes paying your nanny and paying your HMRC liabilities (tax and National Insurance Contributions) on your behalf. You will not have to lift a finger from one year to the next.

Employers Liability Insurance

Nannytax works with Fish Insurance to offer Enable Insurance Services, an Employers Liability Insurance policy design specifically for nanny employers.

The Enable Insurance policy provides all you need for peace of mind and to be legally compliant:

  • A £10M Limit of indemnity, to cover damages and/or claimant’s costs
  • Cover for up to 5 employees if you decide to take on an additional nanny or nannies
  • Cover if your nanny are temporarily travelling with you overseas
  • Additional Public Liability Insurance with an indemnity of £5M

You can take out your Employers Liability when subscribing to Nannytax Payroll or Payroll Plus, or just take out the insurance without the the payroll – it’s up to you.

www.enableinsurance.co.uk.

Workplace Pensions

You may have seen the hairy, purple workplace pensions fellow on TV. That’s the government dropping you a hint! Workplace pensions – also known as automatic enrolment pensions – are now a legal requirement. If your nanny is aged between 22 and the state pension age and earning over £10,000 a year you are obliged to automatically enroll her into a pension scheme and contribute to it.

If your nanny does not want a pension she may choose to opt out, but you may not bring any pressure to bear on her in making this decision, and you must enroll her in the first place whether she likes it or not.

Nannytax can help you with this by telling you when you have to set up the workplace pension and offering to do it for you through their Enable Autoenrol service. Nothing could be easier.

Contact Nannytax

So contact Nannytax to discuss their services and have all your employer responsibilities taken care of in one place. Tel: 020 3137 4401  |  [email protected]

The low down on Apprenticeships

Did you know you can get apprenticeship funding at any age? Or any stage in your career.
Do you want to work with children but not sure where to start?
Do you already work with children?
Did you not get the qualifications you wanted or expected?
Do you want a change of career?
Then an apprenticeship or learning loan might be the answer
We have nurseries and nanny jobs all over London looking for passionate people to undertake an apprenticeship.
Get paid to learn on the job
Immediate startsContact Judith today on 02031993859

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How to get your Level 3 when working

Nannies do you want to get your Level 3 in Childcare whilst working in your current job?
Did you know on average a level 3 candidate earns 25% more?
You can complete your level 3 with a 19+ Learner loan
You do not pay anything until you after you gain your qualification and earn over £21K
Friendly, supportive team to help you along the wayCall Judith today on 02031993859-image-4655a03.png” alt=”Stacks Image 90382″ />