Help
What is childcare.co.uk?
childcare.co.uk is an online meeting platform that helps match parents looking for childcare with childcare providers such as childminders, babysitters and nannies.
Parents and childcare providers can create a free profile advertising their childcare requirements or childcare services that we publish on our website and index in our childcare search engine.
What do I get for free?
It's completely free to register with us and to add a profile advertising your childcare services or childcare requirements. Free members can receive, read and reply to messages that have been sent to them. To register for free click here
Is my personal information safe?
Yes, we will never sell the personal data that you give us when you join or create a profile. The information we ask for is solely used for providing the service we offer. If you create a profile, your details will be displayed on our website for other users to see once it has been moderated by our editorial team.
Our website features our own unique secure, private messaging system which is used by members to contact each other.
We follow security procedures as required under UK Data Protection Legislation (the Data Protection Act 1998) to protect the information that we store about you from unauthorised access. Our Data Protection Registration Number is: Z1605379
What is Gold Membership?
childcare.co.uk Gold Membership is for parents and childcare providers who want to be more proactive in their search. Standard free members must wait for a response to their profile but Gold members can use our safe and secure private messaging system to initiate contact with our other members. Don't sit back and wait for someone to contact you; become a Gold member and get talking right away! Gold members have the greatest chance of success. Gold membership is the essential tool for parents with an immediate childcare requirement and for childcare providers looking for work right away.
Gold members can also view Profile Plus information such as a user's email address or phone number if they have optionally chosen to add that information to their profile for Gold members to see.
There is a small charge for being a Gold member subscriber which helps cover the costs of running the website. The price is currently £12.99 every 3 months, £19.99 every 6 months, or £29.99 every year. Payments are processed by PayPal. Gold membership can be cancelled at anytime. To upgrade to Gold membership click here
We also accept payment by post using a cheque or postal order. Full details are on the upgrade page.
Why do I have to pay for Gold Membership?
We have spent a great deal of money developing childcare.co.uk and continue to spend tens of thousands of pounds each month in advertising in order to attract the highest quality parents and childcare providers as our members.
We're the number one childcare search site in the UK and are growing all the time. We invest the majority of our revenue in improving our site to ensure we offer the best possible service and innovative features.
The Gold membership fees help cover our costs and overheads. Also by making a small charge, this means our messaging system is only used by serious users and is not abused by spammers.
I haven't received my account activation email
When you become a member we send you an account activation email to the email address you provided us with. You must click the link in the email to activate your account. This is so we can confirm that the email address you have given us is correct. If you do not receive the account activation email, please check your junk or spam folder as some internet service providers are over zealous and may confusingly associate our emails as unwanted.
If you do not click the link in the account activation email then we will not be able to send you email alerts and notifications from our website such as when you receive a new message. It is therefore very important that you click the link to activate your account.
What is Profile Plus?
Profile Plus is an extra section of your profile that allows you to optionally add your direct contact details such as your phone number, mobile number and email address. Childcare providers can also add web links for up to two websites.
In order to help protect your privacy, Profile Plus information can only be viewed by Gold members. This ensures that only the most serious users, who gave gone through extra security checks as a result of making a payment, will be able to access this data. Additionally we limit the number of Profile Plus views that each Gold member can make in a 24 hour period to ensure that Profile Plus data is not abused.
Why isn't my profile showing?
Once you have created a profile it is placed in a queue to be moderated. When your profile has been reviewed and accepted by our moderation team it will go live on our website. This process usually takes less than 24 hours. Will will send you an email to let you know when your profile is live. When you go the 'My Profile' page we will display the status of your profile at the top of the screen.
If you make a change to your profile then it will be taken offline until the changes have been reviewed by our moderation team.
Why isn't my photo showing?
We only accept photos of either the parent/family or childcare provider who is registered to use our website. Photos of childcare providers containing more than one person or children are not allowed. If you are a company we accept company logos that do not contain any contact details in place of a photo. If you add or change your photo, your profile will be taken offline until the photo has been reviewed by our moderation team.
I have found a childcare provider that I like. How do I know they are good?
We always encourage parents to do as much research as possible once they have found a childcare provider that they are interested in using. Always speak to them on the phone and arrange at least one face to face meeting before you use their services. Ask them as many questions as you can think of and get them to show you written proof of their qualifications, registration certificates, insurance and CRB checks if they have them or are required. You should ask childcare providers for references from other parents and you should verify these by contacting the person giving the reference to ensure they are genuine.
Childminders in the UK must be registered with Ofsted. In Wales childminders must be registered with CSSIW (Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales). Childminders in Scotland must be registered with the Scottish Care Commission. It is unlawful to advertise as a Childminder unless you are registered with one of these organisations. Parents should always check that a childminder is registered before using them.
How do I contact a childcare provider or parent?
Simply use the childcare.co.uk secure, private messaging system to send them a message via our website. Both parents and childcare providers personal contact details are kept confidential. To send a message click the 'send me a message' button which appears towards the top right hand side of each profile.
When you send someone a message, we will send them an email to let them know they have a new message waiting. You can tell if a message you have sent has been read by viewing the open and closed envelope icons which appear at the side of each message in your inbox.
If a user has completed the Profile Plus section of their profile and specified direct contact details such as their email address, phone number of mobile number, then Gold members can also contact the user directly without using our private messaging system.
Why can't I send messages?
In order to send messages you must upgrade to childcare.co.uk Gold Membership.
In order to prevent our messaging system being abused and used to send spam messages we limit the number of messages that each user can send within a 24 hour period. If you receive a message to say that you have exceeded your limit and wish to send more messages, please contact us and we will review your account with a view to increasing your daily limit subject to the content of your previous messages being acceptable.
Can I add my email address or telephone number to my profile?
Yes, it is possible to optionally add your email address, phone number and mobile number to the Profile Plus section of your profile. This information can only be viewed by Gold members.
For security, safety and confidentiality reasons we do not allow direct contact information such as email addresses and phone numbers within the standard area of your profile.
Parents and childcare providers are free to disclose their contact details in private messages.
Can I add a link to my website from my profile?
Yes, childcare providers can add up to 2 website links in their Profile Plus information which can only be viewed by Gold members.
We do not allow website addresses or links within your standard profile.
How are rating scores calculated?
Parents can rate childcare providers as positive, neutral or negative. All childcare providers start with a rating score of zero. A positive review by a parent adds one point and a negative rating subtracts one point. Neutral reviews do not add or subtract any points from a rating score.
I have received a bad review but it is not true
Childcare providers can respond to all their reviews and the responses are displayed on our website alongside the original review.
What are 'my favourites'?
Both parents and childcare providers have access to My Favourites. It is simply a way of storing a link to a users profile so you can recall the profile with ease next time without having to do a search. To add a user to your My Favourites list simply click the 'Add as a favourite' link when you are viewing their profile.
You can see who as added you as their favourite by clicking 'Who Likes Me?' from the left hand menu that appears when you are logged into your account.
Can I add a link to your website from mine?
Yes, you are free to link to the childcare.co.uk website from your own site. You are also free to link to your unique childcare.co.uk profile page.
How do I hide my profile?
If you have found childcare or a childcare job and would like to keep your account active but would like remove your profile from our site then you can visit our hide profile page. Once your profile is hidden you will be able to reactivate it in the future by visiting the hide profile page again.
How do I cancel my gold membership subscription?
You can cancel your gold membership subscription by logging into your PayPal account. Then go to the 'History' subtab of the 'My Account' tab. Choose "Subscriptions" from the drop-down "Show" menu and click "Submit". Choose childcare.co.uk, and click on the "Details" link. You will be taken to a Transaction Details page from which you may cancel your Subscription.
Gold membership can be cancelled at anytime before your next payment is due. If you cancel your subscription, you will still be able to use any remaining time on your gold membership before it expires.
If you experience any difficulty in cancelling your gold membership then please contact us for assistance.
How do I close my account?
If you would like to close your account for any reason, at any time, simply visit our cancellation page at www.childcare.co.uk/cancel and you will be able to close your account.
My question has not been answered
If your question has not been answered please contact us and will get back to you with a response as soon as possible. We aim to answer all customer support requests within 24 hours.
Site Statistics
- Parents (47642)
- Babysitters (19718)
- Childminders (8363)
- Nannies (8151)
- Au Pairs (463)
- Nurseries (191)
- Private Midwives (16)
- Nursery Nurses (650)
- Maternity Nurses (68)
