I initially found Charlie through Facebook, where she regularly promotes her childcare services and her expertise in child development and behaviour. As a parent, these were qualities that genuinely interested me, and I was initially very positive about her profile.

However, after carrying out my own due diligence, I decided not to proceed. At the time of writing, the profile had been active for around four months and had four 5-star reviews. Whilst the two most recent reviews appeared genuine, I was concerned by the first two reviews, posted on 3rd and 4th February. The wording, structure, and descriptions used were remarkably similar, with both reviews referring to Charlie as calm, reliable, having a natural way with children, strong safeguarding awareness, and creating a nurturing environment. I cannot comment on their authenticity, but the similarities reduced my confidence in relying on them as independent reviews.

I was also left with questions regarding the profile itself. Charlie describes herself as a recently qualified maternity nurse, whilst simultaneously offering specialist behavioural, trauma-informed, attachment, emotional regulation and newborn support services at premium rates. As a parent, I found it difficult to understand the qualifications, accreditation, and level of specialist experience underpinning some of these claims.

In addition, the profile states that Charlie is a mother of two very young children whilst also advertising extensive weekday availability, school holiday flexibility, travel across multiple areas, and specialist support services. There may well be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, but the profile did not provide enough information for me to understand how these commitments fit together.

Ultimately, trust, transparency, and authenticity are extremely important to me when selecting childcare. Whilst other families may have had positive experiences, I personally felt there were too many unanswered questions regarding the profile, reviews, experience, and specialist claims for me to feel comfortable moving forward.

• Overall
• Communication