When looking to hire a Babysitter the reality is that Babysitters will only usually consider local Babysitter jobs because of the issues surrounding safe travel home, late at night.
Babysitter jobs do not offer enough pay to warrant the costs involved in long travelling to Babysitter jobs. In addition to this Babysitter jobs usually finish late at night and it is safer to be travelling just a short distance when returning home. The risks carried by being out alone late at night coupled with the possibility that the Babysitter may be driving while tired would cause concern for any responsible Babysitter and Babysitter hirer.
When I have attended Babysitter jobs the family often express concern that I am okay travelling home at the end of the night. Therefore as Babysitter safety is such an important issue, we must do all that we can to promote the Babysitters safety.
What steps can we take to promote safety at the end of Babysitter jobs?
If the Babysitter does not have a car:
Consider offering a lift home, I would recommend a male drives a male Babysitter home and a female drive a female Babysitter home.
Provide a cab ride home as part of payment; always use a reputable cab firm
Call a cab that the Babysitter will pay for themselves, or go halves!
Check that their mobile phone is charged and working
If a Babysitter decides to walk home alone late at night, this will be their choice, but I would do all I could to discourage this, including refusing to book them again if they do not ensure their journey home is safe.
If the Babysitter does have a car:
Watch them from your front door until they have driven off in their car.
Check that they know their route home
Check that their mobile phone is charged and working
Check that they are not too tired to drive – do they want a quick coffee before driving home
Ensure they thoroughly de-ice their car if required
Above all of these safety steps I highly recommend ensuring that all Babysitters only work as a local Baby Sitter.
If they only have a short journey:
They can take their time and not rush, minimising their risk of accidents
They will spend less time travelling, reducing the risk of any incidents
Any concerns over providing a lift can be minimised by a short distance
Any concerns regarding cab fares are minimised by a shorter journey
While this may seem a bit much, nobody would like an injured Babysitter on their conscience. However ultimately the responsibility does rest with the Babysitter.
So if hiring a local Baby Sitter is a big step in promoting safety and therefore responsible hiring, how do you do this?
Ensure that you only use local ways of seeking a local Baby Sitter.
Cards in local shop windows
Ask friends and neighbours
Join a local Baby Sitter circle
Join an agency
Agencies can be costly; an alternative to this is a new online childcare recruitment service www.available2work.com this site is designed to provide flexible solutions for the large variety of childcare jobs, including finding a local Baby Sitter.
Available2work.com helps you find a local Baby Sitter by allowing you to post your vacancy or search CVs by your postcode or area.
Until the end of April 2009 all membership and vacancy posting is free, so why not take advantage of this great offer, it only takes a few minutes to register.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment