Nanny Safety: A Complete Checklist for New Zealand Families

Safe in-home childcare depends on the person, the household and the way they work together. Vetting reduces uncertainty about a candidate. Parents then need to provide accurate information, a reasonably safe environment and clear authority. The nanny needs to follow agreed plans, use professional judgment and report concerns.

A Police vet is valuable but point in time. A first aid certificate shows training but not how someone will respond under pressure. A good paid trial shows real interaction but only for a short window. Safety becomes stronger when those signals are combined with clear routines, appropriate supervision, an emergency plan and ongoing communication.

1. 1

   Choose with evidence

   Define the role, review NannyOra’s visible profile status, interview consistently, complete relevant references and checks, and use a short paid trial before regular sole-charge care.
2. 2

   Agree responsibilities

   Put hours, duties, transport, privacy, emergency authority and communication expectations into a clear written agreement and home guide.
3. 3

   Prepare the environment

   Walk through hazards, exits, alarms, safe sleep spaces, pools, pets, keys, first aid supplies, medicines, car restraints and authorised collection people.
4. 4

   Practise the handover

   Make sure the nanny can find the address, contacts and care plans quickly, knows when 111 comes first and can manage the other children during an incident.
5. 5

   Keep safety active

   Use daily handovers, incident records and planned reviews. Revisit the system when the child develops, the home changes or the role expands.

Do a physical walk-through. A document cannot show where the stopcock is, which gate does not latch properly or how the alarm behaves. Invite the nanny to identify hazards as well.

Prepare one accessible home guide

• The home address written exactly as emergency services need it.
• Parent contacts and at least one nearby backup adult.
• Each child’s full name, date of birth, health details and relevant identifiers.
• Allergies, diagnoses, warning signs and current written care plans.
• Food, sleep, toileting, school, screen and behaviour guidance.
• Emergency exits, first aid supplies, alarms and utility information.
• Authorised collection people, school contacts and verification rules.
• Transport permissions, approved destinations and car-restraint instructions.
• When to contact a parent, Healthline, a health provider or 111.

Keep the guide current and protect sensitive information. Provide enough for safe care, limit access to people who need it and recover paper or digital copies when the arrangement ends.

In a real emergency, the nanny should not need to search old messages for the address or wonder whether the parent permits an ambulance. Put urgent actions on one clear page and rehearse where it is kept.

When 111 comes first

Health New Zealand says to call 111 and ask for an ambulance when someone needs urgent medical help—for example, difficulty breathing, choking, unconsciousness, severe bleeding, anaphylaxis, a severe burn or other life-threatening concern. The nanny should make the child safe, call emergency services and follow the dispatcher’s instructions; parental contact should not delay that call. Review Health New Zealand’s emergency guidance.

Plan beyond medical emergencies

• Fire, smoke, gas smell or carbon-monoxide concern.
• Earthquake, flooding, severe weather or an evacuation order.
• A missing child or an unauthorised collection attempt.
• Vehicle crash, breakdown or car-restraint failure.
• A parent who cannot be reached after the agreed finish time.
• A threatening visitor, family-violence concern or unsafe adult at the home.
• Loss of power, water, heating or secure access that makes care unsafe.

Share accurate, current information before the nanny needs it. Verbal instructions alone are fragile when a dose, time or warning sign matters.

• Use a written plan from the appropriate health professional for serious allergies, asthma, seizures, diabetes or other significant conditions.
• Keep medicines in original labelled packaging and store them as directed and out of children’s reach.
• Define exactly which medicines the nanny is authorised to give and under what written instruction.
• Record the medicine, dose, time, reason and person who administered it.
• Explain warning signs, escalation steps and when the child should not attend an activity or school.
• Update the nanny immediately when a medicine, dose, diagnosis or care plan changes.
• Give the nanny permission to call Healthline or the child’s provider for non-emergency guidance where appropriate.

Every caregiver should follow the same current safe-sleep plan for every sleep. Do not assume that an experienced nanny uses the same guidance your whānau has received—show the sleep space and discuss it directly.

• Place pēpi on their back for every sleep.
• Keep their face clear of pillows, toys, loose blankets and other soft items.
• Use their own flat, firm sleep space made for babies, such as a compliant cot, bassinet, wahakura or Pēpi-Pod®.
• Do not use couches, chairs, pillows or other improvised sleep surfaces.
• Move a sleeping baby from a car seat or capsule to a safe sleep space after travel.
• Keep the sleep environment smoke-, vape-, alcohol- and drug-free.
• Explain room temperature, clothing, monitoring and what to do when the baby’s usual pattern changes.

These points reflect the current Whānau Āwhina Plunket foundations for safe sleep. Follow the advice provided for your baby by your midwife, doctor or Plunket nurse, and update the nanny as the baby rolls, becomes mobile or moves sleep spaces.

Transport creates responsibilities that should be settled before anyone puts a child in a vehicle. Verify the driver, vehicle, restraint and permission—not only the destination.

• Verify the nanny’s current licence and any conditions relevant to the vehicle.
• Agree whether the family car or nanny’s car may be used and confirm suitable insurance.
• List approved regular journeys and how one-off trips are authorised.
• Install an approved restraint that fits the child and vehicle, and make sure the driver can use it correctly.
• Provide school and activity pickup authority and a method for identity checks.
• Set rules for fuel, mileage, parking, tolls, breakdowns, infringements and crashes.
• Agree on weather, water, playground, sunscreen, headcount and public-transport routines.
• Require a safe stop before the nanny reads or sends non-emergency messages.

NZ Transport Agency says children must use an approved child restraint until their seventh birthday; a seven-year-old must use one when available, and the driver is responsible for correct restraint. NZTA also recommends continuing a suitable child restraint or booster until the child reaches 148 cm. Check the current child-restraint requirements and the manufacturer’s limits.

In-home care gives a nanny access to family life, while the nanny works inside a private home. Clear, proportionate boundaries protect both sides.

Record durable expectations in the nanny contract and place operational details in the home guide. Parents should model the same respectful communication and privacy they expect from the nanny.

Vetting and induction happen at the start; safety continues every day. A healthy arrangement makes it easy to report a small concern before it becomes a pattern.

Use a simple feedback rhythm

• A brief handover after each shift: food, sleep, toileting, mood, activities, medicine and incidents.
• A planned check-in after the first week and first month.
• Immediate discussion of injuries, near misses, lost items, transport events or unexpected visitors.
• Age-appropriate, neutral conversations with the child about their day.
• Periodic review of first aid, licence, relevant registrations and profile information.
• A new risk walk-through after moving home, changing vehicles, adding a pool or welcoming another child or pet.

Respond proportionately to concerns

A minor misunderstanding may need clarification, coaching and a written update. Repeated boundary breaches, dishonesty about checks, unsafe transport, impairment, rough handling, unexplained injuries or a child’s concerning disclosure require a stronger response. Preserve relevant records, prioritise the child and seek appropriate professional or legal advice.