Emergency Childcare allows you to search for and book an emergency nanny, nursery or childminder across the UK when you need it most.

After all, it's not if you have a childcare breakdown, it's when.

We make sure only the highest standard of childcare is available via our service and website. One of the key differences between us and several other services is that checks are run on the childcare you book through us.

Our registered parents have the peace of mind of knowing they've already got a backup plan in place, and are able to:

• Search for their local childcare options
• Save favourites for future reference
• Arrange to visit any they're interested in
• Suggest other childcarers they'd like to join
• Book last minute childcare with us.

Whether it's a last minute panic booking or a pre-emptive solution booked well in advance, we provide the choices parents need. Whichever childcare option you choose, you can be confident that your child is in the best possible hands. There is currently no other comparable service in the UK.

Childcare can be booked for whenever you need - today, tomorrow, or up to 3 months in advance (on a day-at-a-time basis).

A few examples of when parents use us:

• Their usual nursery is closed for the day
• Their permanent nanny is off sick
• Their childminder is going to be on holiday
• The school has (another) inset day
• They need to work from home.

To get started you only need to fill in a short form.

We strongly recommend that you then go on to complete all your details prior to needing to book with us. This allows you time to investigate the different options available to you so you feel comfortable with the provision should you experience a childcare breakdown.

The form is detailed, but easy to complete and contains all the relevant information on your child(ren). This ensures the emergency childcarer you book has all of the details they need to provide the highest level of care.

You only need to complete your details once, but from time to time it's a good idea to double check your information is up-to-date.

Our team is available 7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday.

If you have a question please get in touch with them on mfc@myfamilycare.co.uk or 0345 241 5306.

Our highly trained nannies and childminders are fully DBS/PVG checked and the vast majority have first aid training.

As well as being regulated by Ofsted and other appropriate regulatory bodies, the majority of our nurseries and childminders have been used and recommended by individual parents and carers.

The minimum booking time for nannies/childminders is 4 hours. Childminders need a minimum 1 hours' notice, and nanny agencies 2 hours.

Read a little more about each type of childcare we offer:

• Emergency nannies
• Emergency nurseries
• Emergency childminders

If you are welcoming a Nanny to your home, to lower the risk of spreading germs we are also asking for our families and staff to follow the Public Health Agency advice on good hygiene practices, including:

• Wash your hands with soap and water often - do this for at least 20 seconds. As a reminder, before handling or eating food, after going to the toilet, after changing a nappy, after using public transport, etc.
• Always wash your hands when you get home or into work
• Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available (gel that contains at least 60% alcohol)
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze. Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who have symptoms of coronavirus
• Clean and disinfect regularly touched objects and surfaces, including door handles
• Only travel on public transport if you need to - please note the practitioner will only take a child for a walk if there is no garden available. If there is no garden available, then the practitioner is not allowed to take a child on public transport or to any crowded places.

For more information on hygiene practices, please visit the Public Health Agency website.

Carry out other good wellbeing practices such as:

• Manage stress and anxiety by taking breaks from news stories, making time to unwind, eating healthy, exercise regularly, and getting plenty of sleep.

Thank you for your cooperation and support during this time.

We make sure only the highest standard of childcare is available via our service and website. That's why:

• All our nurseries are Ofsted registered (with at least a "satisfactory" grade)
• All of our childminders in England and Wales are certified members of PACEY (Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years) and Ofsted/CSSIW registered
• All of our Scottish childminders are verified members of the SCMA and are regulated by the Care Commission, and
• All the nannies* we use are over 21, DBS/PVG police checked, have a First Aid certificate, have verified references and have been properly interviewed.

* We make sure you're notified if any of these promises can't be met.

If there's a local nursery or childminder you would like to be able to use that isn't already on our website, please let us know.

It's free for them to join and take bookings, and there are many benefits.

We've found in the past that if you've already spoken to them about Emergency Childcare, and let them know you want to use us to book last minute places - they're far more receptive about joining.

Please visit our nomination form and provide us the details of the provider you wish to join our network, and we will contact them on your behalf.

Whilst developing our registration form, Emergency Childcare worked very closely with a number of leading nurseries, PACEY, SCMA and Ofsted to ensure all the correct information is collected.

The childcarer you book will receive this information.

Even so, if there is time before the booking commences, the nursery manager / childminder / nanny agency will take the time to answer any questions you might have and gather any further information about your child you deem relevant.

Nannies: Expect to pay around £17-20 an hour (excluding VAT), depending on where you live, for an emergency nanny.

Nurseries: Nurseries set their own prices so the daily rate will vary depending on who you decide to book with. It can range from £35 to £100 per day or more in certain parts of London. Please note that we only accept nursery bookings for a full day. Half day bookings are not available.

Childminders: Childminder rates also vary considerably depending on location; facilities and services provided; and childcare experience / qualifications. Expect to pay from as little as £4 to as much as £12 per hour.

To provide a responsive, quality service with easy access to emergency nurseries, childminders and nannies we do add a 5% fee to bookings. Our booking fee will be applied to the whole booking and shown clearly at the confirmation stage.

You will see an area to enter your child(ren)'s names and date of birth if you have clicked on the first page of My Details that you'd like to use Emergency Childcare.

Simply click the green plus to add another child.

Once you save, you'll unlock a new section later in the form where you can complete more of their details.

All of the nursery nurses and childminders involved in Emergency Childcare are highly trained and experienced carers.

If a child is unable to settle, we will contact you to arrange collection - under these circumstances 50% of your booking fee will be refunded to you. This is extremely unlikely: in more than 5 years of business and with thousands of nursery hours booked, we’ve not had to remove a single child.

If your child is ill and unable to attend their regular nursery or childminder, we do ask that you inform us when booking an emergency nanny of any illnesses.

In particular we require you to disclose if a child has a contagious illness, such as chicken pox, impetigo, hand foot and mouth, norovirus etc.

The nanny agencies we work with need to know of any illnesses that can be passed on very quickly to a childcarer, and hence onto any children that the carer may look after when not doing that emergency booking.

This information helps us to find the appropriate nanny to meet your needs. If a parent does not disclose a contagious illness and it is discovered when the emergency nanny arrives for the booking, the nanny can refuse to accept the booking.

For further information please read our child illness guide.

All information regarding illnesses and medication should be recorded in the relevant sections on the registration form.

This information is passed on to the emergency childminder or nursery as soon as you've booked. Your local nanny agency consultant, who will deal with your emergency nanny requests, will also forward all information.

We do recommend that you talk through your child's requirements prior to booking. For emergency nannies it is also advisable to print your registration form in order to keep a copy at home when and if needed.

Once you're a member, booking with us is a straightforward process. We explain in a little more detail in our How to Book section.

All bookings start with a search. Choose your preferred childcare option, enter your postcode (your home postcode is the default) and click 'Search'.

Nannies: When you book a nanny with us your local agency (based on the postcode you enter) will be immediately informed and one of their consultants will source an appropriate nanny for your requirements.

Nurseries / Childminders: You'll see a list of available providers (if you've booked before you'll already have some favourites you can go straight to). Just select the dates and times you'd like to request*, and let us know if there are other local nurseries/childminders you'd consider if your preferred choice is unable to help for any reason.

* Once we receive your request, our system and team double checks with the provider before we confirm your booking.

The nanny agencies we work with have a minimum booking time of 4 hours.

You can book a local nursery place for your child with qualified, trained, and screened practitioners. Nursery bookings are for full days only.

Childminders need 1 hours notice, and will accept bookings as short as 4 hours.

You're able to use our online service 24/7.

Our team provides phone and email support 7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday, on mfc@myfamilycare.co.uk or 0345 241 5306.

Please note that if you do book outside our office hours, we will only start working on the booking from 7:30am the next working day. However we'll do our utmost to ensure your booking is filled.

In order to obtain a full refund you need to cancel your booking with at least 2 working days' notice.

To cancel a booking please email the Emergency Childcare team on cancellation@myfamilycare.co.uk or call 0345 241 5306.

If you cancel within 2 working days, you will be charged 100% of the booking fee.

An emergency nanny is employed to provide quality childcare only and therefore cannot perform all the duties you might expect of a permanent, live-in nanny.

As well as direct supervision an emergency nanny MAY undertake light chores relevant to your child's care, such as ironing and folding away your child's clean clothes, tidying your child's room and toys, doing the 'school run', and preparing his or her meals.

The nanny is NOT contracted to assist in general housework such as vacuuming, washing, ironing, providing care for anyone else, shopping and/or preparing the entire family's meals. If you are in any doubt, please ask the emergency nanny for guidance or contact your nanny consultant.

We want you to feel safe and secure handing the care of your children to one of our nannies. So if she hasn't volunteered suitable photographic identification (a passport, driving licence or government ID card) on arrival, please don't be embarrassed to ask for it. In the extremely unlikely event an emergency nanny can't provide suitable ID, please ask her to wait while you give us a call.

We spend a great deal of time, effort and money recruiting superior quality emergency nannies. Indeed, many parents have such a good experience with their nanny that they want to book them again!

That's absolutely fine - as long as you approach the nanny through us and not directly, which would be in breach of our terms and conditions.

Our nannies are contractually obliged to inform us if a parent approaches them for any further temporary or permanent work, including babysitting. Thank you for your co-operation.

We advise that you book the maximum period of cover you think you will need, at the time of making a booking. (A nanny will be sourced to provide cover for those specified hours, and it might not always be possible to extend them once the booking has commenced.)

During our office hours (7:30am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday) we aim to get a suitable nanny to your door within 2 hours of booking.

Therefore the earliest a nanny could reach your home for a booking made at 7:30am would be 9:30am. However please bear in mind that availability in your area and travelling times could affect this. Your nanny agency consultant will do their utmost to fill your booking, and keep you informed at every step of the process.

Outside normal office hours you will be unable to make same day nanny bookings, as our partner agencies are closed after 5:30pm.

You can make a same day nanny booking up until 5:30pm for evening care. We aim to provide a nanny within 2 hours: please be aware that giving as much notice as possible enables us to maximise our search.

If you think you might need an overnight nanny please give us as much notice as you can. Many nanny agencies can provide overnight care but this depends on the availability of carers.

Alternatively, some childminders also provide overnight care - so we recommend you research childminders in your area. Take the time to visit their home before any care takes place so that you feel completely comfortable leaving your child with them.

Your payment is absolutely secure. You will be able to use the same card as a previous booking - the information is processed by our payment gateway Opayo, and we do not store the card details.

Please visit Opayo for more details. Work+Family Space is PCI Compliant and our certificate can be shown on request.