They’re Alone with Your Children. Do You Really Know Who They Are?
nannies working in the UK
mandatory registration or licensing for nannies
to verify with Certifyd
The reality of nannies & au pairs in the UK.
Identity verification for nannies and au pairs addresses one of the highest-trust relationships in domestic life. Certifyd uses bi-directional authentication — both the family and the nanny or au pair cryptographically prove their identity to each other. When the nanny arrives, the system verifies not just who they are, but that they hold an active membership with the agency that placed them (if applicable) and are the specific person the family authorised. The result is a tamper-proof, auditable record of every arrival — proof of who was with your children.
Nannying is entirely unregulated in the UK. There is no mandatory register of nannies, no licensing requirement, and no legal obligation for identity verification beyond basic right-to-work checks. Ofsted’s voluntary register for nannies is exactly that — voluntary. The 120,000+ nannies working in UK homes do so without any regulatory oversight of their identity or background beyond what individual families choose to check.
Au pairs add a further dimension. They are typically young people from overseas, placed through agencies or informal arrangements. Their visa status, identity documents, and background may be unfamiliar to UK families. The agency that placed them verified their identity at some point — but the family has no independent way to confirm that the person who arrived is the person the agency verified.
Families trust nannies and au pairs with the most precious thing they have. This relationship is built on an identity that has often been verified by nothing more rigorous than a phone interview, a reference check (which can be fabricated), and a DBS check (which is point-in-time). Certifyd adds cryptographic identity verification: the nanny’s identity is device-bound, their agency membership (if applicable) is confirmed in real time, and every arrival creates a verifiable record.
This is broken.
Here's why.
Nannying is unregulated — no licensing, no mandatory register, no formal identity verification.
Nanny agencies verify at placement but can’t confirm the person who arrives is the person they placed.
Au pairs arrive from overseas with identity documents that families may not know how to verify.
When incidents occur, there’s no verifiable record of who was with the children and when.
Simple verification.
Every time.
Nanny or au pair registers on Certifyd, creating a device-bound identity (via agency or directly)
Each day, the nanny verifies through their device upon arrival at the family’s home
The family receives cryptographic confirmation of the nanny’s identity and agency affiliation
A tamper-proof record is created for every visit: who arrived, when, and under whose authority
Ready to see it in action?
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“The agency said they’d verified her. But when she arrived at our door, we had no way to independently check she was actually the person they’d vetted.”— Parent, first-time nanny employer
Common questions.
No. Unlike childminders (who must register with Ofsted), nannies have no mandatory registration requirement in England. Ofsted offers a voluntary register, but participation is low. This means families have no regulatory framework to verify a nanny’s identity or background beyond their own private checks. Certifyd fills this gap with device-bound identity verification that works regardless of regulatory status.
Nanny agencies register as Organisations on Certifyd and add each nanny as a member. When the agency places a nanny with a family, the nanny’s identity and active agency membership are verifiable in real time. If the nanny leaves the agency, their membership is revoked instantly. The family knows they’re employing a nanny who is currently affiliated with and backed by the agency that placed them.
Yes. Certifyd verifies identity through device-bound authentication, which works regardless of nationality or country of origin. The au pair registers their device and creates a cryptographic identity. Their agency membership (if placed through an agency) is confirmed in real time. This provides the family with verified identity assurance that doesn’t depend on their ability to authenticate foreign identity documents.
Daily verification takes 30 seconds. It creates an arrival record confirming who was with your children and when. Beyond the safety benefit, it protects the nanny too — they have verifiable proof of attendance if a dispute arises about hours worked or timing. For families who use substitute carers or share nannies with other families, daily verification provides clarity about who was responsible for which children at which times.
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Verify who’s looking after your children
Book a demo to see how Certifyd works for your team, or tell us about your verification needs and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Read: The Trust Layer That’s Missing