Emergency Childcare

Emergency Childcare was launched early in 2006. It was created by many of the leading players in the childcare industry (Tinies – the country’s biggest nanny agency, Asquith Nurseries and Teddies – the nursery arm of BUPA) based on the following 3 assumptions:

• The average working parent will experience a childcare breakdown between 6 and 12 times a year
  
  
• Parents want back up childcare, but they all require something slightly different
  
  
• Companies want to provide a solution, but they all want to offer it in a slightly different way

This is the need that Emergency Childcare fulfils. Via Emergency Childcare parents and employees can book whatever local childcare they want and companies can contribute however they see fit. Whatever your requirements we offer a solution, please read on for further information…

Busy Bees has partnered with Emergency Childcare to offer childcare on a flexible, ad hoc or daily basis. Whether your normal childcare arrangements fail or you have an urgent meeting we offer a solution. Through www.emergencychildcare.co.uk you can search for nursery spaces and check for childminder availability. You can book as many days as needed and up to 3 months in advance or on the actual day. You can choose childcare local to your home or work place. We also offer choice: registered childminders, nurseries or nannies with an elderly care option about to be launched.

There are just over 500 nurseries nationwide. Parents can see every room, the availability and the price and book at the click of a button. If a parent wants to use a particular nursery that we currently don’t offer, Emergency Childcare will approach that nursery on their behalf.

Emergency Childcare works exclusively with the NCMA and its 50,000 Childminder members.

We work with Tinies, the only national nanny agency. They virtually guarantee they can locate an excellent, experienced, qualified nanny at short notice.

All childminders and nurseries are OFSTED registered.

As a company you can pay a one off set up fee then contribute as much or as little as you want. The benefit for you is that you only pay on a per booking basis. Some companies contribute £0 whilst they assess the need. Others contribute 100% up to set limits. Busy Bees vouchers can be used as payment via Emergency Childcare (although this won’t apply to nannies until next year). On the Emergency Childcare website there is a simple to use cost calculator which estimates how much this service might cost. Employees can pay for their emergency childcare through their Busy Bees account, and save on Tax and National Insurance. It is a great additional benefit that we hope gets more people registering for and using vouchers.

• Register the details of your child(ren) on the Emergency Childcare site www.emergencychildcare.co.uk
  
• Through the web site search by postcode to locate a nursery place or childminder availability in your area.
  
• Book the nursery place or childminder for the date required.
  
• Submit your request and choose a payment method. You will be taken to a confirmation page where you can check dates, set a password and choose how you would like the booking details distributed.
  
• If paying through Busy Bees, we will confirm that the funds are available to emergency childcare before the booking is accepted. If the funds are not available, you will be required to choose an alternative payment method.
  
• Once registered, there is no need to re-register, you simply search for a place and book it each time you have a breakdown in your childcare.

The emergency childcare service also provides the opportunity to select a nanny at 2 hours notice. However, payment for this service cannot be made through your Busy Bees account; you will need to select an alternative payment method.

Coming soon we will be offering Emergency Elderly Care, a similar system that will be particularly relevant as and when the vouchers are extended.

For more information call Busy Bees Childcare Vouchers on 0870 380 6614 or Emergency Childcare on 020 73844973.