Meeting safely

We never ask who you are, so we can't vet anyone. Instead, the site is built so that a first meeting is as low-risk as bumping into another parent at the library.

What the site does

• No names, photos, phone numbers, addresses or messages. You only ever see a code name, a postcode sector, a child's age range and days.
• First meet-ups can only be at busy public places on our list, starting between 9:30am and 3:30pm.
• Everyone promises to meet adults-only the first time and to keep addresses and children's names private.
• A report about safety pauses the other family's profile straight away, and they disappear from your page.
• There's a daily limit on how many families anyone can contact, and on how many meet-ups they can have arranged at once.
• Profiles are deleted automatically after 90 days unless the family renews.

Before you meet

• Tell a friend or partner where you're going, when, and the other family's code name.
• Arrange childcare for your own children. The first meeting is for grown-ups.
• Check the venue's opening times.

At the meet-up

• Look for the sign they chose, like a red scarf, and ask "Are you the Willow Heron family?"
• Talk about the share: days, hours, hosting, budget, what you each want from a nanny.
• Don't give out your address, your children's names or your workplace until you've decided to go ahead.
• Be wary of anyone who pushes for personal details, wants to move somewhere private, or asks to meet your children straight away.
• If anything feels wrong, leave. You don't owe anyone an explanation.

Afterwards

• Take your time. A second meeting at a park or café with the children comes before anyone visits a home.
• Report anything that worried you from your page, using "Report a concern".
• When you hire a nanny together, check references and right to work, and ask for an enhanced DBS check.