Tag: careers in childcare

Doulas: what are they and what do they do?

Doula is a Greek word which originally meant servant. It’s come to mean a woman who supports women through pregnancy, birth and/or the postnatal period. Unlike a maternity nurse who focuses mostly on getting a baby into a good routine in the early months a doula is there throughout the journey to parenthood.

Doulas are often flexible in what they will do. Some specialise in pregnancy and birth, others only do postnatal support to help you adjust to parenthood, get breastfeeding off to a good start and recover from labour. Many will be able to put together a bespoke package to support new families.

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New qualifications for childcarers

On 1 September 2014 the standard qualifications for new learners within the childcare profession changed from the Certificate and Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workdforce to the Early Years Educator Qualifications. Previous diplomas, including the BTEC, NNEB and DCE as well as the DCYPW, remain full and relevant and therefore suitable for nannies.

The new qualifications focus on the 0-5 age range, with some knowledge of the 5-7 age group, and require a Grade C pass in GCSE English and Maths. For the academic year 2014/2015 this will be an end of course, rather than an entry, requirement but in following years learners will be expected to obtain these before enrolling on the course if they are accessing funding.

Early Years Educator qualifications can be taken at a college or in a workplace, but the workplace needs to be registered and following the EYFS, meaning that nannies would need to undertake practical placements to complete the course. It will take 12-24 months to complete. The qualification is the same standard as A-levels and can be used to apply for university to study courses such as childhood and early years, primary teaching or nursing.

The criteria for the new EYE qualifications set out by the Government can be found here.