SHE says she likes children and she's reared six of her own so she must be good. Or she's at home with her own anyway and can take in a few more. Or she's 18 years old and "loves babies" and says she wants to be a nanny. And with little more than that to go on, some parents hand their children over to childminders who may or may not be food at what they do.
How can you tell? And do you really want to use your children as guinea pigs before you find out? After the death in the US of a baby who'd been in the care of a British au pair, more parents are beginning to realise how serious the business of choosing a childminder is.
Childminders are underpaid and lacking in status, yet are doing "the most important job in the world," believes Anne Clinch, principal of the School of Practical Childcare, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
At the interview stage, all prospective childminders will tell you that they "like children" - but never take these words at face value, she warns. Ask the childminder about the children she has cared for in the past and judging by her reaction, you'll learn a lot about the attitude beneath the facade.
"You know by how she tells the story whether she genuinely liked those children or not. You can see the warmth and the love in her face and in her body language. If this isn't what you are seeing, then you know that she's one of the ones doing it for the money," she says.
Another way to tell if she wants to mind children for love or lucre is to ask her about her baby-sitting history, advises Carmel Carolan of Small World Recruitment, Co Louth, who places nannies and childminders in family homes, including many graduates of the School of Practical Childcare.
"The good girls are the ones who have been baby-sitting from 12 years of age. They may have baby-sat for several families and can offer references from them all. On the other hand, if they've never done this before, you have to ask yourself: why are they doing it now?" says Ms Carolan.
"People can be very deceiving and will tell you only what they want you to know. You need to check as many references as you can get a minimum of two," she adds.
First impressions are important: a neat, healthy appearance, spotless hands and nails and clean hair are more than superficial. "A childminder has to have reasonably good self-esteem. If she hasn't, she won't pass good self-esteem on to your child," says Ms Clinch.
A healthy appearance also indicates an awareness of proper nutrition and good hygiene, both essential requirements. "Look at how she's minding herself before she's minding your children," warns Ms Clinch.
Don't hire anyone who seems "semi-depressed" or "introverted", she adds. "A good childminder has a warm personality and is lively, bright, cheerful and communicative. She is energetic, not afraid of bard work and loves to get out and about with the children to enjoy nature and walks to the park."
woman who has taken a childcare course shows commitment and has an awareness of child development, safety and nutrition. "She must be interested in how children grow and develop and how they play and learn. She should be aware, for example, of when the child should be going on to more advanced play, and when they are ready to go from mushy foods to foods with lumps in it," says Ms Clinch. Another advantage of a course is that prospective employers can contact the tutors for a reference to find out whether her personality is suited to childcare.
Annmarie Bowring, a mother of four children aged between two and eight in Dalkey, Co Dublin, got her childminder, Ailish Poole (19), of Gorey, Co Wexford, through the School of Practical Childcare. A full-time student at the school, Ailish does three hours of babysitting and light housework per day, plus two nights' babysitting a week, in exchange for room and board.
Annmarie, who works full-time in the home, believes that a good childminder first and foremost is "someone who's interested in the children as people and who is patient". She's been pleased with Ailish, who has lived with the Bowrings since September 1996, because she is "very calm, pleasant and quiet and never loses her temper yet is firm with the children. She has good `cop on'. She's the only girl in the middle of a family of six and I'm sure her mother must miss her."
Ms Carolan says a good childminder doesn't have to be academically brilliant, but has a natural gift for, handling children. "Basic cop-on is so important because you have to be on the ball all the time when you are with children."
She finds that women from large families make the best childminders because they are used to having to "muck in". You don't want a young childminder whose mother never allowed her to lift a finger because part of her job will be to keep your child's environment clean.
When forced to choose between a young woman with a course on her CV but no experience, and a young woman from a big family with lots of practical experience, Nadine Chetty of Freedom for your placement agency believes that the woman from the big family is usually the better choice.
"A good childminder has a genuine, real love of children, will get down and see things at the child's level and will understand how the child relates to the world. She should have a very bubbly personality and a gentle streak. And she should be someone who can create a stimulating atmosphere and can keep children's attention occupied and cope with long hours," says Ms Chetty.
A childminder may impress the parent as having all these qualities, but Ms Carolan urges parents to remember that children, too, should have a say in the choice. After an initial interview between parent and childminder alone, the childminder should be invited to the house to play with the children at least once and, if necessary, several times.
"If the children enjoy her company, you know it immediately. They'll be asking you when she's coming again. Children's instincts are amazing, much better than adults," says Ms Carolan.
Often, parents who complain of having a number of unsatisfactory childminders in quick succession have been too hasty in their choice, she adds. "Do not, because you're desperate, choose someone whom you have doubts about. It doesn't matter if you are getting them to come to the house over and over again. Take your time," Ms Carolan advises.
In choosing an au pair, most parents would want the same qualities of warmth, energy and "cop-on". All they have to go on, however, is a letter, a photograph, references and, usually, a telephone conversation in which the girl may express herself in halting English.
Mary Kelly, of the Au Pair Bureau of Ireland, will place hundreds of au pairs with Irish families this summer and urges parents to remember that au pairs have no training in childcare. "Your au pair is a language student, not a childcare student. The main reason parents use them for childcare is because they are cheap and because they don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to bring the child to a childminder," she says.
An au pair will do 35 hours of babysitting and light housework in exchange for room and board, the opportunity to immerse herself in an English-speaking environment and a mere £40 per week - compared to £120-£150 for a childminder/nanny. Some of the girls have an empathy" fir children and others don't. How would you know without the benefit of a face-to-face interview? "You don't," says Ms Kelly.
All the qualities outlined in this article so far apply as much to childminders caring for children in children's homes, as to childminders working in their own homes. Childminders who take children into their own homes need to have additional qualities.
Noirin Hayes, head of the school of social sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, which trains "early years workers", says that the first sign to watch for is the childminder's interest in your child.
"She should be asking you about your child's preferences, your child's likes and dislikes and routine," says Noirin.
DURING the course of this conversation, the parent should feel a rapport and a sense of shared values. "When you are choosing your friends you choose like-minded friends. You have to do the same sort of matching when choosing a childminder. Childminding is a very personal issue. If you have a childminder who is at odds with you on the way you deal with good manners and routine, then you will be conflicted."
Childminding is a career, Ms Hayes stresses, and childminders who care for children in their own homes should be organised and keep records. From the outset, they should give parents clear statements on fees, holidays, sick days, her willingness to give medication and the parents should be comfortable with that. She should also have open lines of communication with the parents, allowing them to drop in unannounced during the day and keeping daily diaries which can be discussed with the parents at the end of the day.
Coldness and an unwillingness to talk on the part of the employer is the main complaint heard from childminders, says Ms Carolan - and from au pairs about their host families, says Ms Kelly. Parents who hire childminders of whatever description are entering into an arrangement of shared care in which natural communication and respect are vital.