Letter: Woodward trial

Sir: One of the most pertinent points raised by the case of Louise Woodward is that of childcare agency staff being unqualified and therefore ill-equipped to assess the skills and competence of nannies and other carers of children. Experience and qualifications enable our agency to not only to assess the childcare skills and knowledge of a nanny, but also alert us to incompetent or bogus nannies.

However we are very rarely questioned by parents about the background and qualifications of staff. It is imperative that parents demand this of agencies that are providing not only qualified nannies but also other unqualified carers of children, to prevent another tragedy occurring.

M J STORRIE

L H HALE

The Care Company

Grantham, Lincolnshire