Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to be absolutely clear so there is no misunderstanding here. The national action plan that currently exists for childminding distinguishes between childminding which involves care in the childminder's home and care that takes place in the child's home which may be carried out by a nanny, an au pair, a babysitter or whatever term one might wish to use. The employment relationship and the legal and regulatory context are completely different between childminders who work in the childminder's home and someone who works in the child's home. A childminder working from the childminder's own home is self-employed whereas someone caring for a child in the child's own home is regarded as an employee of the child's parents.

In addition, because they work in the parents' or the child's home rather than their own home, au pairs, nannies or babysitters cannot be held responsible for the safety or suitability of that home for the purpose of early learning or childcare. There are no current plans to bring nannies, au pairs or babysitters into the scope of registration or the national childcare scheme. However, the national action plan commits to develop information and training resources relating to the use of nannies, au pairs and babysitters.

See this speech in context