I entrusted Helga with the care of my two children, aged 8 and 5. Unfortunately, that trust was severely broken. My concerns escalated after I was approached in the street by a parent I had never met before, who expressed serious concerns about the way Helga had treated my children—especially my youngest.

One particularly disturbing incident occurred during an unexpected spell of hot weather. My youngest child became visibly unwell and eventually passed out due to being overdressed. This was witnessed by a passerby, who kindly offered her seat and suggested removing some layers of clothing. Helga confirmed the incident and replied to the passerby, “If these were my children, they wouldn’t be dressed like this.”

When I raised this issue with Helga directly, she showed no concern or accountability. Instead of apologizing or reflecting on the seriousness of the situation, she responded with sarcasm—suggesting that she could call me every day while I’m at work to ask whether it’s okay to remove my child’s jacket, hat, jumper, etc., based on the weather. This complete lack of basic judgment and empathy was deeply troubling.

As a result, I terminated our contract abruptly due to what I believe to be neglect and inappropriate treatment of my children. Since then, Helga has refused to return my house keys, despite repeated requests—seven months have passed. When I informed her I would need to involve the police if the keys weren’t returned, she responded by threatening to report me to social services, claiming it was “irresponsible” to contact her in an emergency when I had lost my keys—even though she held a spare as part of our agreement and was listed as an emergency contact.

After further research, I also discovered that Helga had previously been banned from school pickups at Canonbury School due to concerns about her behavior—something I wish I had been aware of earlier.

I am sharing this experience to warn other parents. In my opinion, Helga’s conduct reflects a lack of professionalism, responsibility, and basic care standards. Please be cautious when considering her for childcare

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