For high-profile families, confidentiality is not a nice-to-have — it is a fundamental requirement of household employment. The nanny, governess, or household staff member who enters your home will inevitably encounter details of your private life, your finances, your relationships, and your schedule. A well-drafted NDA establishes the framework for protecting that information. Here is what you need to know.
What a Nanny NDA Should Cover
A confidentiality agreement for household employment typically covers:
- Prohibited disclosures: Information about the family’s identity, lifestyle, schedule, finances, relationships, health, and home(s)
- Media and press: Prohibiting contact with journalists, documentary makers, or any media organisation, whether solicited or unsolicited
- Social media: Prohibiting any posts, photographs, or references to the family, their children, their properties, or their activities — even without naming names
- Duration: Confidentiality obligations should survive termination of employment — typically indefinitely for the core provisions
- Permitted disclosures: Provisions allowing disclosure where legally required (e.g., safeguarding obligations), so the NDA cannot be used to suppress genuine child protection concerns
What an NDA Cannot Do
It is important to be clear on this: an NDA cannot prevent a nanny from reporting genuine safeguarding concerns about a child to authorities. Any attempt to use an NDA to suppress child protection disclosures is unenforceable and potentially criminal. Reputable agencies and employment solicitors will insist on this carve-out being explicitly present in the agreement.
An NDA also cannot retroactively cover information the employee already possessed before employment began, or information that becomes publicly known through other means.
Should It Be Part of the Employment Contract or Separate?
Either approach is workable. Some families prefer to include confidentiality provisions within the main employment contract for simplicity; others use a separate NDA document for clarity and emphasis. A separate document has the advantage of being easily referenceable and clearly signed as a standalone commitment.
How to Introduce the NDA
The NDA should be introduced before the placement is confirmed and before any sensitive family information is shared with the candidate. Presenting it for the first time on the first day of employment — or after the candidate has already moved in — creates legal uncertainty and sets a poor tone.
At EED, we advise families to introduce confidentiality requirements at the offer stage. Candidates are made aware that an NDA is a condition of placement before they accept. This ensures there is no ambiguity and that both parties enter the arrangement with clear expectations.
Having the Agreement Drafted
Do not use an online template. NDA requirements for household employment involving UHNW families are specific enough to require professional drafting. Use an employment solicitor with experience in private household staff, or a firm specialising in UHNW household matters. The cost is modest relative to what you are protecting.
EED works with families on the full structure of household employment, including advising on confidentiality frameworks. Enquire about our VIP nanny service →