Most parents know a babysitting horror story from a raid on the drinks cabinet to an unwelcome visit from a boyfriend.

More common is the sullen teenager slumped on the sofa watching television while the child to be "babysat" looks after themselves.

All the more reason to applaud the accreditation of a new qualification in babysitting run by Midlothian Council's community learning and development team.

The course teaches students a range of useful skills from first aid and health and safety, as well as getting them to think about how to be imaginative with children and the importance of punctuality and reliability.

Apart from producing better babysitters, the course is also a crucial link to childcare qualifications in college, particularly for young girls who may have become disengaged with school.

Those who devised the course did so after becoming aware of a number of teenage girls in the surrounding community who were at risk of leaving school with few qualifications, but who were babysitting for family and friends - often without being paid.

This course not only gives those individuals important lifelong skills which can have an immediate impact on their earning power as babysitters, it also helps to boost their confidence and lift their aspirations to the point where many now go on to college to take up formal childcare qualifications.