Nest & Nurture Agency is an online platform which offers parents and caregivers child-minders who've been interviewed, certified, background and reference-checked for those in Orange and surrounds.

Created by Orange's Belle Hazelton, the entrepreneur says the need for a local business as such became obvious when she moved to Sydney a few years ago for her teaching degree.

"If you searched 'babysitting services in Sydney' on Google, you'll be able to scroll through pages and pages of easy and convenient ways to find trustworthy babysitters," Miss Hazelton said.

"It just baffled me that Orange didn't have the same or any kind of service like that, and how those kinds of agencies aren't really even available in a rural setting.

"All we've had are Facebook pages where people can list anything and I've heard of some really horrific stories out there.

"I just thought 'it shouldn't be this hard to find reliable babysitters'."

Which is why the former student and full-time Year 5 teacher at Kinross Wolaroi School was determined to change the script.

But noticing a huge gap in the market perhaps speaks volumes coming from the young director, who is yet to become a parent herself.

"I don't have kids of my own, but I've been babysitting since I was little and I've got a six-month-old niece as well," she said.

"But as a mum, I'd absolutely want to know where [babysitters are] coming from, if they've been background checked, and how much experience they have.

"Now that COVID is finished as well, people are trying to get out more and there was also an undeniable baby boom during the pandemic.

"Personally, I think [lockdown] created a big shift in people, who are hopefully taking more time out for themselves in a society that's so busy with hectic schedules."

Going on to unpack the physical and mental detriment major stress can have on peoples' bodies, Miss Hazelton says this gave her Next & Nature baby even more fuel.

With an "overwhelming" amount of growing interest already, she says there are roughly 22 fully vetted babysitters officially on the books.

The two-step booking process takes everything into account - including the number of children and their ages, plus any health requirements.

A system where parents and caregivers enter details online without back and forth communication, it's a "first in best dressed" system to follow in terms of babysitter availability.

All sitters must be over the age of 18 and have a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC).

"It's a small booking fee upfront and I don't take a cut of their pay either, because parents pay them cash-in-hand directly," Miss Hazelton said.

"Children are also getting trustworthy people in their home and looking after them who've gone through a very deep vetting process with me.

"I'm able to look at their WWCC profile, which shows their full police check, and I interview them all personally."

Miss Hazelton's long-term goal is to eventually launch a Nature & Nuture app for even easier service delivery.

In the meantime, the website is fully operational, with a Facebook page also available for those interested in finding out more information.

"I just really hope this takes off," Miss Hazelton said, "because it's so important to find people who can be trusted with children.

"It's also vital parents get some good downtime and without having to worry."