The recent policy shift in most western countries towards an emphasis on early childhood education and care, ECEC, may be explained by both the rhetoric around child development and an emphasis on increasing female labour force participation. Typically and dominantly the focus is on formal childcare, and discussion range a large number of areas such as quality, quantity, subsidies, and what kind of outcomes various policy strategies may have. The development of ECEC depends not only on how much governments are willing to invest economically, but also on how to invest, not least whether to focus on demand or supply measure-benefits. While funding focusing on supply mainly goes to services such as private and public childcare centers, funding to the demand side may go to in-home care alternatives, by for example providing vouchers, or tax credits, to employ a carer in the home. Such funding may have a place particularly in Liberal market economies and Elizabeth Adamson contributes to the research on ECEC with the first book on the emergence of in-home childcare in Australia, the UK and Canada. In Nannies, migration and early childhood education and care. An international comparison of in-home childcare policy and practice, she scrutinizes the history and present state of in-home childcare in the three countries in great detail.

In-home childcare is here defined as paid care provided by non-relative in the child's home. It is not easy to get a clear grip on how common such arrangements are and Adamson refers to figures estimating around a tenth of all preschool children being cared for in-home, but the figures vary considerably depending on how it is measured. A major distinction may here also be made between qualified carers, sometimes called nannies, and au-pairs and other domestic workers, who are typically unqualified. Work conditions, payment and whether the workers are registered differ and often a migratory aspect is vital to understand the situations of the workers.

The first part of the book is descriptive, where first a detailed account of the history of in-home childcare is outlined. The origins of private care in the homes have taken different routes in the three countries where class obviously has played an important role, but in different ways. Also the current situation and political debate around in-home childcare is described in great detail and obviously the child care policies are here intertwined and related both to employment policies and migratory policies. In addition, the approach to regulation and registering of carers differ, as well as whether the preferred system is private arrangements or arrangement of carers through provider organisations.

The second part of the book analyses the three countries by asking what the policies hold for consequences for families and workers, and also how we can understand the policy differences. One chapter concerns the political rationales behind the policy differences. Next the implications of these differences for families and care workers are analysed, with particular attention paid to social class, gender and migratory status. The last chapter in the second part of the book concerns the care culture and attempts thereby to explain the different reasoning and policies in the three countries. The concluding chapter includes a coherent summary of the development and also further discussion on policy implications. It makes a strong case for further research, including conceptual work, to be done.

There are some crucial conceptual areas that are brought to the fore in the book and perhaps the most prominent is the divide between formal and informal care. In-home care may, from a policy perspective, be approached in a range of ways, from leaving in-home care arrangements completely to the family's private sphere, to regulating the in-home care, by subsidies, registers, requirements of formal education etc. Adamson makes a strong point of the need of regulation, minimum qualification requirements, work conditions and training for workers. This is crucial to avoid exploitation of workers and for the safety and quality care of the children and Adamson argues that provider organizations may be important facilitators here.

Throughout the book the policy intersection between care policy, employment policy and migration policy is treated. Mothers’ increased labour force participation is possible as other women take care of their children and the obvious social class dimension of this relationship is discussed from various angles. In addition the work force that are employed in the care sector is not only one of low qualifications, but often available through migration, and the migration policy may here be determining conditions of work. It is a vulnerable work force that is less protected through formal work regulations. Working in someone's home is a sensitive situation, and this will often be exacerbated by the migratory position of the workers.

Lastly the care culture that is created, and in which the in-home care exists, is brought up. This culture is created through policy mechanisms, new policy ideas, but also has long reaching roots into the assumptions and norms of what is good childcare. Adamson traces this intersection of policy in a context that plays out differently in the three contexts.

Adamson's book is successful in describing the complexity of in-home care, pointing out the differences and similarities in the three countries that may on the surface seem quite similar. She points out the tensions and conflicts regarding in-home care that reflects on the whole area of ECEC policies where basic questions (like for whom and why) are not easily answered. The examples from the three countries in the account on the development are plenty, which also means the book is very rich in information. Some readers may wish for a little help in sorting out the trees in the forest, or to have some more guidance among the details. Others may want a more coherent and visible analysis throughout the book. Nevertheless, the book is a very important contribution that sets the scene for further analyses of policy developments and path dependencies, clearly pointing out that more research and policy analyses are needed in the in-home care area.