Tips On How To Conduct Background Checks for Nanny Services
Hiring a nanny is a sophisticated process that involves
searching, interviewing, checking references and extending an
offer to the right candidate. When the nanny has accepted your
offer, the final step is conducting a criminal background check.
Your offer should be contingent on the outcome of those results.
What to check? It's hard to imagine that in this era of the
Internet and computerization there is no reliable national
criminal database that is accessible by the public. The "gold
standard" for checking a nanny's background is to first run a
search using her Social Security Number to see where she has
lived in the past seven years. This is done so that a decision
can be made on which counties should be searched. Yes, that's
right, these searches are done county by county, not nationally.
Few states have a reliable criminal index that is suitable for
nanny background checking because nannies tend to commit
misdemeanors at most. Many of these indexes only turn up people
who have felony convictions and/or have served time. Many states
don't have statewide indexes at all.
Which counties should you search? Obviously the safest method is
to check each county, but in some cases this can get quite
costly. A fairly typical scenario may be a nanny who left home
to go to college, after which she may have changed schools and
then moved again after graduation. So let's say she's 23 now and
there are four years that can be searched since she turned 18.
2001 lived at home, 18 years old 2001-2003 moved for college
2003-2005 lived at her second college 2005- moved after
graduation to another city
In this case, since she turned 18 at home and moved shortly
thereafter, the duration of time spent at her home residence and
the city she moved to after graduation is brief. For someone who
wanted to hold their costs down, the two most likely locations
to check would be the two cities she lived in from 2001-2005.
Again, if you want to be absolutely certain and costs are not an
issue, you would need to check each place that appears on the
Social Security address check.
What other types of checks can be performed? Driving records are
very important if there is driving involved in your job. A
credit report can be ordered if you feel that information may be
important to your decision. There is a sexual offenders list for
each state that should be checked as well. There are numerous
other reports that may be ordered if you feel the need.
How do I perform the check? The Fair Credit Reporting Act (which
applies to more than just credit checks) requires that you have
a written release from your nanny to perform the check. This
form is downloaded and filled out by the family and then
completed and signed by the nanny.
What are some of the limitations of the checks? Every company
that does these checks warns that these reports cannot guarantee
complete accuracy. Also, there is a charge for each type of
check that you order, so figuring out your budget ahead of time
can help you prioritize which type of checks to run.
All in all, running a background check on a potential nanny for
your children is essential. These steps should help make that
process more informative and resourceful.