Tips On
How To Conduct Background Checks For
Nanny Services
By
Bill WainrightHiring 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.
Author Bio
Steve Lampert is the President of
http://www.enannysource.com, a
web-based nanny search service. Prior to
starting the company in 2001, he was
president of a well-known nanny agency
in Los Angeles. He lives with his wife
of 13 years and 8 year-old son in the
San Fernando Valley in California. His
son’s nanny has been with the family
since he was born.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Wainright
