Doing background checks for nannies is a vital part of the hiring process. Keep in mind that the safety of your child is your number one priority when you start searching for local nanny agencies, newspaper or online ads or telling friends and family that you need a child care provider. When it comes to your own children hiring somebody that simply “seems nice” is irresponsible and risky. To avoid putting your kids in jeopardy, you should follow a simple set of rules:

-first of all clearly define the requirements for the position you are offering-hours per week, compensation, what is included in the job description and what is the nanny expected to do, what are the basic educational and professional requirements for the applicant

-use employment application with the standard fields: name, SSN, driver license information, current and previous addresses, past employers and 3 references

-now it’s time to contact the employers and the references mentioned in the application.

Keep in mind that a lot of applicants use bogus information about their previous employers and how the employment was terminated. And the references are often people who are close friends or loved ones of the nanny applicant.

That’s why the information that you get from them is often times biased and inaccurate.

-the next and by far the most important step is to do a background check for your nanny. Ask for her/his written permission for the background check. If they refuse to cooperate, then you probably don’t want to hire that person anyway

-now using the information from the application you can do identity verification (SSN and name verification). A lot of people use fake names or fake SSN when trying to obtain babysitting jobs. You want to make sure that the potential job applicant has proof of eligibility to work in the US, clean criminal (including arrests, felony, misdemeanor, DUI, sex offense) records. DMV traffic violations and credit score can also give you same basic idea of the person you are about to hire. These things might seem self evident but many parents don’t bother to verify the information provided by the applicants. On the other hand only about 50 % of the nanny agencies do a complete screening and background check for their employees. This still leaves the possibility of a wide margin of error.

-One of the great ways to ensure the safety of your kids is to get the job done yourself. A few online investigating companies allow you to do a complete criminal and background check for individuals while keeping your identity anonymous.

–Once the check has been finalized and the background information has been verified, you can proceed to getting to know the personality of the nanny. Ask her about her child-rearing philosophies, ideas of proper nutrition, ways to handle a child’s tantrum in a public place. Then you can make your final decision.

Doing background checks for nannies is an inseparable part of the process when hiring a child care provider. Apparently you can’t just go with your gut feeling when making a final decision. In today’s economy more and more people of various backgrounds are seeking employment as nannies. Screening those people and verifying their identity is the only way to ensure that your child if safe.

By: Irena Bocheva

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