If you're planning on hiring a nanny to look after your children, then you absolutely must carry out checks on his or her background. Sometimes even the nicest seeming people turn out to be convicted felons so do those checks carefully. However, not many people know how to do nanny background checks so here are some pointers.
Firstly, you should tell the nanny that you plan to check out his or her background. A potential nanny with nothing to hide will willingly give you the information that you ask for. As a precaution, you should get the nanny to sign an authorisation.
Here's what you need to ask for:
Personal data: Ask for the nanny's place and date of birth; this will enable you to verify that the person the nanny is purporting to be actually exists and isn't dead. The address of her last three places of residence will also be useful and a social security number is essential.
Employment records: Ask for a full employment history. If there are gaps, find out why. Contact at least the last three employers for references.
Education records: Checking on a nanny's education may seem irrelevant but it can help to assess whether they are who they say they are. If a nanny claims to have formal nursing or childcare qualifications, verify this with the relevant official bodies.
Driving licence: Ask to see the nanny's driving licence and take a note of the number, date of issue and date of expiry.
Criminal records: It is unlikely that someone with a criminal record will tell you about it, unless it was a minor misdemeanour which happened many years previously, but you can always ask. To do this yourself, you will need to visit the county courthouses in each of the places where the applicant has lived.
These are the checks that you'll need to do.
Name and past addresses
Professional qualifications
Social Security number
Driving records
Criminal records including sex offender registration and civil actions
Credit check
Professional qualifications
Social Security number
Driving records
Criminal records including sex offender registration and civil actions
Credit check
So you know what needs to be done, but knowing how to do nanny background checks is another matter. All this can be time consuming and some of the checks such as driving and social security checks are nearly impossible for a private individual to do.
What I recommend is using an organisation which knows how to do nanny background checks already, saving you the time and trouble. This could be a nanny agency or an organisation which specialises in background checks. A nanny agency which belongs to the Alliance of Professional Nanny Agencies will know all about how to do nanny background checks as this is a pre-requisite for membership.
Be sure to ask for the nanny's signed authorisation and a written report on the findings of the background check before you part with any fee.
Ella McGinley has a wealth of experience of agencies which know how to do nanny background checks and selecting a nanny to care for your children so if you need more help, visit her website Ideal Nanny Connect. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ella_McGinley |