in the hands of a caregiver that you lack
thorough knowledge of!”
Asset Search Pros is dedicated to educating parents to the
pre-employment background check options available to them
Can your family afford not to conduct a Nanny Background Check?
Currently there are no national or state regulations for babysitters; anyone can call themselves a "babysitter" or a "nanny" and apply for a babysitting job. In today's society, it is essential to check out the people charged with caring for our precious children. We purchase baby monitors to listen, video cameras to watch and countless other gadgets to ensure the safety and security of our children. Parents MUST take steps to avoid hiring people who "seemed nice" but turn out to have criminal records or a history of serious concern. Conducting a thorough nanny background check on a potential babysitter can be cumbersome, but a wealth of good advice on the topic is readily available, as well as experts who can help.
Even parents who use the services of an agency to find a
babysitter or nanny often do not know for sure how carefully applicants
are scrutinized. In fact, a recent article in The Wall Street Journal
Online reported that only about 50-75% of nanny agencies conduct nanny
background checks on applicants. Even those agencies that do, can still
vary widely in the quality of their investigations. No matter how you
locate potential candidates, you as the parent bear sole responsibility
for evaluating any prospective caregiver before leaving the caregiver
with your child.
Checking References
Whether or not you enlist the help of an agency in investigating a
candidate's background, checking references is something you can and
should do yourself. Many babysitters put one or two references in their
BabySitters.com profile, allowing you to contact the references
directly.The purpose of checking references is to verify any
information that you have received about a potential babysitter, and to
confirm the initial impression that you formed of the sitter based on
your interview. The following are questions you might consider asking
references:
Since babysitting candidates usually provide their own references, they are likely to choose those who will portray them in the best possible light. Therefore, you should pay close attention to what the references do not say, as well as what they do say. If a reference you talk with appears to be cautious or unenthusiastic in describing the babysitter, you may want to reconsider your choice. Assure references you speak with, that the conversation is confidential and encourage them to be completely candid in their remarks. Ask for specific examples whenever possible.
Be sure to take into consideration the credibility of each
reference. For example, the comments of a friend or family member who
may not have employed this person as a babysitter are less valuable
than those of someone who has seen the sitter in action. Also, parents
who have only known the babysitter for a few weeks may be less reliable
than those with whom the sitter has worked for a long period of time.
When you speak with references, you can ask if they know of any other
parents for whom the babysitter has worked, and then contact those
people. These are known as "developed references" and can sometimes
yield important information that a prospective sitter might leave out.
Give yourself the peace of mind to know that your children are
in the hands of caring professionals, do a Nanny Background Check
today, and sleep better tonight.