Background checks are one way to vet your potential nanny. But background checks don’t tell the whole story. Most of the time, individuals’ information takes a long time to make its way to databases. Depending on companies, background checks are limited to how frequently the database is updated.
What if the person in question had a court issue a month ago, or if they’re currently dealing with troubling issues while interviewing to take care of your little one(s)?
Using a service to do a nanny background check should be the very minimum. Proper vetting needs to be done on your side. There are free tools to utilize, like Google search. Examining the person’s social media accounts (which many companies do for new employees) to see any discrepancies. Call the provided references to make sure all information aligns. Vet the references provided for legitimacy purposes.
The person in question is the potential candidate to be your nanny, who will be taking care of the most important people in your life. If there’s a time to make sure to be thorough about something, it’s the person caring for your children.
It’s impossible to cover every inch of the person in question. You can still cover all the bases you possibly can when you use all the tools available to do a proper nanny background check.
Note: You should only use these tools when you’re going to hire the nanny in question. When doing Google searches, etc., be extremely careful about treating information as fact.
Nanny Background Check
Importance of a Background Check
We have a general idea of what a background check is, but to clear up any confusion, goodhire.com stated
“A background check is a process a person or company uses to verify that a person is who they claim to be. Background checks provide an opportunity for someone to check a person’s criminal record, education, employment history, and other past activities to confirm their validity. Whether you’re applying for a job, looking for a new apartment, or purchasing a firearm, you may have to undergo a background check.”
This can’t be stressed enough; at the very least, when looking for a nanny, you should plan on doing a background check. Nannies will be spending every minute you’re not there, taking care of your little one(s). For that, you want a nanny with an impeccable and responsible history. Running a check validates who they are and their claims upon their history (employment, education, etc.).
It’s better to know than to take a guess and rely on instincts. Information provided from background checks could reveal information you wouldn’t otherwise be privy to.
Many can give you the appearance of a responsible adult ready to fill the position on interviews and first impressions. But what we don’t know is that they may have had a DUI months ago, or that their employment claims are false. We’re not in the business of letting our children be in the care of someone irresponsible.
More likely than not, you won’t find any red-flags, but it’s still good practice to do a check.
If you’re going through a nanny agency to find a nanny, most agencies will have their own vetting process (background checks included). I would still recommend doing one independently, as nanny agencies can have an outdated background check. (E.g., a nanny could belong to an agency for years, I don’t imagine the nanny doing a background check for the agency every 6 months.)
To do a background check on the person in question, be sure to let them know during the interview process that you will perform a background check, so they’re aware that they will have to sign a consent/release form.
As a reference, I’ve written a post about how to hire a nanny from the search to hire for anybody that needs tips or guides.
What Kind of Information Can You Get From a Background Check
So what kind of information would a background check show you?
- Past addresses – making sure the nanny has a history of just existing. These days, anybody can steal a person’s identity or create an identity
- Social Security – checking social security validates if they are who they say they are
- Credit history – shows the financial story up to 7 years. It can reveal if there are any financial issues (bankruptcy, collections, etc.). Credit history may not be a deal-breaker as people may go through tough times. Having bad finances shouldn’t affect how good they can be for the kids (it’s entirely up to you).
- Criminal record/Sex offender registry – the name(social security #) will run against the criminal and sex offender database. If something exists on the database, it will show up on the report
- Driving record – will show driving history, if there are any issues such as DUI’s or speeding tickets
- Employment history – shows employment history; use this to confirm and validate
- Education – educational background, make sure it matches with what they stated
We’ve heard horror stories with nannies that have ended tragically. We want to ensure that everything is covered and confirmed.
Information from a background check is vital to ensure that the data provided aligns with what is claimed. Everything should match what they’ve said or written down. Details provided should be noted in the report.
At the beginning of the post, I stated that it’s impossible to cover every inch of a person’s history. Background checks are a great start, but we can do more than just a background check. I provide other avenues to vet the person in question.
Google Search
You can search for almost anything on Google. I recommend starting here by typing in the person’s name in question to see what pops up. They may show up on the 1st-page or 5th-page results, make sure to scour through a fair amount of the search results.
Sometimes the persons’ social media may be queried. If they have an online presence outside of social media, they’ll pop up in the results. Or if there’s a viral story about the person, usually those pop-up in social-media and news outlets.
Sometimes they may not show up at all because they don’t have social media, and they don’t have an online presence, which is fine. It’s a good thing that their name doesn’t pop-up regarding any negative viral story/article.
Note: Many people have the same names. Be sure that the name you find is the actual person in question.
Social Media
Many people will have a social media account. If they do, it’s most likely private. We’re not in there to snoop around in their personal life. We should look for how old their account is—another thing to look for if they have any public photos with people like friends or family.
Another good indicator is if they have multiple social media accounts.
A specific social media account I look for is a LinkedIn account. LinkedIn is usually public. It lists (if they choose to) employment history, their job experiences, and if they’re looking for a job. Past employers or colleagues are in their network as well.
This tells me a couple of things; they are who they say they are, they exist, and it’s not a made-up identity. The scariest thing in my paranoid mind is that the nanny has ill intentions.
But don’t be alarmed if you don’t find any social media accounts. Some people don’t want to be searched, so they disable their accounts from search results. Or they just don’t have any social media accounts, and that’s fine too.
Note: What a person does in their personal life should not affect your hire. The purpose of this is to find out if they exist and confirm they didn’t provide a stolen or made-up identity.
People Search Tool
truepeoplesearch.com is a tool to get basic information about the person in question. The information provided on this site is public.
The search results you get from this could be vast, and sometimes you may not find the person’s information.
If you do find the person, sometimes the information provided isn’t accurate.
The tool provides information such as:
- Current address
- Phone numbers
- Email address
- Previous address
- Possible relatives
- Possible associates
What I look for is to confirm the information the nanny provided. I look to see if the current address, phone number, and email address matches what the nanny provided.
I also look at previous addresses to get a confirmation that this person does, in fact, exist, has a history, and this is not a stolen or made-up identity.
References
During the interview, there should be references provided. If your prerequisite is to hire someone with experience, the nanny should have some from past employments.
Note: Talking to references should be done before you offer the position.
From research, some people recommend meeting the references in person. It’s up to you if you choose to.
In my opinion, everyone is busy, and references have no obligation to do anything. Scheduling to meet takes time and aligned schedules. I believe a phone call would suffice, as we’re lucky enough that they’re willing to give us a bit of their time to talk to us. I’m ok with a phone call because I also vet the reference (if possible).
When you call your references, be sure to have your list of questions. Questions like:
- What can you tell me about ________?
- Are they prompt and professional?
- How were they when being asked to do something?
- How were difficult situations handled?
- How did they get along with the children?
- Were there any incidents or mishaps during their time?
- Easy to get along?
- Good communicator?
- Why did they leave or quit?
- Would you hire them again?
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
- And anything else you want to ask that pertains to your situation
After you’re done talking to references, I recommend vetting the references for legitimacy. If it’s from employment in a company, you can do a quick google search of the existence and legitimacy. If it’s employment from a family, you may not be able to vet at all. You can only hope that it’s a real reference, and not a family member or friend pretending to be someone to validate the nanny (I know, I’m a bit paranoid).
Final Thoughts on Nanny Background Check
Any parent would give up their life for their little one(s). So it makes sense to dot your i’s and cross your t’s when doing a background check on the person that will be taking care of your children.
At a minimum, you verify references (before hiring), and you do a background check (after hiring) on the nanny. If you want to go further, use some of the methods I provided. Make sure you’ve done all you can. This can help ease the worries as well as ensure that you’re making the right choice.
