Nanny criminal background checks are essential for assuring the safety of your children. They involve looking into national crime records, state records (for every state in which the person in question has lived), county offenses, sex offenses, driving records, bankruptcy (credit records), tax liens, involvement in lawsuits, medical records (including history of mental illness), social security verification, and education verification under both married and maiden names. This is more thorough than a standard background check.

When it comes to the safety and security of your children, no price is too great. It is very hard for the average citizen to learn all this information on your own. Fortunately there are companies who dedicate their business to protecting your family by running criminal background checks for you. They can obtain access to records that you may not be able to find. For all you know that charming young lady applying for a job may have lived in various states under other names. Without a thorough criminal background check you would never know.

Something as minor as a traffic violation may not seem like a big deal, but if your nanny will be transporting your children, you may not want her to be guilty of excessive speeding or a possible DUI. You will also want to be aware if the nanny has a history of lawsuits. If she has sued former employers, then you could be next.

A history of mental instability can be a red flag considering the high number of children who are physically abused by their caregivers. As a matter of fact, 85% of child homicides occur at the hand of their caregiver. A history of petty theft or even a previous firing over stolen property should alert you that your home and possessions will not be safe in this person's care.

You may think that simply calling the references listed on the nanny's resume is sufficient but think again! Most people only use close friends and family as their references and there's nothing to stop them from telling you whatever they think you want to hear.

You may even think that hiring a nanny from an agency will ensure that all is well. Unfortunately, 25%-50% of nanny agencies do not conduct background checks on their employees. Many of the ones that do may not run extremely thorough ones. The bottom line is that you, and you alone are responsible for the safety of your children and your home. The only way you can ensure that is to be completely informed about this person you are inviting into your home and life. To do that, look into getting nanny criminal background checks done today!

Terry
4/17/2010

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