Know Your Nanny ^sm

Our children are our most special considerations in life; precious beyond words. How do you protect your family?

Nannies are typically employees of your household and therefore you must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act to obtain their information; click here to download the necessary forms to complete a background check on a nanny.

To see our recommended background package click here.

NANNIES GONE BAD….

Unfortunately we live in world where not everyone can be trusted. There have been many cases in recent years where a nanny or child caregiver has mistreated, injured or even killed the child they were being paid to look after. It is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Criminal History:

Many problems can be prevented by conducting a thorough background check. Criminal records are the first thing to look at, including both felony and misdemeanor convictions.
Also you should review the nanny’s driving history—do they have a suspended or revoked driver’s license? Do they have drug or alcohol abuse problems showing up on their criminal record or driving history? Have they ever been convicted of any violence-related offenses, evasion of police, road rage, or reckless driving—obviously these would be a red flag issues for a nanny looking after your children.

Employment History:

Check prior employers for the nanny’s work history and pay attention to whether or not the employer would rehire them. Always ask for references and spend the time checking these, see below.

Reference Interviews:

Remember that background checks only review a “snapshot” of information available in the public records. To be more thorough we highly recommend conducting reference interviews with at least 6 people that know the nanny. These references should be people that know the nanny well and should not include friends or family members.

We recommend that you conduct these reference interviews in person, however we can conduct them for you if you choose.

Credit History:

If the nanny will be working inside your home, then we recommend checking their credit history to see whether there are any serious red flags there. The nanny may have access to your personal information, credit cards, your mail and other personal information. Credit history analysis is the only tool to prevent embezzlement and fraud before a person is hired. Many people today have poor credit histories; we are looking for serious credit negatives such as social security number fraud (felony fraud), repossessed houses & vehicles, multiple accounts in collections, substantial bad debt write-offs, and ongoing or repeat bankruptcies.

Note: Credit history related to employment checks do not affect FICO scores at all. FICO scores are not available to Infortal at all and cannot not be reported. We do not evaluate credit-worthiness as banks do. We only report a summary of the candidate’s credit history. The candidate’s signature is required by federal law to run their credit history and they will receive a copy of their own credit report.

There are a number of additional ways to prevent problem situations with nannies, including visual monitoring of the nanny while at your home(usually by closed circuit TV), un-announced drop-by visits to check on the nanny, and background checks to see if the nanny has any existing history of violence, road rage, substance abuse, and other indicators about who they are and how they behave in life. It is your child and up to you what you decide to check on.

Click here to read about FCRA under Resources: Legal News & Compliance and here for sample forms.

This news article is an example of why we always recommend running checks on nannies:

Friday, December 05, 2008 | FoxNews.com

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man pleaded guilty to answering an online advertisement for baby-sitting work and then using the client's child to make a pornographic video.

Aaron Jay Lemon of Little Canada admitted Wednesday to producing the video in a plea deal with federal prosecutors. The 23-year-old also admitted to coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct.

The plea agreement says Lemon filmed the child in St. Paul after seeking the baby-sitting job through Craigslist. St. Paul police spokesman Peter Panos tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the victim was a 2-year-old girl.

The U.S. Attorney's office says the case was part of a project that encourages agencies to investigate the sexual exploitation of children over the Internet. The office says Lemon potentially faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

Other Issues (taken from real life situations):

• Convicted Sex Offender
• Family violence convictions
• DUI conviction(s)
• Driving on a suspended or revoked license
• Road rage
• Drug dealer/traffickers
• Petty theft (nanny takes child on a shoplifting spree to local mall)
• Embezzlement & fraud
• Financially pressured credit history; how will this person behave in your household?

What are some of the warning signs that your nanny has problems?

You ask a prospective nanny to provide information so that you can check their background information. The nanny does not want to provide you their personal details such as: full name, driver’s license number, social security number, and/or date of birth.

Other signs of potential issues:

• Your child cries a lot when with the nanny. Nannies should be a source of happiness and friendly companionship for your child.
• You install a monitoring system at home and your child is crying or sleeping most of the time.
• Your child stops speaking and behaves differently for unexplained reasons.
• The nanny’s behavior is always “overly calm” —some medications have this effect.
• Nanny makes arrangements to meet female friends / boyfriends at parks or shopping malls on a regular basis. Eventually nanny may leave child in the care of a “friend” even for a short time.