In today’s society, it is common to use a Background Check for any potential employee. Babysitters are no different; because a babysitter will be taking care of one of your most precious possessions, it is important to properly screen your applicants.

A background check can be as simple or as detailed as you wish it to be. The most common way of checking a babysitter’s background is to contact her references. If she has previously been employed as a babysitter, you should ask for two or three references from families for whom she has worked. If she has not previously been employed as a babysitter, as for other work or personal references. Some common questions to ask your potential babysitter’s references include:

- How well do you know the candidate?
- What sort of activities did the candidate do with your children?
- How did she handle emergencies?
- What are her strengths?
- What are her weaknesses?
- Would you recommend her as a babysitter? Do you have any reservations.

If your babysitter is going to be driving your child, you may wish to do a check of her driving record. Procedures vary from location to location. In the US, there are national services that can provide driving records for most states. The cost of a driving record check starts at around $30 or so. These records can reveal poor driving habits or things like DUIs.

A more thorough process is the criminal record check. A criminal check typically requires a social security number, date of birth, and address. A variety of companies perform these checks; again, procedures vary from location to location. The cost of these types of checks can be $100 or more.

The question is not whether to perform a background check; rather, the question is what type of background check should you perform. The answer depends on your needs, your level of comfort with the candidate, and what type of work she will be doing for you. For a part-time babysitter who will not be driving, a reference check may be enough; for a full-time nanny or au pair, you may wish to perform other types of checks.

Posted in Child Care Issues

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