Since people are not always upfront about their past, having access to information is critical in making the right decisions. A good background search specialist will bring billions of records right to your fingertips. Whether it is criminal history reports, sex offender searches, or anything in between, make sure you are aware of it all.
Trust, but always verify.
If you are hiring someone for home health care to take care of your parents or grandparents, you really want to know who they really are and if they have had questionable behavior in their past?
For the price of a few lattes you can run an elder care background check on the new caregiver the agency is sending over, and have the Peace of Mind to know your loved one is safe.
Do not take chances with the safety of your parents!
You MUST investigate the criminal, sex offender and driving background of any home health care employee hired to care for your parents or grandparents. Many criminals use the elder care provider cover to abduct, molest, and/or abuse, rob and deceive the person they are taking care of. If the caregiver is going to transport your loved one, be certain their driving record is clean. It is very essential to confirm the education, training, and honesty of the caregiver.
A caregiver convicted of theft should NOT have access to your home and valuable possessions, just as a sex offender should NEVER be alone with your children or elderly women.
Because no federal standards or regulations exist for performing elder care background checks for home health care aides and because state regulations are generally weak and vary widely, the industry is plagued with corruption and attracts opportunistic predators. In many instances, simple background checks are not being done at all, or, in the Trevino case, all that thoroughly by the agencies. The majority of home health care workers providing elder care may be ethical and caring, but reports of fraud, theft, forgery and physical and psychological abuse against elders by home health care aides are increasing. In California, where Trevino was prosecuted and convicted, nurses and other medical professionals sent by agencies to provide home health care are required to have a license, but home health care aides, who assist with non-medical personal care, including bathing and feeding, are not.
During the trial, it was revealed that Trevino had served time in prison for child abuse, receiving stolen property and forging checks. She had not revealed her criminal history to Visiting Angels, which was not named in the criminal proceedings because home health-care agencies are only required by state law to check employee backgrounds for the past seven years (Trevino prior convictions had occurred more than seven years before her hire). Trevino eventually admitted stealing the families home and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Holman, who knew about the fraud, was sentenced to two years in prison.
Make sure this does not happen to you by getting a background check on potential care providers. Can you put a price on your piece of mind and your parents safety?
One of the things every responsible parent should do is a nanny background check on each and every applicant they are seriously considering hiring to take care of his or her kids. Of course, before paying the money to do an extensive nanny background check; you should do an extensive interview yourself.
Make sure you ask any prospective nanny these questions:
* What makes you think you want to be a nanny?
* What part of taking care of children makes you want this job?
* Why did you leave your previous job?
* When and how do you discipline a child?
* Mental development for my child is very important to me. How do you engage their minds that is different from other nanny's?
* What can you offer my kids to enhance their physical development that sets you apart from the other people who are applying for this job?
* What do you do to promote learning?
* Have you ever taught art and music to kids? How did you go about it?
* Do you have experience playing outside as well as inside?
* What do you like to do outside of work?
* How do you handle a kids that's throwing a fit for no justifiable reason?
After the interview, let your prospect know that as a matter of due diligence you will be running their name through a verifiable background check. If doing a check becomes a major issue to them, it's time to pass them over and look for a candidate that you can feel safe and secure about.
Make sure you get your nanny job applicant to complete a routine job application. This should include how to contact them, where they've lived in the past, where they've worked and any people that would provide them a job reference.
Verify that the entire job application is completed. Verify that all information is present and includes their driver's license and social security numbers along with their date and place of birth. Now follow up on the references they provide and make sure they are accurate. If a reference can't be reached, have them provide an alternate one.
Have your prospective nanny sign a consent form and provide a copy of their photo id.
Make sure your background check for the nanny includes:
Identity Verification: Check out the drivers license and social security numbers to make sure that they are legitimate and really do belong to your nanny candidate.
DMV Records: Checking the applicant's driving record might seem mundane. After all, just because he or she got a lot of speeding tickets does not mean that he or she would be a bad nanny. What you want to look for are records of drunk or reckless driving. DMV records can also include accident reports if there are any - including accidents in which the applicant was a victim.
Financial Records: This is a good way to verify the accuracy of the information your candidate gave you. It will show their previous employers and previous addresses in addition to how well they manage their money. If they're habitually late in payments, perhaps they are living beyond their means and may even be tempted to steal from you to make their payments!
Criminal Records: A criminal record check is imperative to the safety of your kids. You might be surprised to find criminal activity that you can't live with - including that of being a convicted sex offender.
You don't want to regret hiring the wrong nanny because you didn't want to take the time to do a background check. A qualified candidate will actually prefer that you run a background check on them because it proves that you really are concerned about your child and it will form a bond between you and the nanny since there is nothing to hide!
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