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Feb 5, 2006 6:11 pm US/Central
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Using Background Checks To Find Good Caregivers
by Jeanette Trompeter
(WCCO)
Nanny Natalie Sessions loves to toy around with six-month-old Jazz Wilson. But before the fun and games began, Wilson's parents ordered a background check into Sessions' past.
"You're kind of nervous about giving your child to a complete stranger," said Jay Wilson, the child's father.
The Wilsons are part of a growing number of people ordering in-depth background checks on nannies, housekeepers, caregivers, tutors and even personal assistants.
"This person is going to be in close proximity to vulnerable family members," said Kathleen Webb of 4nannies.com.
Webb's company processes thousands of background checks every year. Webb says consumers are now going way beyond the basics when it comes to identity verification.
Webb believes people are doing this because of a growing awareness of what types of information are actually available.
That includes information such as legal name, aliases, addresses past and present, Social Security traces, employment histories, in-depth criminal and court checks and even credentials.
"Many families also add optional items such as sex offender registry checks as well as DMV checks," Webb said.
Collecting the information from numerous sources can take days. Webb says these in-depth checks are not like the commonly advertised instant offers that often depend only on online databases.
"Most of them don't have data any more recent than 90 days to six months from the date that you're actually searching the records," Webb said.
Even if you get the extra protection an in-depth search provides, Webb warns that might not be enough.
"There's no such thing as a foolproof background check, because records in the United States are not in any type of central repository," Webb explained.
Consumers are advised to check out personal references on their own, as the Wilsons did. Along with Sessions' clean slate, it gave them peace of mind along with a new playmate for their child.
"(There were) just golden recommendations for her, so we just had absolutely no reason to say no," mother Heather Wilson said.
Consumers interested in conducting an in-depth background check should get consent from the person they're interested in hiring. The cost of a report is typically $100 to $200, depending on what kind of information is requested.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)