How to Find a Nanny or Housekeeper You Can Trust

A nanny or housekeeper can take a significant load off your mind, but finding someone you trust can be a difficult task. When you let someone into your home to care for it or for your children, you are placing cherished parts of your life into the hands of someone else. So you must be diligent and thorough to ensure your employee is trustworthy. Background checks and thorough interviews are vital to hiring household support you can trust.

Things You'll Need

  • Background check
  • Credit check
  • Social service agency background check consent forms
  • References

Instructions

    • 1

      Ask child care applicants for evidence of training in CPR and first aid, a driver̵7;s license, Social Security card, address, work and character references and phone number. Use these documents to learn about the background of applicants who may take care of your child, suggests Lori Berke, co-author of ̶0;Making Childcare Choices: How to Find, Hire and Keep the Best Childcare for Your Kids,̶1; writing on the Dr. Phil website. Evidence of a valid driver's license, Social Security number, address and references are also relevant for hiring a housekeeper. Ask applicants to consent to a credit check as well. You can use a private credit check company or go with one of the three main credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion or Experian. Housekeepers and nannies should also undergo checks through the local department of health and human services. You might also consider working with a local health care provider to require final applicants to undergo a drug test.

    • 2

      Follow up on all contact information and references your applicants give you. This can give you information about inconsistencies in your applicants̵7; stories. For example, make an appointment with each nanny reference to meet in person and ask questions about their children's experiences with the nanny to ensure that the reference indeed has children.

    • 3

      Perform a criminal background check. Look for aliases, many residences within a short period and past complaints, in addition to criminal convictions and arrests. Your background check should include state- and county-level checks of each place your applicants have lived. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires you to get consent from an employee before you do a background check. Hire a private professional investigator or a background check firm to conduct your checks for you. Nanny agencies also perform checks on the nannies they recommend to families.

    • 4

      Ask for examples of specific situations during the interview process, advises Berke. When hiring a housekeeper, for example, you might ask about how she handled cleaning delicate, antique objects. Ask a child care applicant about her child-rearing philosophy and how she handles triggers that cause her frustration. You might also ask a nanny applicant, "How do you handle discipline issues with a toddler?"

      Watch out for signs that your applicants aren̵7;t good for your family during the interview as well. For example, if the applicant has pet allergies, and you have a dog or cat, the fit would not be good. Likewise, if a nanny applicant wants to bring her young child with her, but you have twin newborns, she may not be able to pay enough attention to your children while caring for her own. In addition, if the applicant won̵7;t let you do a criminal background check, has worked many short-term jobs without a reasonable explanation, has moved around quite a bit or will not give you a license or Social Security number, you should consider another applicant.

    • 5

      Hire your nanny or housekeeper on a temporary basis, Berke suggests. This allows her time to get to know your family and to become more comfortable. Stay at home during the trial run to see how your favorite applicant does over the course of a day or a few hours. If you are hiring a nanny, be vigilant about checking your child̵7;s body for rashes or unexplained wounds or bruises, especially during the first days of employment.

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