Criminal record lookup - nanny checks

How do you know if your nanny is the best person to be looking after your children? There are signs to look out for and there are also measures that need to be taken.

There are many horror stories out there of nanny gone bad. There are instances of theft, child neglect and more seriously child abuse. It is the parents responsibility to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of their children when in a nanny's care.

There are several ways that parents can approach this situation. For some parents a nanny cam is the answer, for others a background check and some rely on their judgment of character.There are pros and cons with each one of these methods.

lets look at the nanny cam. This is becoming more and more popular with parents.There is a large variety of cameras and most are wireless and easy to hide, but is it a good idea or is it invasion of privacy and how does the law view this.

In general surveillance cameras are legal, however there are some variations from state to state and you should look into them before taking this course of action.

Cameras are very effective and should be used for prevention not for gathering evidence. By this I mean that if you suspect a nanny of wrongdoing, deal with it immediately. Don't allow them in your house or near your child for the sake of gathering evidence.

Use the camera as prevention by being up front with the nanny. Tell them the house is under surveillance, just don't tell them where the cameras are. The downside is that even a good nanny might see this as invasion of privacy or simply feel uncomfortable in that environment which means you might lose out on a great nanny.

On the other hand most reputable nanny's should not have a problem with this and might even feel more at ease knowing that they have nothing to hide and that no situations of suspicion will arise.

For some parents, hidden cameras is not a desirable option and they prefer to use their own judgment of character. With a new nanny this can be vey difficult and risky. With an ongoing nanny there are signs that parents should be looking for.

Probably the most obvious sign is your child's response to the nanny. Are they nervous or anxious around the nanny or are the content in the nanny's presence. If your child is never happy to see the nanny then maybe its time t investigate.

Is your child kept well and clean, is the nanny happy to tell you about her day with your child, is your child having too many avoidable accidents, do you catch the nanny out lying often, does the nanny follow your requests, these are all important questions you should be asking.

Having good referrals is a plus but can't be solely relied upon. Parents are using the internet as a tool to perform their own background checks on their nanny. Its not just about criminal records and sex offenders, but even driving records for example are important when this person is spending time with your child.

There is a wealth of information available on the internet these days, parents are crazy if they're not taking advantage of it.

Not one of these measures is full proof, but maybe a combination of these measures might be the way to go.