Two Glendale, California brothers may have been sexually molested by a 19 year old babysitter they found through an online site. Investigators say the suspect was communicating with up to 100 families using online childcare sites.
Online babysitting sites give families a false sense of security by saying the applicants are ‘mom approved’ or have gone through a nationwide background check. Most online services are just postings put up by anyone who wants to advertise their availability and do not ensure a families safety.
Families don’t realize that the $9.95 computerized background checks can easily miss a red flag. Sitter City uses LexisNexis, and has a disclaimer on it’s site that it covers only 38 states. Some online job posting services call the LexisNexis check nationwide which can be misleading. Misdemeanors rarely show up on the quick and inexpensive nationwide computer searches. Typically, only a felony will be reported. So the inexpensive background check may give feeling of security, but they won’t report a candidates lower level run-ins with the law which tells you so much about their past and character.
While the cost of a professional background check is much more expensive, costing up to hundreds of dollars, it takes time and knowledge to do it right, and most critically, it is done by a person, not a computer. This is the safety net that Caring Nannies puts up for each our families before sending a candidate to work in a home with young children. You can read in detail what a thorough background check entails here
Caring Nannies uses US Information Search, a nationally recognized service that provides the most comprehensive checks available. A candidate’s social security number is traced to find every state in which they have lived. A record search is done of each county where the candidate has lived.
We meet with each candidate in person and are experienced in seeing potential problems, and we know the right questions to ask. We also use a personality testing program to search out candidates who are patient, kind, and genuinely love children.
The online sites will represent anyone who can fill out the form.
After 28 years in the business, families come to us because of our reputation for sifting out all but 8% of the candidates who come to us. Your family’s safety and security and well being is our top concern.