Nanny Guide > About Background Checks
What is included in the 4nannies.com Background Check?: Background checks are provided by a third party, Verifications, Inc. (VI), a Minnesota based corporation with a national background screening network. We offer background checks on US and Canadian citizens and permanent residents only.
The 4nannies.com nanny pre-employment background check is compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Clients ordering the check are required to certify that they have read, understand, and are in compliance with the relevant FCRA rules. Additional information is provided in this FAQ.
The background basic check provided in the 4nannies.com subscription has two components:
- SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TRACE: This is used to determine a candidate's previous residence(s), confirm date of birth, and any other names or aliases associated with that SSN for the past 7 years.
- IN-COURT CRIMINAL RECORDS SEARCH: The in-court criminal records search is used to determine if the individual has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in a given jurisdiction within the past 7 years. The criminal court records check will be made in the county specified by the client. Additional residence information will be included in the SSN trace, and additional criminal court records searches may be advised.
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How long does it take to get results from a background check?
For United States Citizens or US Permanent Residents: Typically a search is returned within 2-3 business days. If a search is delayed it will be due to local court backlogs.
Procedurally, VI will send the client an email acknowledging receipt of the search order. VI will either report the results of the SSN trace and criminal records search within three business days or will report the results of the SSN trace within three business days and advise when a court search is delayed. It is rare, but not impossible, for a criminal search to exceed 5 business days. Purchaser will be advised of report completion via email. Please insure that your email filters accept ALL mail from the domain 4nannies.com.
For Canadian citizens: : Unfortunately, SSN Trace is not available in Canada, and criminal checks generally run 3-4 days.
4nannies.com reminds you that this background check is only a part of a thorough pre-employment screening process. We provide families forms and advice for reference checking in the family members tool kit.
Pre-employment background searches are not available on candidates outside the US and Canada.
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Why do a criminal background check? There are no national standards for nanny training and no national OR state regulation of nannies. Anyone may apply for a nanny job or call themselves a nanny. It is imperative that a family thoroughly interview, screen, and manage their child's nanny! All candidates are not equal, and all families' requirements for their nanny are not the same. Did you know that over 70% of convicted criminals are returned to prison after parole? This means that the possibility of a convicted criminal performing another criminal act is very high. You place your children and yourself at risk for becoming a victim of one of these individuals if you place one in a position of trust in your household. 4nannies.com includes one free background check with every family subscription - use it!
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Can I do a nation-wide criminal background check? Yes, but the cost would be prohibitive. Each court maintains their own records and there is no national repository for these records. To effect a national check you would need to check the records in each of the more than 3300 courts in the US.
Some websites advertise 'Instant Nationwide Criminal Records Checks.' Read the fine print! Most of these services compile database records from the 37 states that maintain records at the state-level. [The other states do not collect and provide this compilation of records.] There are two major problems with these databases: 1) What is included (and more importantly not included) in these records and 2) Age of the records.
These databases are generally records of persons with felony convictions who were incarcerated in state prisons. The vast majority of criminal convictions do not involve state imprisonment. Fines, restitution, probation, or time in a county jail are the most common outcomes - and felons receiving this type of sentence would not be included in the databases. Misdemeanor convictions (drunk and disorderly, assault, petty theft for example) are not contained in these records.
These 'instant results' services generally disclose the frequency that the records are updated if you look hard enough. They may download the records monthly, quarterly or annually. Obviously they are all to some degree out of date.
Reputable providers of pre-employment screening all agree that the best screening is to review individual county felony and misdemeanor records. They may utilize the national databases to cast a wide net, in conjunction with county records searches, but would not stake their professional reputations on the 'nationwide' search alone.
The 4nannies.com Background Check, provided by Verifications Inc., is an on-site search of county criminal records, with the exception of New York State. New York only provides access to a state-wide records repository, which individual NYS jurisdictions are required to routinely update.
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What does the application form mean by known aliases? Why can't I enter a hyphenated last name?: Many nanny candidates have records associated with more than one name. For example, Mary Smith, aged 27, may have married three years ago. Her maiden name was Mary Jones. It is possible that criminal records could exist under both names, or one of the two. The SSN trace will generally pick up known aliases as it is compiled from credit bureau files. It is the family's decision whether to order multiple criminal records searches under the various aliases. While available, they will incur additional charges.
Similarly, some candidates have a hyphenated last name, Mary Smith-Jones for example. To completely search for possible criminal records, two names need to be searched. Mary Smith and Mary Jones. On the order form, enter one of the last names as the subject name, and the other name as the alias name. Additional charges are incurred. Remember, a thorough criminal background search requires searching under all known names.
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What about hyphenated names like Mary Smith-Jones?: Criminal records searches must have an exact name match in most jurisdictions to return records. If Mary Smith-Jones was arrested and charged as Mary Smith, and you search for records matching Mary Smith-Jones, you will usually not find this out. You are advised to do criminal searches on all known aliases. Use the SSN trace results as a guide; they will show the names that have been used associated with the candidate's SSN. If you find a name you were not initially aware of, you can order additional searches. Follow the link on your Background Search Results Email to order supplemental searches.
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If I can't do a nation-wide check, how do I know which jurisdiction to search? The best way is to perform a SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TRACE to determine where the individual has resided and any aliases that may be associated with that SSN. You should check this information against the prior residence information the candidate supplied in her Records Release Authorization. Armed with this, you have at least a reasonable possibility of finding any past criminal activities. While the standard check provides an in-court check in one jurisdiction, families may order additional checks very economically if desired.
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I have been told that records are unavailable for convictions before the age of 18, is this true? Unless the individual was tried and convicted as an adult, records of convictions prior to the age of 18 are unavailable.
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Do I need a release from the individual to get these records? The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires that a potential employer obtain a signed release from a candidate prior to ordering the pre-employment search. When placing your order through the 4nannies.com web site, you agree that you understand and are adhering to this law. You must retain this release with your permanent records of this candidate. The records search firm requires that you fax a copy of the signed release to them to insure FCRA compliance. The fax number is at the top of the form. You can download a Nanny Records Release Authorization form for the applicant's signature. A signed release can be useful when verifying other references, particularly education, as some institutions will not release information without candidate authorizations.
You are responsible to adhere to all applicable regulations governing these searches, including those imposed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and to provide the candidate with the Summary of Rights when a pre-employment background check is ordered. You are required to explicitly acknowledge that you understand and agree to adhere to these obligations when your order is placed.
An Adverse Action Letter, Summary of Rights and a copy of the applicable report generated must be provided to applicant if your decision not to hire was in whole, or in part due to information you received from the 4nannies.com background check.
We recommend you utilize the Nanny Application form developed by 4nannies.com to collect important candidate information. Use this as the starting point to check the candidate's references.
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The criminal search revealed a charge. The charge was Nolle Prossed or Dismissed. What does this mean? Nolle Prossed is from the Latin term "Nolle Prosqui" meaning "We shall no longer prosecute." Generally, it is a decision by the prosecution that there is insufficient evidence to pursue the case. It is often used in plea bargains. The prosecution decided not to prosecute a criminal case. A 'dismissal' may be ordered by the court when the court decides that the case, for any of a number of factors, including lack of witnesses, an offer of restitution, community service, lack of evidence, etc., will not go forward. Depending on state law, dismissed and/or Nolle Processed charges may or may not be reported on pre-employment screening reports.
You are responsible to adhere to all applicable regulations governing these searches, including those imposed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and to provide the candidate with the Summary of Rights when a pre-employment background check is ordered. You are required to explicitly acknowledge that you understand and agree to adhere to these obligations when your order is placed.
An Adverse Action Letter, Summary of Rights and a copy of the applicable report generated must be provided to applicant if your decision not to hire was in whole, or in part due to information you received from the 4nannies.com background check.
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Our nanny will be driving. How do we check her driving record? Driving records are very important, and they reveal more than just how well the nanny drives. DUI's and speeding tickets will generally give a family pause. However, many states have moved to protect the confidentiality of these records in recent years, and third party requests for driving records are not available in all states. 4nannies.com allows families to order a driving records report, where available, at additional costs. If the state requires additional paperwork (authorization to release data from the candidate) you will be notified directly. These rules are changing constantly, and our vendor, VI Inc., is in the business of remaining current on individual state rules. 4nannies.com advises as an alternative you ask the nanny to obtain a copy of her driving record directly from her local DMV. She can request that at any DMV office and costs, when applied, are very nominal. She can then forward this information directly to you.
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Can I investigate the background of anyone?
Criminal records can be checked for any US or Canadian nanny applicant. We regret that we cannot provide this information for citizens of other countries.
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What about a credit report?
4nannies.com does not provide access to individual credit reports via our website. Families desiring this information should contact a reputable credit reporting agency directly.
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How can I check sex offender records?
4nannies.com offers you the opportunity to have sex offender registries searched as part of the background checking process. This search is very economical.
All states maintain registered sex offender databases on the web. Access to these databases is generally fee based (nominal), and the search mechanisms and user interfaces vary widely between states. Families desiring this information should be sure to research all states where the candidate has lived.
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I finalized my recruitment after my membership expired. Can I still order the search?
You may order your background check anytime during your membership period and for a period of 30 days after membership expiration. Simply follow the online order instructions and provide your user identification and password when prompted.
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What else can a family do to verify the credentials of a nanny candidate?: The following are some suggestions.
- Have the nanny complete a formal job application. She can download from ur website (4nannies.com) and either fax or mail to you.
- Require that the nanny show you original documents confirming her identity: drivers license, passport, college ID card, etc. At least one document should have a photo. Do not accept photocopies as these can disguise alterations.
- Establish chronology of work and education history. Look for unexplained gaps. If significant gaps exist, ask the candidate to help 'fill in the blanks.' Make sure the candidate's history is in month/year format. Ask probing questions - often gaps indicate a prior poor employment experience, but they can signal a myriad of other problems.
- Personally contact all references. We provide you forms and guidelines for these interviews in the Members Only Toolkit and encourage you to use them. References from teachers and clergy are encouraged, and are often the only real references the younger candidate may have. Follow up all written references with a telephone call if possible, or better yet try to meet the person informally for coffee to chat. People may be reluctant to admit to concerns on paper, but will sometimes share them 'off the record'. Experts suggest that you attempt to get an additional reference for your candidate from their chosen references. A question like "Do you know anyone else who might be able to give me a character reference on Susie?" will often elicit a name and number of someone who has not been briefed by the candidate ahead of time.
- Require that the nanny provide you an original, current DMV record.
- Verify education. Candidate can send you copies of transcripts or diploma. If you can, talk to a teacher or administrator that knows her.
- TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. Don't worry that your spouse or coworker might think you are paranoid. If your gut says there is something wrong, move on to other candidates.
DO NOT...
- Employ a nanny without checking references and employment history.
- Ignore unexplained gaps or discrepancies in work and education history - always check them out until you are completely satisfied.
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