The idea of a running background check might seem like a simple solution for anyone who has an interest in safety. But they’re a little more complex than you might imagine. Here’s an overview of how background checks work, how they work on Sittercity, and how you can use them as a part of your screening process.
What Should I Know Before Running a Background Check?
Just like children are different from one another, not all background checks are the same. There’s actually no set of standards with checks, so a variety of results can be returned, depending on which databases are searched. Simply put: There’s no single source of all crime everywhere; it varies at the state, county, and even city level.
So, How Do I Know What’s Being Checked?
Reach out directly to the background check vendor with questions you have about what’s being searched. Their customer support team should be happy to help you understand the terms as well as the processes that each search entails. If you have a variety of checks offered to you, this will help you have a better understanding of which one would work best for your needs.
Background Checks at Sittercity
All background checks at Sittercity are performed by the third party consumer reporting agency Checkr. In order to maintain compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), when a caregiver’s background check results are returned, they will have 10 days to file a dispute prior to badge results displaying on a caregiver profile. Background checks badges expire on Sittercity after 90 days.
There are several different types of background checks offered by Checkr that you can run on Sittercity:
You can see what each of those checks cover here, and, if you have specific questions, you can reach out to the Checkr team here.
Which Background Checks Does My Sittercity Membership Cover?
First things first: It’s important to know that background checks are not automatically run on caregivers or families of Sittercity. All background checks must be initiated by families (or sitters) and you’ll need to have a Premium Membership in order to run a background check on Sittercity. Here’s how it works:
Premium Members
People with a Sittercity Premium Membership can purchase any of the available background checks run by Checkr through their account. Learn more on pricing and purchasing. To order background checks on a sitter, visit the sitter’s profile and select Run background check from the left rail on the sitter’s profile. You can also click the Run button in the Trust & Safety section on the page. Choose the background check that best fits your family’s needs.
Corporate Members
People who have a Sittercity Premium membership through their employer are able to access unlimited basic background checks for free. Simply log in to your account to confirm your corporate membership. If you wish to order background checks on a specific sitter, visit the sitter’s profile and select Run background check from the left rail on the sitter’s profile. You can also click the Run button in the ‘Trust & safety’ section on the page. Choose the background check that best fits your family’s needs. You can get enhanced background checks for an additional fee.
Using Background Checks As One of Many Screening Tools
At Sittercity our goal is to provide sitters and families with access to a variety of tools and resources to make child care decisions confidently. Background checks are absolutely a very important part of the process, but they shouldn’t be the only screening tool you use, as they have limitations and can provide a false sense of security.
How Could Background Checks Provide A False Sense of Security?
As mentioned above, there’s no singular source of all crime everywhere—it varies at the state, county, and even city level sometimes. In some states, criminal background vendors don’t have access to every court in every county, and lower-level courts are not always searched. As a result, some jurisdictions will only reveal felony-level records.
How Else Can I Screen Candidates?
We strongly recommend that families use a combination of tools and resources, both on and off our platform when screening and evaluating sitter candidates and once a sitter is hired. There’s simply no single solution that can predict inappropriate behavior.
Evaluating Candidates
Background checks don’t look into personality traits, if a sitter might be a right fit for your family, job history, or how they might interact with your children. Consider these screening additional options when evaluating a child care professional on Sittercity:
- Detailed Profiles
When you receive applicants for a job or search local caregivers, closely review their experience, education, certifications, and bio. - Parent Reviews
See what other Sittercity parents who’ve hired a particular caregiver in the past have to say. Their insight into a caregiver’s performance and personality can help you decide if someone is a good fit for your family. - Messaging
To narrow down who you want to interview, spend some time messaging with your top options. Make sure the practical information (schedule, rate, etc.) is in alignment before booking an interview. - Interviews
There’s no substitute for the give-and-take of an interview with a potential babysitter or nanny. You can have your more in-depth questions answered and also get a feel for the sitter as a person. - Reference Checks
Reach out to the references listed on the caregiver’s profile to gain additional insight, and don’t hesitate to request more references. Be sure to verify the information your potential caregiver has given you is correct and ask questions. Here are some examples. - Trial Day
This could either be a trip to the park with the entire family and the caregiver, or it could be an hour while you run errands. This will give the kids a chance to interact with them and give you feedback.
After Hiring
Once you’ve hired a sitter, observe them on the job to ensure they’re meeting your expectations, and keep communications frequent. Here are some approaches to consider:
- Daily Check-ins
When you get home, ask for a brief progress report on how the day went. - Ask Your Kids
Ask your children open-ended questions about their day, but try not to judge or lead during the discussion. Respect your children’s feelings and always take them seriously, especially negative comments. - Ask A Neighbor to Keep An Eye Out
Enlist a trusted neighbor to keep a casual eye on things when you’re gone. Ask them to let you know if anything seems questionable. - Come Home Unannounced
An unexpected drop-in lets you see how your caregiver interacts with your child. It’s a great way to get a feel for how things are going when you’re not there. - Schedule Regular Performance Reviews
There’s definitely value in making sure you and your caregiver are on the same page, and it’s important to keep the lines of communication open. A performance review is one way to do that. - Install a nanny cam
Installing a nanny cam often helps parents ease any fears about leaving their child with a caregiver. - Run Periodic Background Checks
The information on a background check captures a specific moment in time. After some time has passed, you can run a background check to see if anything new has occurred.
Background checks are an important part of the process but are not the end-all-be-all to screening because they have limitations and can provide that false sense of security. Be sure to leverage a combination of tools on and off the Sittercity platform to exercise safety in the child care search process. If you have any questions, be sure to check out our Trust & Safety Center.
