Nanny’s Arrest Highlights Difficulty of Conducting Background Checks
APNA Agencies are Experts at Digging into Someone’s Past
(January 2, 2008) – The Georgia parents who hired the nanny under investigation for abusing their 13-month old boy had paid for a background check on her. “What they didn’t know is that the $10 computer background search the online nanny service conducted on their behalf could easily miss past problems,” says Judi Merlin, owner of the Athens, Georgia nanny placement agency A Friend of the Family. Merlin has more than 20-years experience in the field and is an active board member with the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies – A Household Staffing Alliance (APNA).
She continues, “The online agency the family used even has a disclaimer on its web site that the computer background check they run does not cover every state – red flag right there!” Top notch nanny agencies will require that applicants’ social security numbers are traced to identify every state in which they have lived. That information is used to check records in those states – a process that costs more than $10.
APNA Sponsor Member PFC Information Systems specializes in background checks. Owner Lynn Peterson explains what it really takes to dig in to a nanny’s past. “I’ve found that most nanny candidates with criminal records have committed misdemeanors which rarely show up on the various nationwide computer searches that are offered. Felonies are more likely to be listed. So, the nationwide computer check sounds good, but it probably won’t find a person’s minor run-ins with the law which can tell you a good deal about their past and their character.”
Seasoned household staffing agencies know of this pitfall in criminal record tracking. They are also aware of the sad fact that many misdemeanor records that are supposed to be forwarded to state or national databases don’t get sent, get lost or end up misfiled. That is why they hire experts to help them. “There is simply no substitute for a county, criminal-court search and a statewide check in every location where an individual has lived,” says Peterson. “It takes time and knowledge to do it right. And most importantly, it should be a human being conducting that search, not a computer.”
“It is very important to work with a staffing agency that knows how to screen and takes the time to interview each job candidate in person,” says APNA Member Stuart Dupuy of Mom’s Best Friend in Austin, Texas. “Online web sites do not meet nanny applicants. It’s one of the primary reasons APNA does not accept online agencies as members.”
Merlin adds, “The number of families with household staff is growing, and we are working hard to let people know that APNA member agencies provide services that parents should leave to the experts. Most parents simply don’t know how to analyze a nanny’s resume, run a background check, catch a phony reference or ask the tough questions. But it’s what agencies do all day everyday.” Parents who want to make sure they are dealing with a quality nanny service should look for the APNA seal.
