Caregiver Background Checks
Caregivers are critical to daily life. Given the responsibility of watching over and caring for our at-risk populations (individuals that cannot necessarily take care of themselves, such as young children and the elderly), the selection of a caregiver must be taken with a great deal of scrutiny.
The vetting process of a caregiver is very important. Whether a family decides to work with another family member, namely one outside the immediate family, or an outside service, the decision cannot be taken lightly.
One of the most important parts of the vetting of caregivers is a background check, with first and foremost being criminal background checks. It is a relatively inexpensive tool that can provide invaluable information utilized in making a well-informed decision.
A caregiver background check is valuable in two key areas:
- Verification of previous employment, references, and professional accreditation.
- Review of all public documents that may be pertinent to the hiring of a caregiver.
Adam Almeida, President and CEO of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com states: "Understanding the details of an individual's past provides insight into their potential future. A background check is designed to mitigate risk."
Key reports often used in a Caregiver background check include:
- Criminal History Report - Drawn from county courthouses, a criminal history report provides the most current information available on a given individual.
- Social Security Records Trace - Provides information on the county of an individual's recent recorded residence. This informs which county a criminal history report should be drawn from and provides verification of AKAs.
- Sexual Predator Registry - Self-explanatory.
- DMV Report
Almeida adds: "Without question a background check is the single most important part of the vetting process."
Care.com, one of America's largest portals for individuals looking for work and those looking for them notes:
"A background check will look for criminal background records (felonies, misdemeanors or sex offender listings), in various places where you are believed to have lived. A more expensive check can provide them with information on your driving records, civil restraining orders, bankruptcy records and warrants." (1)
The Children Welfare Information Gateway proclaims equally stringent requirements for background screening.
From ChildWelfare.gov:
A criminal records check refers specifically to a check of the individual’s name in State, local, or Federal law enforcement agencies’ records, including databases of records, for any history of criminal convictions. All States, the District of Columbia, and Guam require checks of State criminal records as part of the background investigation of prospective foster and adoptive parents and other caregivers. Nearly all States also require checks of national criminal records. (2)
Almeida adds: "Laws governing background screening can vary from state to state and a best practice remains to work with a well-qualified background screening agency in order to get all the right information to make a well-informed decision."
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is a third-party background screening company that can provide access to facts and information regarding individuals entrusted with the care of children and the elderly. With a highly trained staff, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com can provide the data needed to make a well informed decision.
Notes:
- care.com/c/stories/2705/background-checks-how-to-handle-them/
- childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/background.pdf#page=2&view=Who needs background checks
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