Before hiring a nanny, it is very important for you to conduct a background check on her as she is going to be with your kids. Before conducting a background search on her you will need to get her signature on an authorization letter that permits you to conduct the background check. This is legally required or else she can file a case against you if you conduct a background check on her without her permission. Be sure to take a look at this site to do a public criminal records.
In case you know the place where the person has spent a major part of his/her life, you can pay a visit to the courthouse of that county. You will have to fill up an application form requesting for the persons criminal background report and the reason for it. If the courthouse accepts your request, they will present you with a report within 2-3 days. However, if the person has lived in more than one city or state, then it would be very difficult and cumbersome to carry out this procedure. Check for criminals by doing a free criminal background checks online.
Next, you need to get in touch with the references she has given and ask them about their opinion of the nanny. If the references given are past employers, then ask them about her work, her efficiency, her honesty and character and whether they would recommend her to you for the job. In case they are not her past employers, then it is quite possible that the references are some close friends of the nanny. So, make it a point to go and meet each of the past employers and take their personalized opinion. Ask them for how long she worked at their place, how good she was at her job and what was the reason for her to stop working for them.
To ease this, you can log on to the Internet and go for the tried and tested formula i.e. Google. There are many courthouses and newspapers that publish their information online. Newspapers have a criminal record section on their website. You can type in the full name of the person and carry out a search. It is possible that there could be many persons with the same name who have criminal records and hence a large number of results might appear onscreen. Having the birth date and social security number of the person could ease the process.
So, go ahead and gather all the required information on a person before you employ him so as to ensure your personal safety as well of your family members.