Before a Gilbert nanny starts: the background checks that count

Gilbert family checking a nanny's background before she starts caring for the children

You found someone through a parents' group, a neighbor's recommendation or a caregiving app. They were warm in the interview, the kids liked them, and they can start Monday. In Gilbert, as across the Valley, that is how a lot of childcare and elder care gets arranged.

Before you hand over a garage code, it is worth a few hours of checking. Most people are exactly who they say they are. The point is to make sure.

What you can check yourself

Identity and history that fit together

Ask for a full legal name, date of birth and every place they have lived in the last several years. Then look at whether the story is consistent: does the LinkedIn profile match the résumé, do the references actually know them, and do the dates add up?

Arizona's sex offender registry

The Arizona Department of Public Safety publishes information on Level 2 and Level 3 registered sex offenders through a search linked from its website. Level 1 offenders are generally not on the public list, so a clean result there is not a complete answer.

Fingerprint clearance card

DPS issues fingerprint clearance cards after reviewing an applicant's criminal history, and says Arizona law requires many professions to hold one. If a caregiver says they have a card, check it. DPS provides an online status check, and says employers cannot rely on a photocopy or the card itself as proof that it is valid.

References, properly

Call the references yourself, from numbers you find independently where possible, not just the ones on the sheet. Ask specific questions: how long they worked there, whether they would hire them again, and why the job ended.

When the law treats you as an employer

If you get a background report from a company that assembles that kind of information, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act can apply even though you are a household, not a corporation. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681b, a person getting a consumer report for employment purposes must give the applicant a clear written disclosure in a stand-alone document and get written authorization first. If you decide not to hire based on the report, you must give them a copy and a summary of their rights before you act.

Reports that include interviews with neighbors, friends or associates are "investigative consumer reports," and 15 U.S.C. 1681d adds a separate disclosure requirement for those.

It sounds like a lot of paperwork for a nanny. It is two short forms, and a reputable screening company or private investigator will tell you exactly what they need from you.

Where a private investigator adds something

Arizona private investigators are licensed by DPS, and investigating a person's background, character and reputation is squarely within their legal scope. A private investigator can be worth it when:

the person will live in your home, or care for a parent with dementia who cannot report problems
the candidate has lived in several states, so a single-state search is not enough
something in the interview or references did not sit right
the person came through an informal channel with no agency screening at all

They can search court records county by county where the person has lived, verify past employment and caregiving jobs directly, and check for civil cases such as restraining orders that a basic database screen can miss. With the right consent, they can conduct reference interviews.

After they start

Some families add a camera in the living room once a caregiver starts. Be careful. Arizona's surreptitious recording law, A.R.S. 13-3019, makes it a crime to secretly film someone in places like a bathroom or bedroom in the situations it describes, so no cameras there, ever. And audio is different from video. Recording a conversation you are not part of without anyone's consent is interception under A.R.S. 13-3005. A visible camera, disclosed in writing, with an employment agreement that mentions it, is the safer route. Ask a lawyer if you are unsure.

If something seems wrong later, such as missing jewelry, odd bruises on a parent, or children who suddenly do not want to be left, act on it. For suspected abuse of a vulnerable adult, Arizona's Adult Protective Services takes reports. For a child in danger, call 911.

Choosing who to hire

Ask any private investigator how they handle FCRA requirements for employment checks, what they will search, what they will not, and how long it takes. A focused pre-hire check is usually quicker and cheaper than people expect.

You can browse private investigators in Gilbert or across the East Valley. Every private investigator listed in Arizona on Served & Found is a member of the Arizona Association of Licensed Private Investigators (AALPI). Our guide on how to verify an Arizona PI license shows how to check one with DPS. If a new relationship rather than a new hire is what worries you, see checking out someone you met online. The Gilbert page has more.

This is general information, not legal advice. Get the signed authorization before the check starts, and keep it in a folder with the job offer.

See the board: everyone in Gilbert · private investigators only.