Should You Have a Background Check on Your Babysitter?

Your children are the most important thing in your life and you will do anything to keep them safe and happy. So, you want to make sure you hire a caregiver who is fun to be around, yet qualified, firm and above all, safe. But how do you ensure this? Should you run a babysitter background check?

Rules and Regulations on Childcare Providers – Ofsted

Anyone who is paid to look after children for more than 2 hours a day must be registered with Ofsted. Depending on the age of the children and where you live, you will have to apply to one of the following registers:

In England:

The Early Years Register – for children aged 5 and under
The Childcare Register – for children aged 5 to 7

In Wales:

The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) – for children aged 8 and under

In Scotland:

The Care Inspectorate – for children aged 16 and under

In Northern Ireland:

Your local Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT) – for children aged 12 and under

Registering voluntarily for a small fee will provide you with a certificate as proof of enrolment, but not signing up to these could result in a £5,000 fine and/or a prison sentence.

If you are looking to hire a babysitter for evenings or a daytime childminder through your own advertising, whether this is through word-of-mouth or local ads, it is important to ask for proof of certification.

Registering for a DBS Check

Anyone who will be working with children (under 16s) or vulnerable adults must also have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

This will highlight any convictions, cautions (including spent ones), warnings or reprimands that are on file in central records.

An enhanced DBS check will say whether an applicant is banned from working with children or vulnerable adults for any reason. It will also detail any information which the chief officer believes to be relevant, or if there isn’t any, where appropriate.

A check can take from a few days to many weeks depending on whether you apply via an independent check provider like us or go directly to the DBS (we’re quicker). But once you have your certificate, this can easily be kept current using our update service.

Finding the Ideal Candidate

If you are hiring through a childcare providing agency it is quite common to assume that the organisation has pre-checked these requirements and run a babysitter background check. However, it is always important to ask for evidence yourself. This is especially true if you are recruiting without help.

If you’d like to learn more about background screening, get in contact with us here at CBS. Our friendly team are always happy to discuss screening requirements.