Potential Nanny has history of drug use

[Snuggy75]

We are currently recruiting for a new wrap-around care nanny for my primary school age kids and I have been made aware that one of the candidates (who has great references, gets on great with the kids) has a history of using cocaine and has got at least one police caution for it approx 18 months ago. Her DBS has currently run out apparently so I do not have any evidence of this yet.

AIBU to still consider employing this person - I don't know if they are still using?

My heart says absolutely no to looking after my kids with any connection to drugs and if they were really young I wouldn't even be considering it, my head says we have all done stuff in the past we may not be proud of and is cocaine really that much worse than getting really really drunk (I genuinely don't know the answer to this)?

Definitely need to get updated DBS, but if that does come back showing the caution - what should I do?

YABU - do not let this person near your children
YANBU - don't rule her out until you know more

Would you even consider employing this person if there were other choices available? If you're only employing her because there are no other options at the moment then you're not doing what's best for your children, only what's convenient for you.

Where does it say anything about unsubstantiated rumours? It says the person has a caution for possession of cocaine.

Btw, OP, DBS certificates do not ‘run out’. They can be added to, of course, but everything to date will be on there.

It says she's not seen a DBS yet and heard this from a metal friend.
It may be true, half true or not true at all.

But her question is not, ‘should I believe my friend?’. It’s, ‘if true, does it matter?’.

Not that I believe a word of it. There’s a disproportionate number of commenters on Mumsnet who are ‘confused’ about cocaine (it’s always cocaine for some reason) and want advice about whether is really any worse than alcohol.

My question to the mumsnet hive, is does this person deserve a second chance and to guage the view on cocaine as opposed to alcohol etc.

Whether they deserve a second chance or not would only become apparent if said second chance worked out. I'm fucked if my children would be the guinea pigs for that experiment.

What I just don't understand about all of this is why you don't just cross them off the list and move on. Look for someone else.

Unless this is one of those shitty reverse threads?

Well I bet she is fun with kidsnif she’s coked up, she’s probably energetic and bouncing all over thenplace!

I wouldn’t leave her in charge of children no.

You’ve answered your own question. OP has not heard from a credible source, just a random person whose word she apparently had to take as gospel.

I don’t think people realise that malicious rumours DO happen.

DBS certificates do run out. But you just order a new one.

😂😂😂

It’s a no from me. My reasons are slightly different to other posters. It’s about who she is associating with.
If she’s a regular coke user, she’ll be associating with dealers, and they aren’t nice people. She could be open to coercion if she gets into debt (as many users do) and I wouldn’t want that anywhere near my home.

I do agree that people can turn their lives around, but 18 months is too recent for my liking, because it’s not just stopping using, it’s breaking away from all those past associations and criminality that comes with class A drug use.

That’s where the difference lies to me between drugs and alcohol. In every other way, use is use and addiction is addiction.

DBS certificates do not ‘run out’. They’re as current as the date at the top of them, unless registered with the update service, which most are. It’s possible that in this hypothetical situation, the nanny has a DBS certificate that was issued before she received the caution. However, that’s not what the OP says.

Also, the question assumes that the rumour is true, so what does it matter if the source is credible or not? In the OP’s hypothetical, the source was correct. Unless you are just looking for an excuse to take offence. Was it the mention of parenting classes or the argument that someone shoving cocaine up their nose shouldn’t be in charge of kids that hit a nerve?

I don’t think people realise that malicious rumours DO happen

They do happen, yes. But in this specific case- having sole charge of children- I wouldn't risk taking a chance.

A DBS on the online update service never expires unless you do not pay to renew it every year.

Ofsted registration was mentioned. If that is a requirement of the job, then anything that may prevent registration is going to be a problem.
If having someone who is Ofsted registered is essential, then I would advertise for people who are already registered.

Even if this nanny gets a new enhanced DBS check ( which they can get via OfstedDbsApplication.co.uk ) and the OP is happy to employ them with whatever is shown on the enhanced DBS check, if the OP needs them to be Ofsted registered then that may still be a problem. I do not know if Ofsted can refuse registration due to a drugs caution but it may delay the registration process whilst they decide.