Question regarding checks on new nanny - when recruiting directly rather than using an agency

[cloudydaze]

Hello,
I am currently in the process of recruiting a nanny (something I have never done before so big learning curve!) and was wondering what people do in terms of checks on potential employees when they recruit themselves (via gumtree etc) rather than use an agency.
Do you just check their references?
I had a look on the CRB website & from what I could see you need to be a registered business to be able to run a CRB check on someone. Is there something else I need to look into doing?
All advice most welcome!
Thank you v much

You might be lucky enough to come across someone who already holds a CRB or maybe even OFSTED registered.

Before I became OFSTED registered I went to the local police station and asked them to do an Enhanced disclosure for me (Scotland tho so not sure if possible here)

With regards to the candidate, trust your instincts, check ALL references, how long she stayed in previous posts, why she left (obviously double check all this with a telephone call to previous employers). What made her choose nannying as a career. views on disipline/potty training etc.
What activities would she do to keep your children occupied during working hours. How would she cope in an emergency (make sure 1st aid is up-to-date as well).

If I think of anything else i'll come back.

Good Luck

Thank you so much for your message magic. We are in London so might be different though will ask our local police station if there are any checks they can do for us.
Thanks again, much appreciated!

There are companies who complete CRB checks on your behalf This site is one of many

I would suggest that you check each reference verbally, confirming dates of employment, sickness record and reliability as well as details of their childcare practice. One of the most telling questions is 'Would you employ X again?'
If they hesitate or say no then that often says a lot...

Best of luck with finding a great nanny

With luck the nannies who apply will already have a CRB check done in the last 3 years, as if they have registered with an agency then the agency will have done one... if they are Ofsted Registered, then Ofsted will have done one. Ofsted are not updating CRB checks... thus the date of the check will be when they initially registered with Ofsted. A new system is coming in, called the ISA, thus Ofsted are not renewing CRB checks on an annual basis (like the previous Childcare Approval Scheme).
As long as someone has had a CRB check in the past, then just take a look at that (especially the back of it, where minor offences are listed) that will give you some reassurance that at the time that check was done, the person was not known to the police.

Try to tune into your Gut feelings... trust your gut feeling... is this person someone you like, someone you would avoid? We make that sort of judgement everyday walking down the street... you know when you see someone and think, oh I don't like them but you can't think of a rational reason why.

In my view you are unlikely to be able to check ALL references. Take a nanny like me, I have childcare references dating back 20 years. Would you really check a reference that is 20 years old? What are the chances that the contact details for that reference are wrong? Highly likely to be wrong in my view.

So aim to verbally check references over the last few years... you may be able to get back as far as 5 years. Written references dating back further will give you a general feel for the person and the verbal references will with luck backup that feeling.

Chat to parents about the nanny - their personality, what they are like as a person, what they liked doing with the children, places they went with the children, how the parents felt about the nanny driving a car, if they were looking for another nanny would they consider that nanny again, if not why not? The reasons why not may help you know what limitations there could be - such as the nanny may not be great with school aged children, but wonderful with babies/toddlers/pre-school.

See how your own children react to the nanny. See how the nanny reacts to your children... how much interaction there is. If the nanny sits on a chair the entire time... it's a non starter in my view. Nannies in my view will quickly be on the floor with young children interacting at the child's level.

Just reading a bit about the ISA... seems as though applications from Childminders/Nannies may be accepted from July 2010, so you could make any job offer conditional on the applicant applying for the ISA registration in July/August.

THoughts:

Watch out if someone is willing to accept a salary/terms that are not line with market rates or doesn't make sense for their age and experience.

I also ask quite a lot about absenteeism and health conditions that could affect their suitability to do the job. Having been burned by this before...

Also, try to find out through interviewing them and with references, how they respond to 'feedback'/being asked to do something different.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my post, I greatly appreciate it

Check all references verbally, and do not accept written ones. REgarding CRB, I would only regard it as important if your potential nanny is British or has lived in the UK for a while. Otherwise it is relatively pointless.

Think about the things you want her to do and ask a lot of questions about her experience and willingness to do these things. For example if you want her to play football with your 10 year old, find out if he/she actually likes football. If she needs to do year 4 homework, make sure her written English is up to par.

If she says she likes to cook, ask her what she likes to cook and then ask her refrences if she did in fact cook and what it was. I find that:
me: Do you like to cook?
potential nanny: yes.
Actually translates to "nanny likes to bake"

Not so with me Strix (when did you change, btw?) - nanny doesn't really like to bake but loves to cook! Nanny also doesn't particularly enjoy cooking with charges because it creates mess!

apologises to the OP

Probe the CV. Ask about gaps, ask questions about jobs, ask her what she did in each job and see whether it tallies, ask her detailed questions about the job and double check what she says with the references. If nanny can keep her facts straight she's either telling the truth or an exceptionally good liar because she can keep entirely fictitious situations straight.

I disagree about the CRB, personally, as most nannies who haven't been in the UK are prepared to provide a police check from their own country. Admittedly a CRB is only as good as the day it gets printed and only proves that someone hasn't been caught committing a crime but it would be highly suspicious, for me, if someone wasn't prepared to show they were suitable to look after children.

Test her first aid knowledge by asking a couple of questions - what would you do with a choking child? what would you if DC fell, hit their head and seemed sleepy? what would you do if DC seemed listless and had a funny tummy?

Don't automatically be put off by someone willing to work for less than their previous salary. It may be that your job has nicrer hours/is next door to their house and that convenience is worth more than the money.

Me again. Still on the search for someone & just re-reading my original post. frankkin, hadn't thought of the first aid questions, thank you.
A woman I've now lined up to meet my DH, after meeting her myself, mentioned she goes to the dr's surgery in our street as she also lives in the area. It's actually our dr's surgery too so I was able to speak to her doctor (we mainly see a different dr there) and asked the doctor what she thought of this woman. Obviously will be checking all her references etc but was comforted when the doctor said she would leave her children (not that she has children I think) with this woman. Realise that the dr probably shouldn't have said anything about the patient but appreciate that she did as this is from someone I know rather than a stranger giving a reference.
Thanks again to everyone's great tips & suggestions, have really appreciated them.