At Tinies we understand that parents often source childcarers through their own searches, but may struggle to carry out the checks necessary for pre-employment screening, and require help with employing childcarers (employment advice or payroll advice for example).
At Tinies we have developed a screening service for childcarers and we can also offer both a payroll service and a legal helpline.
There are a number of checks we'd advise before offering a job to a nanny:
CRB Enhanced Disclosure
This is a police check on a nanny, but it also checks to see that the nanny has not been entered on a register as not being suitable to work with children. The ideal is to have a CRB of less than 1 year old.
Passport, identity and Visa checks
According to the Asylum and Immigration Act 2006 all UK employers have a legal duty to make basic document checks on each person they intend to employ. There are many illegal operations out there, providing workers with false documents and visas. It is important to be on the look-out. Proof of current address should also be obtained.
References
Most nannies will provide written references from previous employers. It is important to verify those references by talking to the past employers, and asking questions about the abilities of the nanny.
Gaps in a CV
When reviewing the nanny's CV, always check for employment history gaps.
Why use Tinies Screening Service?
If you are a busy parent, you may not have time to do all these things and it is hard to obtain a CRB unless you are registered with the Criminal Records Bureau or have access to an Umbrella Body of the CRB. We are also very experienced in checking identity documents, and have in the past identified a number of false documents and visas held by potential childcarers.
Tinies therefore offers a special screening service to parents employing childcarers. This includes all of the above, but can also include legal advice and an employment contract, as well as a payroll service.
