Define the Nanny's Duties and Verify Identity First
Screening should match the actual job. Write down the children's ages and needs, schedule, overnight or travel duties, driving, swimming or water exposure, medication, cooking, household access, pets, visitors, device use, discipline rules, and emergency responsibilities. A candidate caring for an infant in the home presents different verification needs from someone transporting school-age children or traveling with the family.
Review a government-issued identity document directly, with the candidate's knowledge, and record only the information lawfully needed for screening and employment. Compare the legal name with the application, work history, references, licenses or certifications, driving information, and signed authorization. Ask about prior names and jurisdictions relevant to the lookback. Do not circulate identity documents through ordinary text or email without an agreed secure method.
Get Consent and Use Employment Reports Lawfully
Explain each check, the information requested, who performs it, and how it will affect the hiring decision. If a third-party company supplies a consumer report for employment purposes, the Fair Credit Reporting Act can require a stand-alone disclosure, written authorization, certification to the reporting company, and procedures before and after adverse action. The FTC's employer background-check guide outlines those duties.
Apply the same job-related criteria to candidates and avoid protected-class discrimination. Collect only information relevant to safe, lawful employment and protect it from unnecessary access. A parent using a screening company should confirm whether the provider is acting as a consumer reporting agency and what dispute, accuracy, and adverse-action materials it supplies. Consult an employment professional when household-employer obligations are uncertain.
Check Criminal and Registry Records With Their Limits in Mind
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is the central repository for Florida criminal-history information and explains public, certified or non-certified, and authorized ORI-based options on its Florida record-check page. Use accurate identifiers and understand whether the search is name-based, fingerprint-based, Florida-only, national, certified, or tied to a particular statutory program.
Search the Department of Justice's National Sex Offender Public Website and review its conditions and jurisdictional coverage. A record may require identity and disposition verification; a no-match does not prove that no risk or nonpublic record exists. Criminal and registry checks also do not assess caregiving judgment, reliability, driving behavior, first-aid skill, substance issues, or how a person responds under stress.
Verify References, Experience, Driving, and Safety Skills
Contact references through independently confirmed information when possible. Ask when and in what role the candidate worked, ages and number of children, duties, reliability, communication, driving, emergencies, household boundaries, reason for leaving, and whether the reference would rehire. Compare answers with the application rather than asking only for a general recommendation.
Verify claimed certifications with the issuing organization and check expiration where applicable. If driving is required, inspect a current license, confirm insurance and vehicle expectations, obtain the candidate's authorization for an appropriate motor-vehicle record, and discuss seats, passengers, phones, substances, and accident procedures. Use scenario questions about illness, injury, water, severe weather, an unknown visitor, a missed pickup, and a child who cannot be located. Document answers without treating a polished interview as proof.
Use a Trial Period, Written Rules, and Ongoing Review
Screening is a snapshot. A paid, supervised trial can show whether the candidate follows instructions, communicates, maintains attention, respects boundaries, and interacts appropriately with each child. Provide written emergency contacts, allergies, medications, authorized transportation and activities, visitors, photographs and social posting, device use, home cameras, keys and codes, discipline, confidentiality, and incident reporting.
Tell the caregiver about monitoring and recording practices and confirm their legality rather than hiding devices or assuming home ownership answers every privacy question. Limit access codes and sensitive family information to what the role needs, change credentials when employment ends, and schedule periodic check-ins. New driving duties, travel, an additional child, or a long lapse in service may justify updated checks.
If abuse or neglect is known or suspected, do not substitute screening or private surveillance for the Florida Abuse Hotline; call 911 for immediate danger. For broader child-safety routing, read when private investigation may—or may not—be appropriate.
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