Employing a nanny is no longer the preserve of the rich and famous. Rising childcare prices in nurseries or at childminders can mean that hiring a full-time nanny to look after your kids at home is a viable choice, especially for those with two or more children needing care. Hiring a nanny comes with extra responsibilities, as you’ll be classed as an employer and will need to take care of issues like tax and holiday pay. It does however give you greater control over how your children are looked after. Getting a great nanny isn’t as easy as it sounds though, as the best qualified and most experienced nannies are in huge demand and can command high salaries. One of the main sticking points for any parent considering employing their own nanny is how to go about getting a DBS check.
Parents Applying for DBS
Parents, even those who are employing a nanny to look after their own children are not able to submit a DBS check for their prospective member of staff. The DBS legislation only allows approved organisations to put forward applications for DBS checking. If as a parent you’ve sourced a nanny through world of mouth or personal recommendation, this can cause a problem. Some nannies might be registered with OFSTED, in which case the nanny can approach them to run another DBS check, which the parent will pay for. Other nannies might be registered with a nanny agency, and again these agencies might be able to help in the processing of a DBS check.
DBS Update
One way around this issue of having to look for an approved body to do your DBS checking for you is to look for a nanny who is enrolled in the DBS update service. There is an extra charge for being included in the Update scheme, but it gives the nanny and any prospective clients the ability to log into the online portal and see the nanny’s DBS information in real time. it’s an efficient way of cutting down on the need to repeat DBS checks every time a nanny signs up with a new agency or starts a new job.
Dealing with DBS Information
Once your new nanny has applied for their DBS form, the information will be sent back to their home address, not to the parent thinking of employing them. This gives the nanny the opportunity to look over the information and checking for errors before showing the form to her employers. In most situations, the parent will look over the DBS form, check everything is in order and then return the paperwork to the nanny for safekeeping. If the parent wishes to keep a copy of the DBS, it’s good practice to get permission from the nanny to do so.
Renewing DBS
There are no rules about how often a DBS check on a nanny or anyone else should be renewed. It’s up to the parent to decide how often they want to run checks again. This is usually between two and three years.
