At UrbanSitter, we aim to be the most trusted childcare platform possible. We believe there are many important factors to consider when choosing childcare, and background checks are one helpful indicator when making a decision for your family. That’s why all approved sitters on UrbanSitter are vetted with a manual profile review and cleared background check. For additional information and details about our vetting process, please visit our Trust and Safety page.
How do sitters meet these requirements?
All sitters on UrbanSitter are required to have an active membership and cleared background check in order to be approved to connect with families and book jobs. Sitter memberships come at a fee of $24.95 allowing sitters a full year of access to UrbanSitter’s booking & payment tools. Background checks are processed by our third-party safety partner and require a valid social security number. Before final approval, our Member Services team also manually reviews each sitter profile to meet our standards.
You can learn more about the sitter membership here and profile approval process here.
What’s included in a sitter’s background check?
As of August 29, 2019 all background checks are processed by our third-party safety partner Evident ID and include the following:
- SSN Trace
- Nationwide Sex Offender Registry Check
- Global Watchlist Check of terrorist, sanction, and other watchlists
- National Criminal Search for history of felony and misdemeanors
- Progressive county searches based on adverse records
Once cleared, sitters will earn a background check badge on their sitter profile good for one year from their membership purchase date. You can locate this date by hovering over the badge (accessible by web).
Evident ID reports available criminal records dating back 7 years in accordance with federal law and the industry standard for background check lookback periods.
What if my sitter does not purchase a membership or pass a background check?
If a sitter you already work with does not purchase a membership and clear the required background check, you will still be able to message them on UrbanSitter and your accepted bookings will complete as expected. However, you will not be able to book them for new jobs and their profile will no longer show up in search results. Regardless of your sitter's membership status, any booking and associated credit card payment scheduled prior to November 1, 2019 will go on without disruption.
Some parents have opted to cover the cost of their sitter’s membership fee. Simply tip them the cost or email us to pay directly.
If a sitter does not pass their background check, their profile will be closed and they will no longer have access to UrbanSitter. As a result, you won’t be able to message them or book them for jobs.
Prior to August 29, 2019, sitters on UrbanSitter became approved after a profile and background review which included a series of offender registries, watchlists, and publicly available criminal records based on the information provided. Sitters earned an additional background check badge by clearing a background check through our third-party provider, purchased by the sitter or a parent they work with. Sitters who were background checked before this date will satisfy the current requirement to be an approved sitter - and when their previous background check expires, they’ll need to clear a new check to stay active on UrbanSitter.
Can I purchase an upgraded background check or Motor Vehicle Record check for a sitter?
Yes! While browsing UrbanSitter, you can rest assured that every sitter has cleared the basic background check requirement.
We also offer parents the opportunity to purchase an upgraded background check or driving record check for a specific sitter through our background check partner Evident ID. Upgraded background checks offer a more extensive search of a sitter’s current county of residence. Driving record checks require a valid driver’s license to pass and provide a thorough look into a sitter’s driving history - which is a great option if you’re looking for a sitter to drive for your family. Parents can also purchase the same basic background check as the sitter requirement but will provide up-to-date results.
To request a background check, click the background check banner at the bottom of the Search page. Or, send us an email at support@urbansitter.com using the subject line: Upgraded Background Check Request for [Sitter Name].
Upon receiving the background check results, we will disclose each component's status of either pass or fail. We are not authorized to send the parent the full background check, however, the sitter may do so upon their discretion. Background check fees are non-refundable.
For more information about how UrbanSitter works, feel free to browse our FAQs or click the Support tab on our website. We thank you for trusting UrbanSitter with your childcare needs and we look forward to you connecting with great sitters in your area!
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