Best Background Screening Options to Keep Your Kids Safe

Being a parent is no easy task. Juggling your time with kids, your spouse, work and social life is an eternally stressful experience. And on top of all that comes your children’s safety, even the thought of which gets most parents tensed up.

The safety of kids is at the top of the priority list of any parent. It is also something that weighs in your mind every day whether you are a parent of a toddler or a teenager. If your teenage son starts hanging out with a new friend you haven’t met before, you are hoping and praying that they won’t be a bad influence. When you are getting a new babysitter, you get paranoid about the safety of your toddler. If your teenage daughter starts dating someone new, you want to know everything about the new boyfriend. You want to hire help around the house, but you keep wondering how safe it is for your kids. And then there is that new tutor you want to get for your son, but you keep wishing you knew a bit more about.

There is a reason why you can’t help but worry as a parent. It is not simply about the idea of your children constantly being exposed to people you have little control over. It is more about the profoundly perplexing nature of human beings and how difficult it is to predict and understand human behavior, leaving both children and adults equally vulnerable and exposed to the unpredictable dangers of life.

Statistics and studies are abound drawing attention to the many dangers of modern society and the increasing complexities added by technology. Around 20 percent of girls and 8 percent of boys under the age of 18 are estimated to encounter some form of sexual abuse. According to a New York Times article, 45 million photos and videos of child sex abuse were reported by tech companies in 2018 – an alarming figure that provides context to the dangers that are very real not just in our physical world, but also in our digital environment. However, identifying any such incidents of abuse or violence is equally difficult for parents as most children shy away from discussing them. One study reveals that 73 percent of victims of child abuse do not mention the incident for at least 1 year, while a staggering 45 percent of victims go on for as much as 5 years before speaking up.

All these have driven governments, lawmakers, law enforcers as well as corporates to strengthen systems to protect you and your loved ones from preventable dangers. But there are steps that you as a parent can also take to ensure the safety and security of your children.

Taking Matters to Your Hand

Most parents resort to taking matters to their hands when it comes to precautionary measures. Some of the most common practices for parents are firing a few calls and asking around from friends, family and colleagues for recommendations, opinions or some form of background information. A close look at social media platforms is another common way to dig into a person’s personal life. But the flip side of this process is the inability to filter accurate information and the personal biases and perspective that could distort details. Parents often do not have the time to spare or know exactly where to look, and therefore may continue to randomly hunt for information. The credibility of these sources, especially social media sites, also becomes a problem, with so much room for misrepresentations and exaggerations that these platforms provide today. Facebook, which claims to have 2.38 billion active users, took down 2.2 billion fake accounts during the first quarter of this year alone. This is especially alarming when studies have also shown that 1 out of 4 people provide false information on their Facebook profiles due to various reasons.

Technology to the Rescue

Online background search sites such as Nuwber have grown in popularity among parents in the recent few years as they provide an ideal solution to alleviate all these challenges. They provide an affordable solution to carry background screenings with a single piece of information. Nuwber, for example, allows parents to verify information and do background searches on its website using an email address, name or telephone number. Most people are attracted to these sites not only because of their affordability but also due to the accuracy, convenience and the time-saving benefits they offer. By using complex algorithms, they are able to access a vast network of inter-connected platforms to filter and provide you with information that is most relevant to your search.

From public reports to social media platforms and criminal records, the amount of information these background search websites can provide is quite incredible. While verifying basic details such as the residential address, marital status and property records, they can also dig into a person’s professional background including their career history and current employment. They can even check into any traffic violations or more importantly criminal records such as any child sex offenses. You can also get some insights into their values and beliefs and do a verification of any details they have already provided in their application. So the next time you are planning on hiring that babysitter, you can not only check their previous work history but also get a glimpse of their character and personality on top of a quick and effortless scan of any criminal offenses.

More and more parents are resorting to these background search sites which provide a worry-free and hassle-free solution. Whether it is a background screening of the new babysitter or checking the work history of the new tutor, these sites seem to provide a fast and efficient solution to ease the stress of busy parents. If you are one of those parents who are eternally struggling to juggle multiple responsibilities, it seems for now you can leave your worries aside, knowing that you have significant access to information on whomever your kids are dealing with. After all, ensuring the safety and security of children is the number one priority for any parent.