Experts Recommend Parents Use Criminal Background Checking Services Safety experts are starting to recommend that parents use a criminal background checking service regularly. By running a criminal background check on anyone you find suspicious or even anyone your child might come into contact with, you'll know if there's anything to worry about. You'll be armed with the knowledge you need to take appropriate action. You can use the search services to check out your baby sitter, nanny, au pair, day care center and staff, and even school teachers and workers. You can use it to search geographically and find out if known sex offenders live near you. It's now possible to determine exactly where they live. When You Choose a Criminal Background Search Service, Here's What to Look For To help you find the best possible service for criminal background checking, here are the things I've found important to consider during a review: 1. Free versus Paid I've been disappointed by the free services. Better to pay the small fee and get quality information you can trust. Many of the better services have special offers of multi-year memberships for a low one-time fee. The cost can be less than what you'd pay for a low-priced blouse or golf shirt. 2. Speed You want a service that responds quickly and gives you exactly the information you need. Make sure you try it out. Check both speed and accuracy! 3. Proprietary Database If a service compiles their own database, it's a sign they're more likely to be in the business for the long term. That's because a proprietary database is costly to build and maintain. A company wouldn't invest if they didn't expect to stay in business. From a usability standpoint, a dedicated database is better too. You get a single interface that you can quickly learn. (One note: I've never seen a free service that has its own database. Most of the free services I've checked out are really just link farms - they just point you at some public or government database. You could get that from the general search engines.) 4. Training and Support Be sure you can easily learn to use any service you choose. Actually, you'll find that the better services are pretty intuitive: you'll know what to do just by looking at it. But better services will also provide extra, in-depth searching. If you ever need the extra, it might require you dig into it a bit before you can fully use it. Just make sure your service has easy, accessible ways to learn, like tutorials. And don't ignore support. Sooner or later you'll have questions or there will be something you need help to get resolved. The best services offer free, live support with a phone number or live chat where you can talk directly with a person. Final Word It's a threatening world but fortunately, you can use modern technology to better protect your children. Like the experts recommend, sign up for Criminal Background Checking service and use it regularly.