Typically parents leave their children with babysitters or nannies, trusting them with the safety and well-being of their kids. Until recently, parents could only rely on references and word-of-mouth on choosing who would care for their children. Most babysitters are efficient and never have problems, but there have been situations where kids have been mistreated, abused and even killed.

In order to minimize further tragedies, California now has TrustLine, a state government hotline called "TrustLine" that allows parents, for a fee, to run criminal and abuse background checks on potential baby sitters. Caregivers listed with the registry have passed a background screening that includes a fingerprint check of records at the California Department of Justice. This means they have no disqualifying criminal convictions or substantiated child abuse reports in California. An FBI check can also be done for an additional fee.

A caregiver can register with TrustLine prior to employment or a parent can request from a potential sitter, a set of fingerprints along with permission for a criminal history check to be done. As of March 1998, there have been 26, 990 applicants cleared through TrustLine. Additionally, 1,971 were not registered due to criminal activity in their background.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing
an in-home caregiver