Nanny Safety
What is a 'nanny-cam'?
A nanny-cam is a hidden camera that can come in a variety of forms. Some of them can transmit audio and video to where you can watch it in your office and listen to it. There are different service providers that offer that and it can be expensive, however. Nanny-cam no matter what version it is, one that records and you can watch it later or when it's just voice-activated, some are them are black and white, some of them are video-only, some things are audio-only. So it depends on what type of equipment you want but you can go down to many of the major chain or electronic stores and find cameras that can be used for that but in all cases they are hidden cameras. It is important to tell the nanny that you do use a nanny-cam, in fact even if you don't, I would recommend that you tell them that you do because they'll have a different way of responding to things so if they know that you're actually watching them. The best system that you can have is a nanny-cam that records what's going on of video and voice in different rooms in your house and that you can actually watch remote control, it's a web-based service. I don't personally recommend any one over another one but you can look them up online and just search on nanny-cams and you'll come up with everybody who sells those.
Is a 'nanny-cam' legal?
Nanny cams are always legal, especially when you let someone know. The privacy issues are about having a reasonable expectation of privacy and as long as the nannies understand that they do not have an expectation of privacy while they're in your home, then whatever you're tape recording is something that they can't have a real issue with. Also, if they're committing a crime against the child, which is the lowest denomination of what a nanny cam might find, more along the lines you're going to see behavior that you don't like. That may even be your kid's behavior that you need to correct and not the nanny. The nanny might be doing just fine. Usually if there's a crime being committed it's always going to be admitted into evidence and not thrown out, because you are breaking some type of privacy law. Usually I would have the nanny sign an agreement that states that you will not have privacy while you are here, that we at our option can tape record and video record your activities with our children.
What safety rules should I teach my child before leaving him with a nanny or au pair?
The safety rules that you want to teach your children can include a tremendous number of different rules. For example, teaching them what "good touch, bad touch" is and showing them on a doll. These are areas that it's not okay for anyone you meet to touch you, and if this happens, you call me or you tell me what's going on. You let the person know that that's not okay with you. There's topics that involve those types of issues. There's also topics that involve basic things, like "What do you do in case there's a fire?" Naturally, the nanny or au pair is going to be the responsible person. They're the adult in the house and they're supposed to know how to respond to that. However, there could even be an emergency that involves the nanny. I've seen cases where a nanny, who is a perfectly qualified nanny, has a drug interaction and passed out. So, there's a four-year old sitting there with a person who's in trouble, medically, and they don't know what do . it's important to always teach kids how to dial 911, and when they're supposed to do that. It's also important, if you can, to have a network of friends and neighbors that your kid also knows. If there are other people who can help out in the case of an emergency, it's nice for your kid to know that. All of the basic safety rules. You've got to remember that kids are not safety-conscious. They don't think that they can get hurt. Ever. They're pretty much invincible, so you can talk to them about safety all you want, but you really want to place them in contact with adults that can help them be safe as well.
What should I do if I suspect my nanny or au-pair is abusing my child?
If you suspect that a nanny or an au-pair is abusing your child, the very first thing to do is to stop all contact between the nanny and the child. Make certain that you take the keys to your house back. Make certain that the nanny knows that you suspect a problem with them, and until you investigate it and get to the bottom of it, there's going to be no further contact between that person. Ensure your very next phone call is going to be to the police department. You're probably going to want to go through the process of getting a restraining order to make sure that that person cannot come in contact with your home or your family or your child. But, the same process of suspected child abuse that happens in every city, thousands of times a day, you're going to have to follow. I would not call the nanny agency first, I would call the police first, and the nanny agency will eventually be contacted by the police during the investigation.
