BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR FAMILIES AND AGENCIES
PFC provides background checks for private individuals who are hiring an employee for their family. Whether it is a nanny, senior caregiver, housekeeper, doula, personal assistant, chef, babysitter, house-sitter, tutor, or dog walker, PFC is able to conduct comprehensive background checks. PFC has been providing background checks for families since 1987.
While there are hundreds of online background screening companies that offer nationwide, instant, and cheap background checks, what is actually being sold is a false sense of security. PFC combines an old-fashioned concern for quality with cutting edge technology to provide comprehensive and accurate background checks.
The PFC Difference
- Information quality is what sets PFC apart from many pre-employment background screening companies. We have our own network of professional court researchers who we dispatch to courthouses throughout the U.S. In addition, we subscribe directly to many state databases, and we also utilize premium commercial databases for our background checks. We do not use vendors that offshore background checks or processing.
- The background checks generated by many of the large online firms are essentially untouched by human hands. Much of the data is gathered robotically via web-scraping technology. Once the client enters the data, there is no quality review or analysis to determine whether the information identified is valid. Consequently, there are frequently false positives and false negatives. At PFC, we are involved in each step in the process, from data entry, to analysis, to report preparation. In April 2012, the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) published a scathing criticism of the level of inaccuracies and lack of accountability of the background screening industry. This article can be found at http://www.nclc.org/issues/broken-records.html. According to the report:
- Our clients are able to call us and speak to a knowledgeable staff member whenever there is a question about a background check. We proactively contact our clients if we happen to have a question regarding a request they have submitted. In addition, if we are advised by one of our court runners that there is a possible criminal record on a candidate, we immediately contact the client to give them advance notification.
- Our reports clearly define what was checked, where the records were searched, over what period of time, and the results are described in plain English. Each report is individually prepared by PFC.
Employment Background Check Options for Families and Other Infrequent Employers
PFC offers several options for employers who just need a single background check on an applicant or employee.
Employers who will regularly be ordering background investigations should contact us at toll free 877-473-2287.
We offer three levels of criminal background investigation:
Critical Criminal Background Investigation – $300 – Our best-practice criminal background solution for professional and managerial employees as well as those in high-risk positions with access to the customer homes or workplaces, removable company assets or accounts, customer or consumer information, or vulnerable populations. This is our benchmark criminal background investigation. However, the age of criminal records, local courts’ record retention rules, and errors in the recording and indexing of records by court clerks can make it very likely that some criminal history information may go unreported.
Diligent Criminal Background Investigation – $165 – Our solution for moderate-risk positions. This investigation identifies 96% of the criminal records identified in our most thorough standard criminal background investigation, the Critical Criminal Background Investigation. This investigation will miss criminal cases prosecuted in the federal courts (bank robbery, interstate drug crimes, child pornography, human trafficking, insurance fraud, etc.), some sex offender registrations, and some misdemeanors and felonies outside of the research scope.
Basic-Plus Criminal Background Investigation – $90 – Our solution for low-risk positions with limited or no access to the public, vulnerable populations, assets, accounts, or valuable information. This package identifies approximately 76% of the criminal records identified in our most thorough standard package, the Critical Criminal Background Investigation. This investigation will miss criminal cases prosecuted in the federal courts (bank robbery, interstate drug crimes, insurance fraud, etc.), some sex offender registrations, and some misdemeanors and felonies outside of the research scope. This investigation is just as likely to miss a serious felony record (e.g., sexual assault, murder) as a minor misdemeanor (e.g., theft by check, open container violations).
Employers who will regularly be ordering background investigations should contact us at toll free 877-473-2287.
