BCI Reports has been in the business of background checks and private investigation for the past five years, but now it is extending its services to allow families to screen those who work in their homes. BCI Reports staff consists primarily of former law enforcement and military personnel who hope to help families make informed decisions about their household hire.
The background check provided by an agency for nannies, caregivers, and household staff may not be comprehensive, according to BCI Reports managing partner Joseph Biondo. “Typically, if you let the agency do it, it's going to be a data dump,” says Biondo. “They're going to check certain websites and certain databases and that's it.”
Biondo is a Westchester resident with over 30 years of experience in the investigation and background checking business. Biondo's two partners are former FBI agents.
Do these agencies go the extra mile to check what happened in the individual’s last employment? Do these agencies ensure that an individual is a good and safe fit for your home? Biondo isn’t sure.
“A lot of background checks for nannies or caregivers are done by the agency that they got the people from. Those are very basic background checks. If you’re serious about checking the background of the individual you’re bringing into your home, then you really shouldn’t let the person that’s providing that individual for you and benefiting from that do the background check. It should be an independent background check,” says Biondo.
Biondo mentioned an incident in which a mother had hired a nanny to care for her 7-month old infant. In the investigation, they learned that the nanny suffered narcolepsy, which caused her to fall asleep suddenly without knowing. The mother liked that nanny, but had to let her go for the safety of her child. BCI Report’s background check allowed her to make an informed decision for the safety of her child.
BCI reports tailors its background screening to the client’s specific needs. Some families may want in-depth screenings with personal interviews, and for others, this may not be necessary. If a nanny is needed to drive a child, a parent may want insight on their driving record, but if a nanny will not be driving a child, this information may not be necessary.
“We don’t want to overdo or underdo what we provide for people,” says Biondo. “We want to provide them with our expertise as well and say, ‘look, here’s what we would suggest under the circumstances you’re describing to us.’”
Its menu of services includes social security checks, address history, legal entitlement to work, driving records, sex offender status, education or employment verifications, criminal record convictions, civil litigation records, consumer credit reports, social media, and more.
BCI Reports is also expanding their business to provide security personnel for private events, from weddings to bar/bat mitzvahs.
Contact information for a free consultation is available at BCI Reports’ website.
