The people we place have been through a lot before we present them.
Trust isn't something we ask for. It's something we earn — starting with how carefully we choose the candidates we're willing to introduce to your family.
The industry's dirty secret: most agencies don't actually vet.
Many placement agencies advertise vetting they don't actually do. Reference checks that are one text message; "background checks" that only cover the local county; interviews that happen over a 15-minute phone call. It's an industry where the standard is far lower than families realize.
We take the opposite approach. Our vetting is slow, expensive, and rejects most of the people who apply — because the stakes of getting this wrong are too high. When we present a candidate to your family, you are trusting our word that this is someone worth interviewing. That word is the entire product.
Every candidate clears all eight before we present them to a family.
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Application & initial screen
Written application covering experience, availability, credentials, references, transportation, and legal work authorization. Roughly 11 out of every 12 applicants are declined at this stage.
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Phone or video interview (30 minutes)
A structured conversation about background, values, and career goals. We're listening for candidates who treat their work as a profession — with reflection, self-awareness, and pride.
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National background & MVR check
A comprehensive check run by an accredited third-party provider: national criminal background, sex offender registry, identity verification, and Motor Vehicle Report. Refreshed annually while candidates are on our roster.
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In-person interview (60 minutes)
An in-person meeting with our placement director at our workspace. This is where we go deeper on experience, situational judgment, and what kind of family they'd be a good fit for.
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Three verified prior-family references
Three references from prior families or employers — and we actually call every one. We ask specific questions about honesty, reliability, communication, professional boundaries, and how the candidate handled the hardest moments of the role.
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Skills & credential verification
Role-specific verification: CPR/first-aid certificates for childcare roles, food safety credentials for chefs, driving record for anyone transporting children. Where a role calls for it, a paid skills demonstration.
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Thoughtful family match
Only after all seven prior stages does a candidate enter our active roster. When we present them to a family, we've hand-selected them for that specific family — not sent every available résumé to every open search.
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Ongoing evaluation
Post-placement check-ins with the family at Day 30, Day 60, Day 90, and quarterly thereafter. Background checks and credentials are refreshed annually. Any candidate whose feedback slips is coached; anyone who can't recover is removed from our roster.
Comprehensive — not the cheap version.
Every candidate placement is contingent on a clear, comprehensive background check run by an accredited third-party investigative firm. What we actually check:
- National criminal background — 7-year national criminal database, plus specific searches in every county where the candidate has lived in the past 10 years
- Federal criminal search — records from federal district courts
- National sex offender registry — all 50 states
- Social Security trace and identity verification — to confirm identity and reveal prior addresses
- Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) — for anyone who will transport children or drive on the job
- Employment verification — for the prior families or employers listed
- Credential verification — CPR, first-aid, professional certifications
Certificates and reports are on file. If your family or homeowner's insurance requires copies for coverage, we can provide them at the time of hire.
Not every profile is evaluated the same way.
Experience and references matter everywhere. For some roles, we go a step further with a practical evaluation — because talking about a skill and demonstrating it aren't the same thing.
Housekeeping Standards
Even experienced candidates may complete a hands-on evaluation covering bathroom cleaning, kitchen work, bedroom tidying, bed-making, laundry, organization, product use, hygiene, presentation, time management, and attention to detail. Candidates who pass are approved as meeting The Home Place Housekeeping Standards. Those who don't may be offered optional paid training and a re-evaluation — though training is never a guarantee of passing or of placement.
Nanny Standards
Nannies go through a different lens: experience, the ages of children they've cared for, references, daily-routine fluency, child-nutrition knowledge, parent-communication skills, how they'd handle real scenarios, baby-care experience where relevant, driving ability if the role requires it, and any credentials they hold. Experienced professionals aren't put through unnecessary training.
Postpartum Support
We draw a clear line between practical postpartum home support — non-medical household assistance during the postpartum period — and specialized postpartum care from professionals with verified credentials such as a Postpartum Doula, Newborn Care Specialist, or nursing license. We only communicate credentials we've actually verified, and we never present practical support as medical care.
Meal Prep Standards
Meal prep evaluation covers food hygiene, kitchen organization, meal planning, preparation, portioning, storage, refrigerator and freezer organization, cleanup, and understanding of dietary instructions and allergies. We also place combined profiles — housekeeper + meal prep, nanny + meal prep, family assistant + meal prep — for families who want one professional wearing more than one hat.
Skills we verify. Character we hire for.
We can verify credentials, references, and skills through process. Character — the harder thing — is what our interviews are designed to find.
Care
Treats a family's home and children the way they'd treat their own. Not a script — a genuine posture.
Honesty
Would rather report a broken vase or an off day than hide it. Would rather clock out honestly than round up.
Judgment
Knows when to make a call in the moment and when to loop the parents in. Both matter.
Consistency
Shows up on time, every time, at the same standard. Reliability is a form of respect.
Discretion
What happens in a family's home stays in a family's home. Full stop. No exceptions.
Warmth
The intangible that turns a professional relationship into a lasting one. You feel it when you meet the right candidate.
What "vetted" actually means, in practice.
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Every candidate we present has cleared all eight stages.
No exceptions. If we haven't finished a candidate's vetting, we don't send them to your family — we tell you we're still working, and give you a realistic timeline.
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You see their credentials before you meet.
Your candidate profile includes verified references, background-check confirmation, credential verification, and our matching rationale — before your first interview.
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90-day placement guarantee.
If the placement doesn't work out in the first 90 days (from any cause we can help address), we re-place at no additional fee. We stay engaged for a full year of ongoing check-ins.
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Credentials stay current.
Background checks are refreshed annually while candidates are on our roster. Certifications (CPR, first-aid) are tracked and re-verified before expiration.
Let's talk about who would be right for your family.
Every family's fit is different. On a consultation call, we'll ask about your household, your schedule, and your priorities — and match you thoughtfully.