What you need to know about Herewith’s caregiver badges & vetting

Herewith profile badges are an essential part of your caregiver search. These badges indicate how far along a caregiver is in passing our quality checks. In this article, we’ll talk about how caregivers earn these badges, what they cover, and how you can use them to help in your caregiver search. 

What are Herewith quality checks?

Many of us have had the experience of sifting through hundreds of profiles when we need to hire care, whether it’s childcare, in-home care for a loved one with special needs, or senior care. 

At Herewith, we’ve established essential eligibility checks for caregivers on our platform, so you can spend your time more effectively reviewing a smaller number of qualified candidates with real potential to meet your care needs. Caregiver badges, which you can see on each caregiver’s profile, indicate how many quality checks they’ve passed so far.  

What you need to know about Herewith badges

Badges are issued by Herewith when caregivers meet certain criteria, such as passing an identity and criminal background check or successfully completing a vetting interview with our team. We use reasonable efforts to verify that the applicable criteria is met before issuing a badge. However, badges should not be the only factor you rely on in selecting a caregiver.  

In the sections below, we’ll talk about the different types of badges and how you can use them in your own interview and vetting process as you narrow down your list of caregiver candidates. 

1. Eligibility Background Check

The first check that 100% of caregivers must pass in order to be visible to you on the Herewith app or website is our eligibility background check, which is performed and verified by Checkr.  

Herewith requires all caregivers who join our platform to undergo this initial eligibility background check and to consent to an annual eligibility background check thereafter. All caregivers who have undergone this background check will have a “Background-checked” badge on their profile. The eligibility background check is designed by Herewith to verify whether caregivers meet our standards for participation on our platform. 

The details: What does the background check cover? 

The eligibility background check is primarily focused on identity verification and a criminal history check, including a search of sex offender registries. It does not include a credit check. Certain types of criminal felony convictions, such as murder, sexual assault and other sexual misconduct offenses (whether or not resulting in registered sex offender status), and other serious violent crimes, may result in ineligibility to participate in the Herewith community if they occurred at any time in an individual’s lifetime. Additional serious crimes, such as theft or fraud, may result in ineligibility to participate if they occurred recently, such as within the last few years. Pending charges for any of the foregoing categories of crimes will also render a potential caregiver ineligible to participate in the Herewith platform, until such charges are dismissed or otherwise resolved in such potential caregiver’s favor. 

Even though Herewith undertakes these platform eligibility background checks, it’s important to understand that background checks have inherent limitations and may not be complete or accurate in all cases. The presence of a “Background-checked” badge should not be understood as a guarantee that a particular caregiver has no criminal history. In the final section of this article, we’ve provided some tips you can use to do your own vetting in addition to what Herewith provides.

Note: To protect caregivers’ privacy, Herewith does not share the results of its eligibility background checks with care recipients.

2. Herewith vetting interviews

After caregivers pass their background check, their profiles can be posted for families like you to see and interact with. Caregivers then move to the second stage of our quality checks, the vetting interviews with our Herewith Care Experts, which are done by phone and video. Caregivers who have performed well on these interviews will receive a second badge, “Vetted by our team.”

The details: What does the first vetting interview cover? 

Before you speak with any caregiver candidates in the pre-hiring process, our team speaks with them and asks them a set of preliminary questions to determine qualities such as experience level, skills, and personality.

3. Video interviews with our team

Before a caregiver is selected for a virtual interview with any family, they also undergo a video screening with our team, where we inform them of the job requirements and ask any additional relevant questions. We make note of things like punctuality, reliability, and professionalism, to give you the best possible chance to have a successful interview. 

After a caregiver passes this video screening with our team, we’ll set up a time for you to interview the caregiver over video. We know that video interviews are not everyone’s cup of tea, but a member of our team will be sitting in on the interview with you to help with any technical difficulties and to ensure that both parties have all their questions answered. To learn more about the interviewing process, read our guide on how to interview caregivers. 

Tips on vetting caregiver candidates

Ultimately, the decision whether to interview and hire a caregiver is up to you, so we encourage you to do any additional vetting needed to ensure you’re comfortable with a caregiver’s qualifications, including asking questions during the video interview and checking caregiver references. 

What to know about caregiver profile info

Unlike badges, other information you see in caregiver profiles is self-reported and is not guaranteed by Herewith. You may wish to confirm or vet this profile information, such as a particular qualification or references from previous employers. 

Herewith's top 5 caregiver vetting tips

1. Follow up on references provided by the caregiver

2. Request copies or proof of certifications, credentials, or licenses

3. Ask scenario-style questions during the interview that directly relate to your care needs and real-life situations that might occur in your employ

4. Request a supplemental background check with a private agency*

5. Follow-up with our Care Experts if you have any additional questions or concerns

*Please note that additional background checks will be at your own expense. Also, there may be federal, state and/or local laws that apply to any additional screenings or background checks. Take steps to understand your obligations before requesting any such screenings or checks.