This help centre article was written for childminders preparing for registration with the Koru Kids' Home Nursery service
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When reference checks happen
Reference checks happen as part of Koru Kids wider background checks.
When you apply we will ask you for the contact details of two referees
We will need their email address, phone number and relationship to you
Reference checks criteria
Who you should choose as your references:
We need two references from each candidate.
- One must be from an employer or manager from within the past 5 years (this includes parents who you have nannied or childminded for). It cannot be a colleague. Sending it from their professional email (e.g. example@nameofcompany.co.uk) is more desirable.
- One must be from someone who has seen you around children. It can't be a family member or partner, but it can be a friend, colleague or neighbour.
Ideally, we would prefer one professional and one personal reference. Where you can't provide a personal reference, a professional character reference can be collected. We will only obtain a professional character reference if needed.
A character reference needs to come from a person who knows the candidate, can vouch for them and holds a "professionally recognised job title", e.g. a teacher, doctor, or nurse. If you are unsure of what counts as a professionally recognised job title, please ask us during the application process.
We cannot accept references from family members or partners, but we can accept them from friends, colleagues or neighbours.
We may need to ask for alternative references.
If it turns out that you haven’t provided us with correct references or if they haven't responded, we’ll ask you to provide the contact details of another reference.
It’s worth bearing in mind that many nursery chains only provide confirmation of employment dates, which we cannot accept as a reference. This will need to be backed up by a written or verbal reference from someone at the nursery.
How we do reference checks
We obtain written references.
Written references are sent out as a short online form.
Your references will be sent an email with a link to a form to complete the reference (takes no longer than 5 minutes)
When your referee submits the reference form, we will compare the details that you shared with us about them and assess the reference
What if my references don't speak English?
Due to our amazing multi-lingual office, we can do references in 5 other languages and counting! We can do references in:
Spanish
French
Italian
Portuguese
Romanian
Please note that completing references in English will be faster, however you can let us know any language requirements when you submit your references.
Don’t forget to complete your Health Declaration! Click here to find out more.
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Have any questions? Send us an email to childminders@korukids.co.uk