When you need to engage the services of a babysitter, or childcare provider, there are some security and personal safety issues that you should consider:

• Only  use  a  babysitter  for  whom  you  have  solid  and  confirmed references. Never use a babysitter that you know nothing about.
• Make sure that the babysitter knows all of the rules of your house.  As an example:
  • How many friends are allowed in the house and how long may they stay, etc.?
  • May the babysitter take the child out of your house – example: go to the park, or go to a place to eat?
  • What time is the child put to bed?
• It would be helpful if the rules of your household were written down and posted.
• The babysitter needs to know how to use the alarm system and all the procedures regarding the alarm system - like the Personal Identification Number or abort code, all pertinent phone numbers, etc.
• If it will be the babysitter’s responsibility to feed the child, be sure that you tell the babysitter what is to be served, where the prepared food can be found, and if there are any special dietary considerations, etc.
• Always  leave  a  list  of  emergency  phone  numbers  by  the  phone.     Example:  fire department, police department, hospital, doctors, Poison Control Center, Monitoring Central  Station,  relatives  or  friends  to  contact  with  questions  or  in  the  event  of problems, etc.
• Leave the phone number(s) of where you can be reached, or leave your cell phone number(s).