Hiring Domestic Help in a Family with a Special Child

Taking care of a special child can become a little overwhelming you are trying to manage all fronts of life alone. Parenthood becomes a full time job while work and family stay just as engaging as they ever were. So, hiring domestic help to smoothen things out is only obvious. But before you do that you must realize that they will be your extended family. And being a part of your home, they need to share a friendly equation. Especially, if your child will be dependent on the helper or the arrangement includes him spending time alone with your child then it is extremely important that you have the right person for the job, says a teacher at a special school.

However, judging a book by its cover can be difficult. So here are a few tips to help you read between the lines and hire someone who is compassionate as well as skilled.

• Foremost, make sure that the concerned person at least has some basic education. Looking for that in India can be comparatively costlier but not difficult. This will ensure that if need be, you can rely on the person to access emergency help, time your kid’s medication, and a lot of other things advices a teacher at a mentally challenged school.

• Look for someone who preferably has worked with kids in the house, if not special children.

• Try to assess from their reaction, what they feel about your child and his disability.

• Ask them if they could manage taking care of the child if you were away for a while, even if you never intend to do so. Their reaction and body language will give you a fair idea.

• Word of recommendation from previous employers matters. Try to find their work history.

• Police verification is mandatory. Get your domestic help registered at your nearest police station, if you haven’t done that already.

• Explain to them the exact nature of responsibilities they are expected to take care of.