Frequently asked questions

One reference history across aged care, childcare and disability support. A worker's verified identity and references from every past employer sit in one record, which follows them from job to job and sector to sector.

Today a worker chooses their own referees, so anyone who raised a concern can simply be left off the list. Records from aged care, childcare and disability support never meet, so a dismissal in one sector is invisible in the next. FIDES collects references from the worker's verified employment history, not a list they pick.

No. Police and Ministry of Justice checks show only what reached the justice system, and most concerns never get that far. FIDES shows what past employers actually saw. Criminal record checks aren't available through FIDES yet.

No. We verify what can be verified and show it accurately. The organisation or family hiring makes the decision. FIDES isn't a marketplace, an employer or a recruitment agency.

Several things, working together:

• Fixed questions, not open complaints. Referees answer set questions. Any concern needs specifics: what happened, roughly when, and whether it was recorded.
• Facts and informal accounts are kept apart. Every answer is marked as documented fact or an informal account, and they're never shown as the same thing.
• A person reviews every concern before it forms part of your record. Concerns that are vague, out of scope or appear to be made in bad faith aren't added.
• Referees sign a declaration that they engaged you, answered honestly, and aren't acting out of ill will.
• You see every concern raised about you, and your reply is shown right beside it.
• One reference is never the whole picture. Your record shows answers from every past employer, as counts, so one unfair answer stands next to all the others.

Only organisations and families you say yes to. Anyone else searching your exact legal name and date of birth sees only that you have a FIDES profile. You can switch that off, and still invite a specific organisation or family yourself.

No. Every employer on your verified history is asked. That's what makes the record worth trusting, and it means a good track record counts in full.

A person at FIDES reviews it within 10 working days. We tell you what was raised and the outcome, without the referee's name, and you can reply. Your reply is shown wherever the concern is shown.

Yes, if it's a factual error, such as a wrong date, the wrong employer or a mix-up with someone else. A concern found to be wrong is corrected or removed. We don't change a referee's honest opinion, but you can reply to it and attach a statement of correction.

The referee can record that your employment ended while a matter was under review, with the date. It shows the timing only, not what the matter was or what it would have found. You can reply.

Creating an account, confirming your identity and being findable are free. A Verified profile, which invites every past employer to complete a full reference check, is $50 a year.

Yes, you can close your account at any time. References and concerns already on your record aren't deleted when you leave. Our Privacy Policy explains what we keep and for how long.

Search their exact legal name and date of birth. If they have a FIDES profile, ask for their authorisation; most workers respond from their dashboard. Once they say yes, you see their record. Viewing the record of someone you're hiring needs an active Hiring Pass. A subscription only covers workers already on your team.

The answers from every past employer to the standard reference questions, shown as counts (for example, "4 of 5 past employers would re-employ"). You'll also see the worker's verified employment history, whether a safety concern or incident is on record, and the worker's reply. That's all a Hiring Pass shows.

Yes. A family hiring a carer directly sees the same record any provider does, and doesn't need an NZBN to register.

FIDES provides four of the seven parts of a children's worker safety check under the Children's Act 2014: identity, work history, professional registration and references. The interview, Police vet and risk assessment stay with you.

Yes, and it's free. Answer five standard questions about any worker you've engaged. Your reference counts once we've confirmed you actually engaged them.

A Hiring Pass starts at $79 for a one-off hire. Organisations hiring regularly can use the HR subscription, from $3 to $5 per worker a month. See Pricing for current rates.

You're on the worker's verified employment history, or you engaged them directly. Every employer on a worker's history is asked, not only the ones the worker chooses.

If you raise a safety concern, the worker sees it so they can respond. Your name and contact details are withheld from the worker unless the law requires us to release them.

New Zealand law generally protects a reference given honestly and in good faith to someone with a legitimate interest in it. That protection doesn't cover statements you know are false or make out of ill will. Sticking to what you saw and what was recorded is the best protection.

You can still answer. Mark it as an informal account rather than documented fact, and give what you saw and roughly when. Informal accounts are always shown as informal.

No. Only verified organisation and family accounts can search, and only by exact legal name and date of birth. Every search is logged, searches are limited per account, and workers can ask us who has searched for them.

We use it only to run the reference and verification network, and we never sell it. Our Privacy Policy sets out what we collect, who sees it and how long we keep it.

FIDES isn't a reporting line. If someone is in immediate danger, call 111. Otherwise raise it with the worker's employer, or contact Oranga Tamariki or NZ Police for a child, and NZ Police or the Health and Disability Commissioner for an adult.

FIDES is launching soon. Join the updates list and we'll tell you the moment sign-ups open.