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Gavin says there's a right way and a wrong way to use hidden surveillance cameras. He says he likes that Jaki intended to use hidden surveillance cameras to make sure her orders were being followed and only later did they help prove elder abuse committed against her father. The key difference, Gavin says, is that Jaki actually checked the tapes, which he says few people ever do.
The way that many people use nanny-cams is to find out if their child is already being harmed, which he says is entirely different. "I get a phone call from someone who says, 'I'm worried about this nanny. We just don't trust her.' I say, 'Is there more to this story? Then fire the nanny.' They say, 'Well, shouldn't we put in cameras?' No, you should not put in cameras to experiment with your own infant," he says. "Your job as a mother is to protect the child."
Instead of relying on surveillance, Gavin says a better method of protection is through your hiring interview. When you hire a nanny or adultcare provider, it is your responsibility to ask all kinds of uncomfortable questions. "Like, 'Have you ever abused a child?' Everybody says, 'Why would you ask that question?' Well, because that's exactly what I want to know, and the way they answer will be helpful," he says. "Someone might say, 'What have you heard?' Or, 'Define abuse.' Or someone might say, 'No, I love kids.' ... Whatever they say, you get some intuitive information. If you never ask the question, you get no intuitive information."
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