CDS attendant background check
Background screening
Every Missouri CDS attendant, including a relative you hire, is screened through the Family Care Safety Registry for criminal history and abuse and neglect records. No one is placed in a home before the required clearances are complete.
Attendants work alone, in private homes, with adults who may not be able to protect themselves. Screening is the program’s main structural safeguard against that being exploited, and it is not negotiable.
What is the Missouri Family Care Safety Registry?
Missouri operates the Family Care Safety Registry (RSMo 210.900 to 210.936), administered by the Department of Health and Senior Services. It is a central registration and background screening system for people who work with children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
Registration and screening through the Registry is part of becoming an attendant. It pulls together criminal history and the state’s abuse and neglect records into a single check that employers can rely on.
What does a CDS attendant background check include?
- Criminal history.
- Child abuse and neglect records.
- Adult abuse and neglect records, including the Employee Disqualification List maintained by DHSS.
- Identity and work authorization, verified separately as part of employment.
Screening requirements are set by the state and change from time to time. We will tell you precisely what applies when you apply. We will not place anyone in a home before required clearances are complete.
What can disqualify a CDS attendant?
Not every record is a bar. Offenses involving violence, abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable people are treated most seriously, as are findings on the Employee Disqualification List. Other records may not prevent employment at all, depending on what they are and how long ago they occurred.
Disclose up front. A record you tell us about is a conversation about context. A record we discover after you told us there was nothing ends the application — not because of the offense, but because of the answer.
Does a family member you hire need a background check?
You choose your attendant, including when that person is your own relative. Screening still applies. If someone you want to hire cannot be cleared, we will tell you that they cannot be employed — we will not tell you what is on their record, because that is their information, not yours.
If you have concerns about someone already working in your home, call us. If you believe you are being harmed, call the Missouri Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-392-0210. More on reporting →
Does a background check clearance expire?
Clearance is not permanent. Attendants may be rescreened periodically, and an attendant is obliged to tell us promptly if they are charged with or convicted of an offense while employed. Failing to report it is itself grounds for termination.
Questions about screening? Ask before you apply.
Call us for a free consultation, or text us. We serve St. Louis City, St. Louis County and Missouri communities within about 40 miles of our office.
Frequently asked questions
Can you become a CDS attendant with a criminal record?
Sometimes. Not every record is a bar. Offenses involving violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation of vulnerable people are treated most seriously, as are findings on the Employee Disqualification List. Other records may not prevent employment, depending on what they are and how long ago they occurred. Tell us up front: a record you disclose is a conversation, while one you hid ends the application.
Can an attendant start work before screening is finished?
No. Communicare Elite does not place anyone in a home before the required clearances are complete, including a relative you have chosen to hire. Screening requirements are set by the state and change from time to time, so we tell you precisely what applies when you apply.
Will you tell me what is on the record of someone I want to hire?
No. You choose your attendant, and screening still applies. If someone you want to hire cannot be cleared, we tell you that they cannot be employed. We do not tell you what is on their record, because that is their information, not yours. If you have concerns about someone already working in your home, call us.
What if an attendant is charged with a crime while working?
The attendant must tell us promptly if they are charged with or convicted of an offense while employed. Failing to report it is itself grounds for termination. Clearance is not permanent, and attendants may be rescreened periodically. If you believe you are being harmed, call the Missouri Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-392-0210.