“Background checked” is not a complete answer. It does not tell you which records were searched, which names were used, how far the search reached, or what the provider would do with a result. Your next move is to give every provider the same questions and compare the written answers.
1. Start one sheet for each provider
Write:
Provider: ____________________
Person answering: ____________________
Ask, “Before a caregiver enters the home, which background searches do you complete?” Do not supply the names of searches for them. Record the answer exactly.
Listen for named sources, not “comprehensive,” “national,” or “standard.” A usable answer identifies the records searched and who performs the search.
Records named: ____________________
Search performed by: ____________________
2. Make “criminal check” specific
Ask, “Does the search cover Missouri only, every county where the applicant has lived, or a broader records database?” Then ask, “Do you check court records directly, or rely only on a screening company’s database?”
Write:
Area covered: ____________________
Direct court search, database search, or both: ____________________
The point is not to decide which label sounds strongest. It is to learn whether two providers are describing the same work. Public court records and registry checks are separate sources, so a provider should be able to say which ones are included. The desk’s public-source trail is collected on the Sources page.
3. Ask which names are searched
Ask, “Which name or names do you run, and how do you find prior names or aliases?”
Listen for a process that connects the applicant’s identity to the search. A search under one spelling is not the same description as a search that also addresses prior names.
Names included: ____________________
Identity matched by: ____________________
Walk away from the comparison until you get clarification if the answer is only, “We put everyone through the system.” That sentence does not identify the person searched or the records returned.
4. Separate registry checks from court-record checks
Ask each question separately:
“Do you check the Missouri Family Care Safety Registry?”
“Do you check the Missouri sex offender registry?”
“Do you search Missouri court records?”
“Do you check any federal exclusion records?”
Write yes, no, or not answered beside each item. Do not combine the answers under one check mark. These are different public record systems, as documented through the public sources listed on the source sheet.
5. Add the driving question only when driving is in the job
If the caregiver may drive your parent, drive your parent’s car, or run errands in a vehicle, ask, “Do you review the caregiver’s driving record, and what happens if driving is added after the assignment begins?”
Driving record reviewed: ____________________
Whose vehicle may be used: ____________________
Rule if driving is added later: ____________________
Do not count a criminal-record answer as a driving-record answer. Keep the two lines separate.
6. Ask who reads the result
Ask, “Who reviews a returned record, and what written rule decides whether the person can be assigned?”
Listen for a named role and a written decision process. “The computer clears them” leaves unanswered who handles a possible match, an incomplete record, or a disputed identity.
Reviewer’s role: ____________________
Written decision rule available: yes / no
Ask one follow-up: “If a result needs review, can that caregiver be assigned before the review is finished?”
Answer: ____________________
7. Find out when the check stops being current
Ask, “Is screening completed only before hire, repeated on a schedule, or repeated when you receive new information?”
Write:
Before hire: ____________________
Repeated: ____________________
Trigger for another search: ____________________
Then ask, “What happens to an active assignment while new information is reviewed?” Record the provider’s procedure, not your interpretation.
8. Ask what happens when the assigned caregiver changes
Ask, “Does the same screening process apply to substitutes, temporary workers, and caregivers supplied by another company?”
Substitutes covered: ____________________
Outside workers covered: ____________________
Who confirms completion before entry: ____________________
A provider-level promise is useful only if it reaches the individual who will actually enter the house.
9. Compare the answers side by side
Use the same rows for every provider: records searched, geographic reach, names searched, identity match, registry checks, court search, driving record, reviewer, decision rule, repeat screening, and substitute coverage.
Mark “not answered” whenever the provider does not answer. Do not translate silence into yes.
Pause the comparison if a provider will not name any record source, cannot say who reviews a possible result, treats driving as covered by a general background check, or refuses to put its process in writing. Those are missing facts, not automatic findings about the company.
10. Carry the winning answer into the file
Ask for the screening policy, contract language, or email that confirms the answers you relied on. Keep it with the caregiver’s name and assignment information.
Document received: ____________________
Promises that still need written confirmation: ____________________
If you are still deciding between an agency and a direct hire, use Hire a Caregiver in St. Louis: Agency or Direct to identify who owns each hiring task. For the full hiring sequence, return to Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring.