About the Family Care Safety Registry

How to Register | Requesting a Background Check

Overview

The passage of House Bill 490 established the Family Care Safety Registry (FCSR) and gave the Department of Health and Senior Services, in coordination with the Department of Social Services and the Department of Public Safety, the task of creating the Registry and toll-free call center, effective January 1, 2001. The passage of SB 48 in 2001 provided further enhancements to the FCSR.

The implementation of the FCSR helps ensure that persons caring for children, seniors, or physically or mentally disabled individuals can be screened for employment purposes. The law requires that every child care and elder care worker hired on or after January 1, 2001, and every personal care worker hired on or after January 1, 2002 to register. NOTE: For compliance with section 192.2495, RSMo., employees of licensed home health agencies or in-home services providers contracting with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services must register regardless of hire date. Families and other employers may contact the Registry to obtain a background screening on registered individuals, at no cost, by calling the toll-free call center or by mailing, faxing, or emailing the signed form. Eligible providers may request background screenings via a secure internet account.

How the Registry Works

The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) created an electronic interface with the data systems maintained by the State Highway Patrol, Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health, and various units within the Department of Health and Senior Services. Those wishing to hire a child care, elder care or personal care worker may contact the Registry via the toll-free call center, by submission of a signed form, or by approved online access, to obtain background screening information about a caregiver, which includes:

  • State criminal history records maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol
  • Sex Offender Registry maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol
  • Child abuse/neglect records maintained by the Missouri Department of Social Services
  • The Employee Disqualification List maintained by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
  • The Employee Disqualification Registry maintained by the Missouri Department of Mental Health
  • Child-care facility licensure records maintained by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Foster parent licensure records maintained by the Missouri Department of Social Services

    Workers Required to Register

    A caregiver who fails to submit a completed registration form to the FCSR within 15 days of beginning employment may be guilty of a class B misdemeanor. Those required to register include employees of:

    • A long-term care and residential care facility licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Mental Health;
    • A home health agency licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services;
    • An in-home service provider under contract with the Department of Social Services;
    • A hospice agency licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services;
    • The portion of a hospital licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services that has long term care beds;
    • A licensed or license-exempt child care facility or licensed child care home regulated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education;
    • A child-placing agency licensed by the Department of Social Services;
    • A residential care facility for children licensed or operated by the Department of Social Services or Department of Mental Health;
    • A group home licensed or operated by the Department of Social Services or Department of Mental Health;
    • A foster family home or foster group home licensed by the Department of Social Services or Department of Mental Health;
    • A child care or elder care provider who receives state or federal funds for personal care providers who perform routine services or supports necessary for a person with a physical or mental disability to enter and maintain employment or to live independently. This includes those under contract with the Department of Mental Health, Department of Health and Senior Services or the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

    Workers Not Required to Register

    • Volunteers (those who do not receive reimbursement for their services)
    • Related child care, elder care and personal care workers are not required to register. A related child care worker is defined as someone providing services to a child or children who is the child's or children's grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt or uncle, or sibling living in a residence separate from the child or children. A related elder care worker is defined as someone providing services to an elder who is the adult child, spouse, grandchild, great-grandchild or a sibling of such an elder.
    • Child care workers for summer camps or voluntary associations designed primarily for recreational or educational purposes.

    Anyone not required to register may voluntarily do so, in order to be screened through the FCSR.

    How to Register

    A person may register two ways:

    • Online Registration with the FCSR is quick and easy. All an individual needs is Internet access, their Social Security number and email address, and a valid credit or debit card for payment of the fee. The fee to register online is $15.00 plus a $0.55 processing fee.
    • Mail a Worker Registration Form, a photocopy of the Social Security card, and a check or money order for the $15.00 registration fee (if applicable) to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Fee Receipts Unit, P.O. Box 570, Jefferson City, MO, 65102. Mailed forms are processed in the order received.

    Registration lasts a lifetime, and the registrant must contact the FCSR with changes to name or contact information.

    Requesting Background Information

    FCSR screenings contain Missouri data only. Eligible employers may request background information on employees or prospective employees in three ways:

    • Approved Users may request background screenings on registered caregivers for employment purposes through FCSR's computer system, by clicking Online Background Screening Login.
      (Click here to learn how to become an Approved User.)
    • The FCSR maintains a toll-free call center to request background screenings on registered caregivers for employment purposes.
    • The Employer Background Screening Request form allows eligible employers to request background screenings on multiple registered caregivers for employment purposes. Forms are processed in the order received.

    Registrant Notification

    The registrant will be notified in writing each time an employer requests information about them from the Registry. It is the responsibility of the registrant to contact the FCSR with any change in name or contact information. The notification will contain the name and address of the business or person making the request and the background information released.

    Filing an Appeal

    State law allows a limited appeal process through the Family Care Safety Registry. A registrant may appeal the accuracy of the transfer of information to the FCSR within 30 days of receiving the FCSR background information. The appeal must be in writing and include the date of the FCSR screening in question as well as the registrant’s name, social security number, mailing address and phone number. The written request to appeal the accuracy of the transfer of information to the FCSR must be sent to Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, ATTN Family Care Safety Registry, PO Box 570, Jefferson City, MO 65102, or via email to fcsr@health.mo.gov.

    The FCSR appeal process does not affect the substance of the background information. The registrant should contact the state agency that maintains the information reported in the FCSR screening for questions about the substance of the background information and whether any appeal process is available through that agency.