Missouri's Family Care Safety Registry was established by law to protect children, the elderly, and the physically or mentally disabled in this state and to promote family and community safety by providing background information on potential caregivers. Families and employers can call the registry's toll-free line to request background information on registered child care, elder care, and personal caregiver workers or to request licensure status information on licensed child care and elder care providers. This service is intended to provide information to help families and employers make informed decisions when hiring employees to work with children, the elderly, and the physically or mentally disabled.
The passage of House Bill 490 created 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 access line effective January 1, 2001. The passage of SB 48 in 2001 provided further enhancements to the FCSR.
The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) created an electronic interface between the computer systems maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Health and Senior Services. Those wishing to hire a child care, elder-care or personal care worker may contact the Registry using a toll-free access line, by FAX, by mail, or by Internet request and obtain background screening information about a caregiver, which includes:
How the Registry Works
- 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 Department of Social Services
- The employee disqualification list maintained by the Department of Health & Senior Services
- The employee disqualification registry maintained by the Department of Mental Health
- Child-care facility licensing records maintained by the Department of Health & Senior Services
- Foster parent licensing records maintained by the Department of Social Services
