Understanding Background Checks for Families Seeking Care

Families exploring caregiving marketplaces often want clarity around how background checks fit into the hiring process. While no screening tool can offer complete assurance, platform-facilitated background checks can provide limited, standardized information that families may choose to review as part of their own decision-making.

This overview explains what the current background check package includes, how it relates to access to the Truly Care marketplace, and important limitations to keep in mind.

How Background Checks Relate to Marketplace Access

On Truly Care, a completed background check is required for care providers to access certain features of the marketplace, such as being searchable by families seeking care.

Background checks are not evaluations of character, suitability, or quality of care, and they are not endorsements. Families remain responsible for making their own hiring decisions and may consider background check information alongside interviews, references, and ongoing communication.

Background Check Partner

Truly Care makes background checks available through a third-party screening provider. That provider offers identity-related and criminal record searches for platforms across many industries and follows fair-chance–aware screening practices.

The screening provider also publishes documentation explaining how its screenings generally work and what information may be included.

What the Background Check Includes

The current platform-facilitated background check package includes the following components, based on available records at the time the check is completed:

• Identity Verification
• Social Security Number (SSN) Trace, used to confirm name and address history (this is not a credit check)
• National Criminal Database Search (Standard)
• Sex Offender Registry Search
• Global Watchlist Search

These screenings rely on available public records and identity information and generally use a seven-year lookback period, where permitted by law.

Results reflect information available at a single point in time and are provided for informational purposes only.

Understanding the Scope and Limitations

It can be helpful for families to understand what this background check does—and does not—cover.

Platform-facilitated background checks have important limitations, including:

• Records older than seven years are generally not included
• Searches rely on available name and address history and may not capture information associated with aliases or alternate identities
• Results represent a point-in-time snapshot and do not include continuous or ongoing monitoring after completion

Because of these limitations, background check information is best considered alongside other sources of information rather than used in isolation.

Fair Chance Considerations

Background check information is not intended to result in automatic exclusion. Families may choose to consider factors such as relevance, timing, and individual context when reviewing results as part of their own hiring decisions.

These principles align with fair chance guidelines that encourage individualized consideration rather than one-size-fits-all outcomes.

Additional Steps Families May Independently Choose to Consider

Some families choose to seek additional information outside the platform as part of their own hiring process. Depending on individual needs and circumstances, this may include:

• Requesting motor vehicle records if driving is involved
• Conducting county-level criminal court searches
• Reviewing FACIS records related to federally funded programs
• Speaking with references
• Verifying experience or qualifications directly
• Observing communication, reliability, and overall fit over time

These steps are optional, are not facilitated by Truly Care, and are determined solely by each family.

Key Takeaways

• Background checks provide limited, standardized information, not guarantees
• Completing a background check enables access to certain features of the Truly Care marketplace
• Screenings are based on available records at a specific point in time
• Families decide how, and whether, to use this information as part of their own hiring decisions

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