Can a Caregiver with a Criminal Background Be Hired for Home Care? What Families Need to Know

08 Apr Can a Caregiver with a Criminal Background Be Hired for Home Care? What Families Need to Know

When it comes to hiring a caregiver for yourself or a loved one, one of the most important factors is trust. Families want to feel confident that the person entering their home is reliable, compassionate, and safe. Naturally, questions arise about background checks and whether a caregiver with past criminal history can ever be hired.

At Chosen Family Home Care, we believe in transparency, fairness, and second chances. The answer is: Yes, caregivers with background check findings can be hired under certain conditions — but only if the client (or their representative) is fully informed of the caregiver’s history and signs a written waiver acknowledging it.

Background Checks in the Home Care Industry

In Pennsylvania and across the U.S., home care agencies are required to conduct comprehensive background checks on all new hires. This process usually includes:

• Criminal background checks (state and federal)
• Child abuse clearances
• Verification of work history and references
• Other required screenings depending on client populations served

These checks are essential to ensure agencies are not placing clients in harm’s way. However, many caring and capable people have a history of mistakes — such as minor offenses, non-violent crimes, or incidents that occurred many years ago — that show up on these reports.

Does a Criminal Record Automatically Disqualify a Caregiver?

Not necessarily. At Chosen Family Home Care, we take a case-by-case approach to reviewing background findings. Some offenses are considered prohibitive — meaning, by law, we cannot hire the individual to work in home care at all. These typically involve:

• Crimes related to abuse, neglect, or violence against vulnerable populations
• Sexual offenses
• Certain types of serious fraud or theft directly related to caregiving duties
• For less severe offenses — such as minor drug charges, old non-violent offenses, or cases where the individual has demonstrated rehabilitation and years of positive work history — we may consider the candidate for hire. In these situations, the final decision rests with the client or their family.

Client Choice and the Waiver Process

If a caregiver applicant has background findings, we will always disclose the findings to the client or their authorized representative. We believe in full transparency, because families deserve to make fully informed decisions about who is providing care in their home.

If the client wishes to move forward with hiring that caregiver despite the findings, the client will be asked to sign a formal waiver. This document confirms:

• The client has reviewed and understands the nature of the background findings.
• The client consents to hiring this caregiver despite those findings.
• The client releases Chosen Family Home Care from liability related to those disclosed findings.
• This process ensures that everyone involved — the client, the caregiver, and the agency — understands the situation and has agreed to move forward transparently.

Why We Believe in Second Chances

At Chosen Family Home Care, we know that mistakes do not define a person’s entire life. Some of the most dedicated, compassionate, and empathetic caregivers are people who have overcome challenges, rebuilt their lives, and are now committed to helping others.

By offering second chances to qualified caregivers with minor or outdated offenses, we help break the cycle of unemployment, stigma, and exclusion. Many of these caregivers bring incredible value to the clients they serve — especially when they have personal experiences that allow them to relate to clients’ struggles with illness, aging, or personal hardship.

Safety and Quality Come First

Of course, safety is our top priority. That’s why not every applicant with background findings will be eligible for consideration. We still apply strict internal guidelines to determine what types of findings might be acceptable (with client consent) versus those that would pose too great a risk.

We also conduct ongoing training, supervision, and performance reviews for all staff — ensuring that every caregiver, regardless of background, meets our high standards of professionalism, compassion, and quality care.

Real-Life Example

To illustrate how this works, consider this real (but anonymized) example:

Maria applied to Chosen Family Home Care to become a caregiver. Her background check revealed a misdemeanor drug possession charge from 15 years ago. Since that time, Maria completed addiction counseling, earned a home health aide certification, and worked for five years at another agency with outstanding references.

When we disclosed Maria’s background to a prospective client, the client appreciated Maria’s honesty and life experience. The client felt Maria’s personal journey made her even more compassionate and relatable — and they signed the waiver to move forward with hiring her. Maria is now one of our most valued team members.

Final Thoughts: Balancing Compassion and Transparency

At Chosen Family Home Care, we believe everyone deserves care — and everyone deserves the chance to provide care if they are truly committed to helping others. By maintaining clear policies, providing full transparency to families, and ensuring ongoing caregiver support and supervision, we are proud to provide both safe and compassionate home care.

If you have questions about our hiring policies, waiver process, or how we screen caregivers, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at Chosen Family Home Care. We are here to educate, inform, and help you feel confident in your home care decisions.