Fingerprint System Fixed

Sept. 2000

When a child protective services worker removes a child from a home, state regulations require that the worker first attempt to place the child with one of the child's relatives. However, before they can leave a child with a relative, social workers are required to run a background check through the Department of Justice on all the adults in the house.

The DOJ recently began requiring fingerprints through the LiveScan System to process a background check. Thus relatives wishing to be foster parents had to be processed through the system to get clearance. Unfortunately the system was taking up to six months to process applicants, making it nearly impossible for workers to place children in a timely manner.

Due to the efforts of Local 535, the executive board's Children's Services Committee, and the SEIU State Council, the California State Legislature passed legislation to reinstate CLETS (California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System), which is able to process fingerprint checks in five days.