California will be ordering background checks for its social service workers. Considering that some of the social services employees have criminal backgrounds, it is fair to say the time has come. According to an article int he Sacramento Bee there was a recent discover that a number of child protection workers had criminal backgrounds. These background ranged from the more minor stuff right on through drug use, spousal abuse, and assorted violent crimes.
Not long ago the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was embarrassed by its lack of oversight regarding Department Recruits with criminal backgrounds. So you think this would raised the proverbial red flag and action would be taken, lousy economy or not. You would think there would be some uniform procedure for ordering background checks on State, County, and Municipal Workers. Not just in California, but for every state. Couple this with the recent reports that hospital and healthcare attendants were also discovered to have criminal backgrounds in Los Angeles County, and possibly in other counties throughout the state, and you have to wonder where the unsuspecting public may find its comfort zone.
Of course, one could argue that California, along with other states, is seriously cash strapped. But still, shouldn’t concerns for public safety be paramount in these situations?
What is more incomprehensible is that in some cases, like the County Sheriff’s Department, background searches were actually ordered, but no one bothered to follow up on the reuslts of those searches. Of course the fact that they didn’t return sometimes until eight months later may be cause for forgetfulness and lack of oversight.
Perhaps the best solution is to privatize the preemployment screening practices. Since the states and municipalities are privatizing just about everything else, from prisons to trash collection, it would only belogical that background checks are best left in the hands of professional services. The end result would probably mean cheaper costs and certainly fewer missteps. As it is, conducting searches and not either receiving or responding to the results is pretty foolish on the part of municipal agencies.
With many cities, counties, and states enduring some embarrassing and costly lawsuits background checks should get substantial priority. Check them out before you hire, should mean just that. Check them out and then hire them. Or if you do hire on contingency, remember there are important background searches that will need your attention. Just in case. In the case of the social caseworkers, just in case is now a practical reality.
