OLR Report 2014-R-0188 answers the questions: Under what circumstances does the Department of Children and Families (DCF) perform background checks? How many employees perform the checks and how many are performed per year? What is the process for a batch file?
By law, DCF maintains a confidential central registry of substantiated perpetrators of child abuse and neglect. DCF uses the registry to perform background checks for prospective employers, licensing authorities, and other public agencies permitted by law to request such checks. (This is different from criminal history background checks, which are conducted by law enforcement.) The registry background check request must be accompanied by an “Authorization for Release of Information for DCF CPS Search” signed by the subject of the check. The law requires individuals applying for certain specified positions and licenses to submit to a background check from the registry.
According to DCF, in 2013 the department’s Background Check Unit (BCU) processed 135,000 background checks. There are currently six processing technicians in the BCU that perform such checks.
According to DCF, the department currently has memoranda of agreement with four state agencies to run batch files (i.e., automated runs): the departments of Education, Motor Vehicles, Public Health, and Social Services. Depending on the agency, the frequency of the runs varies from once a week to once a month. The process, outlined below, generally takes DCF one week to complete.
For more information, read the full report.
