Florida Department of Children & Families
Welcome to the Department’s webpage dedicated to providing information to our providers and community partners specific to the background screening process of applicants, current employees and volunteers.
Beginning August 1, 2010 HB 7069 will take effect and change critical aspects of the current background screening process.
The most significant change to our providers is that employers will not be able to employ applicants for positions of special trust or responsibility until the applicants are cleared by a complete background screen to include a fingerprint-based search of criminal records in Florida and nationally.
In order to timely meet the needs of our partners, the Department is requesting that providers ask applicants to submit fingerprints using electronic LiveScan through private vendors.
LiveScan results can be received by the Department in as little as 24 to 48 hours. This is in contrast to hard copy fingerprint submission results being received and processed by the Department anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.
A listing of LiveScan vendors in your area is provided by accessing the “LiveScan Locations” link on the left hand side of this webpage.
There are many other changes that will take effect on August 1, 2010 and will change the current background screening process. We encourage everyone to review a summary of all the changes to the background screening process accessed here.
Who Should be Screened?
| Statute | Regulatory Agency | Group Subject to Screening |
|---|---|---|
| 39, 402, 409 | DCF | Employees that serve children, child care facility, family day care home, family foster home, residential child caring agency, child placing agency, summer or recreation camp owners and operators |
| 394, 408 | DCF | Employees within mental health facilities and employees providing care for children and adults – directors, professional clinicians, staff members and volunteers |
| 393 | DCF, APD | Any direct care provider, 18 years of age or older who has direct face-to-face contact with a client while providing services to the client or has access to a client’s living areas or to a client’s funds or personal property. |
| 397 | DCF | All owners, directors, and chief financial officers of service providers. All service provider personnel who have direct contact with children receiving services or with adults who are developmentally disabled receiving services. Members of a foster family and persons residing with the foster family who are over the age of 18. A volunteer who assists on an intermittent basis that totals 40 or more hours per month. |
| 39 | DCF | Persons considered for placement of dependent children |
| 984, 985, 435 | DCF, DJJ | Juvenile delinquency program employees providing care for children |
The Impact of the Fingerprinting and Screening Law On
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Partner Sites
