Can you explain exactly what Background Record Checks are now required for Funded Programs?
Four checks are now required for all child care staff and providers, except for relative caregivers. The required checks include:
- Criminal Offender Record Information (“CORI”)
- Child Welfare Database Check through the Department of Children and Families (“DCF”)
- Sex Offender Registry Information Check (“SORI”)
Fingerprint-based check of state and national criminal history databases (“Fingerprint”)
How often are Background Record Checks required to be run?
BRCs, including fingerprints, must be run every 3 years. However, there are certain circumstances under which EEC may require a staff person’s BRC to be re-run sooner than the 3 years. For more information about the frequency of BRCs, please visit the Background Records Check section of the EEC website.
Who will be paying for the staff finger prints?
Programs are responsible for ensuring that all staff employed in the funded program meet the requirements for EEC BRCs and fingerprints. Funding for the fingerprints is at the discretion of the district to determine if either the district or the candidate is responsible for the cost.
If our district is already doing fingerprinting, will staff need to get fingerprinted twice?
Unfortunately, the fingerprinting conducted through DESE-regulated school districts are not comprehensive enough to meet EEC’s requirements. All current child care staff will be required to be submitted for a comprehensive background record check through EEC, including fingerprinting.
Is there a cost for the fingerprinting that each new employee must pay?
The cost for fingerprinting is $35 per person.
How convenient are the fingerprinting locations?
The fingerprinting locations are conveniently located across the state.
Does the staff have to be fingerprinted every year?
BRCs, including fingerprints, must be run every 3 years. However, there are certain circumstances under which EEC may require a staff person’s BRC to be re-run sooner than the 3 years. For more information about the frequency of BRCs, please visit the Background Records Check section of the EEC website.
Will you accept a Letter of Suitability for fingerprinting completed through the public schools?
No, EEC is not able to accept a letter of suitability to satisfy the fingerprinting requirement. As EEC’s level of access if greater than that of the public schools, all BRCs and fingerprinting must be completed through EEC for all staff working in the funded program.
How long will a BRC take?
A background record check should come back in a matter of days once the candidate has been fingerprinted, if there is no record. However, if the candidate has something on their record, it will need to be reviewed by EEC.
How often are background checks required?
Background Record Checks must be run once every three years, unless EEC requires that a candidate be re-run sooner.
EEC will require someone to be re-run sooner for the following reasons:
- A candidate moved outside of Massachusetts since the last EEC BRC was completed and had a break in employment or affiliation of thirty days or longer;
- When it has been revealed by the candidate, or through a reliable source, that new criminal charges have been brought against the candidate, there has been a child welfare investigation involving the candidate, or the candidate has been required to be registered or classified as a sex offender in Massachusetts or any other state or territory;
- Candidates who have a break of one year or more from being affiliated with an EEC Program;
- When EEC or the BRC Program Administrator has discovered that the candidate has false, misleading or incomplete information on file;
- Candidates who may be involved in any investigation; or
- For purposes of resolving a candidate’s pending criminal charge, sex offender status or child welfare information.
Staff have been fingerprinted for public school employment, will they need to be re-fingerprinted?
The background record checks that are required by the federal CCDBG law include checks that are not standard in a background record check through DESE. Therefore staff in EEC Funded Programs must clear an EEC background record check, even if they have already cleared one through DESE.
Are backgrounds screenings, through DESE and EEC, required for candidates at district run programs?
All candidates working in funded programs must have a BRC run through EEC. If DESE chose to use EEC's BRC's for their purposes, that would eliminate the need to run candidates two separate times. However, as EEC cannot share actual criminal records, it will be up to the individual school district to make that decision.
Do high school students need to meet the same BRC requirements as adult staff over 18?
Yes, any individual, aged 15 years or older, who is engaged in permanent or temporary employment regardless of whether such individuals have unsupervised access to the children served; or who works as a regularly volunteer or intern in an unsupervised capacity within EEC funded programs is subject to all EEC BRC requirements.