Florida Governor, Charlie Crist, gave praise to a new law designed to protect the elderly and the young from malevolent care givers serving mainly the young and the old. According to the Florida Newswire, House Bill 7069, mandates employees pass state and federal fingerprint screening, equivalent to a level 2 background check, before they are eligible to work with elderly, children and persons with disabilities in certain care settings. The same holds true for health care employees working in residential or home care settings. They must have a Level 2 screening before having contact with clients, or having access to client property, funds or living areas.
Governor Crist signed this bill into law earlier this year. It is a good bill and shows that the State of Florida is determined to protect its more vulnerable citizens by requiring background checks on its caregivers. I have written about this matter before, including one article entitled, Ongoing Need for Background Checks for Florida Caregivers. This new law results from a review ordered by Governor Crist where select state agencies examined legal requirements for screening individuals who provide care to children, the elderly and persons with disabilities to review current background-screening policies.
There conclusion, obviously, was for more rigorous background checks. We at Corra Group applaud Governor Crist and those who voted in favor of House Bill 7069. This should add a little more punch to the background checks conducted on those who may consider malicious behavior toward Florida’s young and old.
Check them out before you hire.
