Be wary of negligent retention when employing senior caregivers

There have been several recent stories regarding the negligent retention of caregivers who have taken advantage of their elderly clients’ finances, stealing thousands of dollars from them before being caught. Take for instance, the Utah caregiver that stole $140,000 from her 86-year-old client — after being trusted to pay bills on the senior man’s behalf…

Read More

Va. legislators investigating updating background checks on college students, transfer students

In light of the kidnapping of a University of Virginia student, Hannah Graham, the state’s lawmakers are considering re-vamping the process for conducting background checks not only on the state’s university students, but also how they handle students that transfer from one university to another within the state. Jesse Matthew Jr., a former football player…

Read More

Types of background checks landlords should use when renting

While it would be nice if every renter could be a model tenant, landlords have to be careful when renting homes or apartments out. It’s a fine line to walk; you want to have great tenants living in your rentals, but that requires conducting a few types of background checks. You should absolutely run the…

Read More

Federal government implemented background check changes over past 12 months

Since last October, the federal government has made big strides in reforming the way that it conducts background checks on its employees and contractors. The single biggest change was that the government fired the background screening company that had been performing about 40 percent of its investigations, or about 21,000 background investigations each month. That…

Read More

Washington D.C. latest to ban the box on job applications

At the beginning of September, Washington D.C. passed its own ban-the-box law, joining the ranks of many other cities and states in preventing employers from requiring job applicants to state whether or not they have ever been convicted of a crime on an initial job application or during a first interview. The new law, called…

Read More

Don’t leave childcare to chance; conduct an advanced background check

Many working parents have childcare needs, and if local family members are not available (and willing!) to do babysitting duty, parents often look to the community for good childcare. For some families, the best option is a day care center with full-time childcare staff, while others prefer smaller care facilities or even home-based caregivers who…

Read More

Woman who inspired Georgia educator background check law arrested in Florida

signed a new background screening law that requires all school employees — public and private — to undergo nationwide fingerprint background checks. Before the law was passed, school administrators in the state were required to submit to state and federal background checks, while other employees were only required to pass state background checks. The new…

Read More

N.Y. Governor signs law requiring background checks for volunteer firefighters

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new law earlier this month, under which new volunteer firefighters in the state will undergo criminal background checks to prevent sex offenders from working with vulnerable residents. Current volunteer firefighters may also be screened — and let go — if they have certain types of convictions on their…

Read More