Thursday, July 18, 2013

Audit Finds Michigan Still Does Not Do Background Checks On Babysitters

New Michigan Audit finds the state is non-compliant with its Child Care Program.

Department of Human Services is not cross checking the Central Registry properly.  Prior to 2008 (the Dark Ages in Michigan Child Welfare) Social Security numbers were not reported.  In most instances, Social Security numbers were not reported because the individuals who were listed on the registry were never notified that they were on the registry.

DHS was found not to have done background checks on unlicensed child care providers.  This is typically a member of the family or a close friend.  If the state does implement full background checks of criminal convictions, many families will no longer qualify for the child care assistance.

The state was also found not to have checked the suitability of homes of the unlicensed providers.

In order for the state to be compliant, there will be a substantial cost of training and hiring more workers as there are over 40,000 unlicensed child care providers where 2,000 to 3,000 turn over every month.  the state does not possess the resources to fully implement the background check portion of the Child Development and Care Programs.

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