On February 23, 2023, UPE received a response following the meet and confer held on 02/08/2023 regarding the above policy.
The previous two (2) requests from UPE were 1) could the background check be initiated at the time of referral and 2) could there be an exception made on background checks for ten (10) day referrals; if one was necessary, it could be staffed with Supervisor or Program Manager.
The County responded on 02/23/2023 and stated no exceptions would be granted for ten (10) day referrals due to the importance of safety for the child and the Social Worker. They also stated that, at this time, the County is not interested in initiating the background check at the time of the referral.
Thank you to the participants,
Eric Booker, Beverly Kearney, and Sarah Singleton