California Department of Social Services : Continuing Weaknesses in the Department's Community Care Licensing Programs May Put the Health and Safety of Vulnerable Clients at Risk

Concerns the Calif. Dept. of Social Services & its processes for licensing & monitoring community care facilities throughout CA. CA state law gives the dept. wide discretion to decide if people with criminal histories should care for or have contact with community care clients. The dept. has become more selective when granting criminal history exemptions, but it could further improve the thoroughness of its criminal history investigations. The dept. continues to need improvement in how it investigates complaints against community care facilities. Also, licensing offices did not always perform annual on-site facility evaluations as required & thus may be unaware of licensing violations that could pose a danger to children & adults in community care.Howle, Elaine M. is the author of 'California Department of Social Services : Continuing Weaknesses in the Department's Community Care Licensing Programs May Put the Health and Safety of Vulnerable Clients at Risk', published 2003 under ISBN 9780756737870 and ISBN 0756737877.