(a) Individuals who are volunteer candidates for mentoring children in foster care settings, as defined by the department, in private alternative boarding schools, or in private alternative outdoor programs, shall be subject to a criminal background investigation prior to having unsupervised contact with the children. The criminal background check shall be initiated and conducted pursuant to either Sections 1522 and 1522.1 or Section 1596.603, as applicable. Sections 1522 and 1522.1 may be utilized by a county social services agency in cooperation with, or as a component of, a licensed foster family agency.
(b) (1) The Department of Justice shall not charge a processing fee with respect to any individual to whom subdivision (a) applies for a state-level criminal offender record information search pursuant to Section 1522.
(2) The State Department of Social Services shall not charge a fee for the cost of a criminal background investigation under Section 1522 with respect to any individual to whom subdivision (a) applies.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 864, Sec. 7. (SB 524) Effective January 1, 2017.)