Residents of Pasadena and other areas of California may want to learn more about a new bill that was signed by the governor. Assembly Bill 506 will mandate background checks for those working with children. Staff and volunteers of youth service organizations are now subject to safeguards.
According to an assemblywoman of District 80, there will now be a minimum of two mandated reporters present when staff is working directly with children. The new law will become effective as of Jan. 1, 2022.
Background checks and more
Proper background checks as well as training will now be a requirement for adults entrusted with working with children. They will learn to spot signs of sexual abuse from its early stages. Child abusers will no longer be able to work within these organizations. As an example, the Boy Scouts of America faced lawsuits where people alleged that 90,000 incidents of child abuse took place. The bill is designed to prevent this kind of widespread abuse.
AB 506 has additional measures
The new policy applies to any adult volunteering more than 16 hours in a month or 32 hours in a year. They will need to complete a training that identifies and reports child abuse and neglect. They will learn to recognize the signs so that they may report them.
Fingerprint checks
Fingerprints will now be a mandate. The hope is that evidence of child abusers and criminals will come to light before the hiring of people to work with children. Regular staff as well as volunteers will be subject to these checks.
Keeping children safe and free from sexual abuse is important to organizations entrusted with helping children in their daily lives. AB 506 will add a layer or checks and balances to ensure that only trusted employees and volunteers may interact with children.