Criminal checks get OK
Foster parents have 30 days to agree
Brown, Jessica. Cincinnati Enquirer, March 8, 2007, pg. C1.
Foster parents in Hamilton County - and anyone over 18 living in their homes - will undergo continuing background checks under a new program approved Wednesday by the Hamilton County Commissioners.
Foster parents have 30 days to agree to the checks or the county will remove the foster children from their homes.
Some foster parents have expressed concern about giving out their Social Security numbers for the background checks. But Brian Gregg, spokesman for the county's Department of Job and Family Services, said he thinks 90 to 95 percent will comply.
The groundbreaking legislation is a joint project among the Hamilton County commissioners, clerk of courts, and JFS.
It arose from the slaying last year of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel by his foster parents in Clermont County. Hamilton County began working on a system by which JFS would be immediately notified if any of its foster care providers is arrested.
Recent background checks on 305 of the foster parents revealed 27 arrests, including domestic violence and menacing charges, alarming county officials.
"With every tragedy you mourn, but you also learn lessons," said Commissioner David Pepper. No other county in the state will have as comprehensive a background check system for foster parents as Hamilton County, commissioners said.
Final details were hammered out Monday and Tuesday.
The program will provide continuing criminal checks on all county foster parents and those licensed through private agencies - an estimated 1,500 parents in all, officials said. The program also was expanded to include any other adults living in the foster home.
For now, the system will detect only crimes committed in Hamilton County, but officials are working to broaden it to allow national background checks.
Gregg said the county remains in desperate need of good foster parents, particularly if some don't consent to the background checks.
Commissioner Todd Portune said he supported recruitment of new foster parents and hopes current foster parents recognize this program as "necessary for the greater good."
Commissioners also approved a motion by Pat DeWine that would allow an ombudsman to provide independent oversight of the agency and review the cases that have been flagged in the initial background checks.
How will the program work?
The Department of Job and Family Services will give the Clerk of Courts' office the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of foster parents for its 750 foster children, and any adults living in those homes.
Clerk of Courts Greg Hartmann's office will run the names daily through his computer system, which tracks all Hamilton County arrests. The names and Social Security numbers will remain confidential.
Any arrests will be flagged, and reported back to JFS.
JFS will investigate the allegations and decide whether to seek removal of the foster children.
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