Employers, more than ever before, need to protect themselves against accidents and crimes committed by their employees. With negligent hiring, lawsuits, training costs, workplace violence and theft on the rise, pre-employment screening as well as taking the correct pre-employment screening steps are no longer an option, but rather a necessity for businesses.

A new protection law is in the works by the City of Napa, California in an effort to curb abuse of the elderly by caretakers with less than caring intentions.  The new law, which is currently being drafted, would require criminal background checks as part of a new application process for caregivers.

Caregivers will have to apply for a specialized work permit through the Napa-Solano Area Agency on Aging (NSAAA), which will contract a third party agency to execute a criminal history background check. Permits would then be issued by the County Clerk’s office which would need to be renewed on a yearly basis and require another screening.

In the event that an individual failed the check, they could still operate in a restricted status given both written and verbal consent from the dependant adult in question.

The new law has been spurred on by a joint report by an NSAAA and the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.  The presentation puts the spotlight on a social problem that has largely been under the radar for decades.

With the rise of improved communication technology, however, reported incidents of abuse towards elderly and care dependent adults are rising resulting in a call for increased laws and standards protecting this vulnerable population segment.

Elderly citizens, given their heightened physical and mental sensitivity, can find themselves the target of physical and mental abuse by unscrupulous caregivers. Others can be the victim of cruel embezzlement schemes stripping them of retirement funds and life savings.

Many elderly citizens hail from a time when trust was based more on mutual respect among human beings. Unfortuntaely, that’s not the world we live in now. Napa County District Attorney, Gary Lieberstein, stated, “We are dealing with a population that is still a handshake generation.”

The Napa County Commission on Aging is making its case for the ordinance in other cities as well in hopes of creating a countywide network ensuring the safety of elderly and depedant adults.

If the ordinance passes in the City of Napa as well as other cities, the county would be the first in the state to enact such a sweeping protection measure. And when you have a leader, there will certainly be followers.

Jane Hinshaw, an investigator working for the Napa County District Attorney’s Office, admits that it’s not a perfect solution, but certainly a step towards the eventual goal of a statewide screening system incorporating fingerprint checks.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.