LiveScan and Background Checks for Foster Care in California

California's background check process for foster care is among the most rigorous in the country. It's also one of the most common sources of unexpected delay in the RFA approval timeline. Understanding exactly how it works — before you submit your application — can save months of frustration.

Who Must Complete LiveScan

Every adult 18 years of age or older who lives in your household must complete LiveScan fingerprinting. This is not limited to the primary applicants. A college-age son who lives at home, a grandparent who lives with you, a domestic partner — all must clear the same background check process.

There are no exceptions to the household adult requirement.

What LiveScan Checks

LiveScan is an electronic fingerprinting system that transmits your prints to multiple databases simultaneously. For California foster care, the checks include:

Processing Times

Standard timelines:

• DOJ (California state): Approximately 3 days
• FBI (federal/national): Approximately 5 days
• CACI (Child Abuse Central Index): 4 to 6 weeks

The CACI check is the slowest part of the standard background check process. Even applicants with completely clean records wait for the CACI to clear before the background phase is considered complete.

If any check returns a "hit" — any record at all — the process pauses and the exemption review process begins. That can add 75 days or more to your timeline.

What Happens When There Is a Hit

A hit on any background check does not automatically disqualify you. Under Health & Safety Code §1522, only certain specific offenses result in automatic denial:

• Serious violent felonies
• Crimes against children
• Certain sexual offenses

For everything else — misdemeanors, older convictions, charges that were dismissed, drug offenses, non-disqualifying felonies — you can request a Criminal Record Exemption.

The exemption process requires you to submit:

1. Three signed character references — from individuals who know you well and can attest to your rehabilitation and current character
2. A personal statement addressing the specific criminal history — what happened, the circumstances, and how your life has changed
3. Supporting documentation of rehabilitation (program completion certificates, employment history, etc.)

The standard is "substantial and convincing evidence" of rehabilitation and good character. This is not a perfunctory review. The county or CDSS will assess whether the conduct that resulted in the record poses a current risk to children.

The Proactive Approach

Most applicants wait until they receive a letter about a hit before thinking about character references. This is the reactive approach — and it costs time.

If you know of anything in your history that might appear on a background check, prepare your character references and personal statement before you submit your RFA-01A. When the letter arrives, you'll have your response ready. The 45-day response window goes fast when you're simultaneously managing the rest of the RFA process.

Being proactive also means being fully transparent on Form RFA-01B (Criminal Record Statement). Disclosing something that appears on your background check is treated differently than a discrepancy between what you disclosed and what the check reveals. Honest disclosure signals good faith; concealment signals the opposite.

Out-of-State History

If you've lived outside California in the last several years, the FBI check covers federal and national records. However, some state-specific records — particularly older ones — may not be fully captured in federal databases.

Applicants who have recently moved to California should be prepared for their county to request direct background checks from previous states of residence. This is not universally required, but it does happen — particularly if you've lived in multiple states over the past decade. These out-of-state checks are handled through different channels and can add additional weeks to the timeline.

CACI Specifically

The Child Abuse Central Index is a California database of individuals with substantiated child abuse reports. If your name appears on CACI, the county will conduct a detailed review before your application can proceed.

CACI entries can result from old social services investigations, even ones that were later ruled unfounded or that involved situations with context. If you believe a CACI entry may exist from a prior situation, you can request your own CACI record through the CDSS before applying — giving you advance notice of what the check will find.

After Clearance

Once all background checks clear (including CACI), this phase of your RFA is complete. Background clearances do not expire for the duration of your RFA approval as long as no new disqualifying events occur. Any new arrests or convictions during your approval period must be reported to the county immediately.

The California Foster Care Licensing Guide covers the full background check and exemption process in detail — including what character references need to say, how to write an effective personal statement, and the specific timelines to plan around when completing LiveScan early in the process.

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