(A)(1) Before the Department of Social Services employs a person in its childcare licensing or child protective services divisions, the person shall undergo a state fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division to determine any state criminal history and a fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine any other criminal history. No person may be employed in these divisions if the person has been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any crime listed in Section 63-13-40(A).
(2)A volunteer or an employee of a contractor or subcontractor who contracts for delivery of protective services, family preservation services, foster care services, family reunification services, adoption ser
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(A)(1) Before the Department of Social Services employs a person in its childcare licensing or child protective services divisions, the person shall undergo a state fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division to determine any state criminal history and a fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine any other criminal history. No person may be employed in these divisions if the person has been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any crime listed in Section 63-13-40(A). (2) A volunteer or an employee of a contractor or subcontractor who contracts for delivery of protective services, family preservation services, foster care services, family reunification services, adoption services, and other related services or programs or a person who has direct unsupervised contact with a child in the custody of the Department of Social Services shall undergo a state fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division to determine any state criminal history and a fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine any other criminal history. No person may be employed by a contractor or a subcontractor, act in a volunteer capacity, or have access to a child in the custody of the department if the person has been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to any crime listed in Section 63-13-40(A). (3) Persons in subsection (A)(1) and (2) shall also submit to a Central Registry check to be conducted by the department to determine any abuse or neglect perpetrated by the person upon a child, and a search of the state sex offender registry pursuant to Section 23-3-430. (4) This section does not prohibit employment when a conviction or plea of guilty or nolo contendere for one of the crimes listed has been pardoned. However, notwithstanding the entry of a pardon, the department may consider all information available, including the person's pardoned convictions or pleas and the circumstances surrounding them, to determine whether the applicant is unfit or otherwise unsuited for employment. (B) Notwithstanding subsection (A) or any other provision of law, a person may be provisionally employed in the childcare licensing or child protective services divisions upon receipt and review of the results of the State Law Enforcement Division fingerprint-based background check if the results show no convictions of the crimes referenced in subsection (A). Pending receipt of the results of the Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint-based background check, the department must obtain from the prospective employee a written affirmation on a form provided by the department that the employee has not been convicted of any crime referenced in Section 63-13-40. (C) A person who has been convicted of a crime referenced in subsection (A) who applies for employment with the childcare licensing or child protective services divisions, or with a contractor or subcontractor of DSS, or applies or seeks to act in a volunteer capacity for such entities, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (D) The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are authorized to retain and store fingerprints for further use in the identification of persons including, but not limited to, use in identifying unsolved latent prints. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are authorized to provide the department with current and future information regarding the fingerprints stored, including arrests, convictions, dispositions, warrants, and other information available to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, such as civil and criminal information. (E) The department shall be responsible for the costs of background checks for prospective employees of the childcare licensing and child protective services divisions. The costs for other fingerprints required under this section shall be the responsibility of the individual, contractor, or subcontractor. Fees shall not exceed the actual cost of processing and administration.