Meet California AB 506, then protect kids beyond the minimum
AB 506 requires every California youth-serving organization to fingerprint its people, train them to recognize and report abuse, and adopt written protection policies. Safeguard from Abuse® handles the training. SecureSearch fills the gaps a fingerprint check leaves behind. Together they cover the whole law, not just the background check.
Already Live Scanning? The California DOJ says organizations fingerprinting under Penal Code §11105.3 must enroll in its CalVECHS program before January 1, 2027 to keep receiving results. What to do.
AB 506 has three requirements. Here’s how to cover all three.
Most organizations focus on the background check and overlook the other two. Training and written policies are just as required, and they’re what an insurer or investigator will ask to see.
Abuse identification and reporting training
Administrators, employees, and regular volunteers must be trained to recognize and report child abuse and neglect.
Fingerprint background check
The same people must be Live Scanned through the California DOJ. That’s the legal minimum, and it has real blind spots.
Written child abuse prevention policies
Policies for reporting abuse outside the organization and for keeping two mandated reporters present with children whenever possible.
Cover the training requirement, and prove you did
AB 506 requires everyone in a covered role to be trained in identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect. The law sets that requirement but not the content, length, or record-keeping, which leaves your organization to decide what “trained” means and to show it.
Safeguard from Abuse gives your staff and volunteers online child-abuse-prevention and mandated reporter training they can finish on their own schedule, and gives you a record of who completed it.
- Online training your volunteers complete from any device
- Completion certificates for every person
- Tracking so you can see who’s done and who isn’t
- Documentation ready when your insurer asks. AB 506 specifically allows liability insurers to request proof of compliance.
| State’s free online course | Safeguard from Abuse | |
|---|---|---|
| Meets the §18975(a) minimum | Yes | Yes |
| Tracks completion for your organization | No. You track it yourself. | Yes |
| Certificates for your records | Individual certificate | Yes, for every person |
| Abuse prevention beyond reporting | Focused on mandated reporting | Yes |
The California Office of Child Abuse Prevention offers a free online mandated reporter course that the statute accepts. Many organizations choose Safeguard for the tracking, records, and broader prevention content.
Live Scan is the minimum. Here’s what it misses.
A Live Scan satisfies AB 506, and it’s required. But a fingerprint check has known blind spots, and for a youth organization those blind spots are where the risk is. SecureSearch closes them.
Missing case outcomes
Fingerprint results often show an arrest with no disposition. County court searches return the case status and final outcome straight from the court.
Cases that were never fingerprinted
Many misdemeanors never reach fingerprint databases. Court record searches find what was filed, whether or not prints were taken.
Out-of-state history
Outside CalVECHS, the DOJ’s federal response doesn’t include out-of-state records. Multi-state and federal court searches look beyond California.
Sex offender registries
Live Scan isn’t a registry search. Our National Sex Offender Registry search checks state registries nationwide.
Driving history
Fingerprints say nothing about a suspended license or DUI. Motor vehicle records for every coach and volunteer who drives kids.
What happens after the check
DOJ arrest notices cover California arrests. Continuous court monitoring watches for new court activity between checks.
How it fits together: DOJ-authorized Live Scan vendors do the fingerprinting, and the results go to your organization. SecureSearch runs alongside Live Scan and delivers everything else in one dashboard. These additions are best practice, not AB 506 requirements.
Free eBook for Youth Organizations
The Volunteer Safety Guide
Screening, Onboarding, and Protecting the People in Your Care
By Steve Durie, Founder, SecureSearch & Safeguard from Abuse
135 pages, free for youth program leaders
AB 506 sets the minimum. This is the complete guide to building a defensible volunteer screening policy, from first invitation to ongoing rechecks.
Running a league or camp? Also free: Safe Goals and Safe Camps, Strong Foundations.
Get your California organization covered on all three requirements
Tell us about your league, camp, or ministry. We’ll map the screening and training you need and send you our free AB 506 guide.
AB 506 in brief
- The law
- AB 506 (2021), codified as Bus. & Prof. Code §18975
- In effect
- Since January 1, 2022
- Who it covers
- Youth service organizations, nonprofit or for-profit: organizations whose people are mandated reporters under Penal Code §11165.7(a)(7), which covers youth centers, youth recreation programs, and youth organizations
- Whose background
- All administrators, all employees, and regular volunteers (18+, more than 16 hours a month or 32 hours a year with children)
- Background check
- Live Scan fingerprinting under Penal Code §11105.3
- Training
- Child abuse and neglect identification and reporting
- Policies
- Outside reporting of suspected abuse, and two mandated reporters present with children to the greatest extent possible
- Insurance
- Liability insurers may request proof of compliance
CalVECHS and the January 1, 2027 deadline
CalVECHS (the California Volunteer and Employee Criminal History Service) is the DOJ program that lets organizations serving children receive both state and federal criminal history. In Information Bulletin 25-04, the DOJ advised that organizations conducting federal checks under Penal Code §11105.3 must sign up before January 1, 2027 to keep receiving federal responses. Its CalVECHS FAQ says youth organizations must be enrolled by the end of 2026 to keep submitting fingerprints and receiving state and federal results.
If you aren’t sure whether you’re enrolled, ask your Custodian of Records or contact the DOJ at TASS@doj.ca.gov. Approvals can take weeks.
Who inside your organization is covered
- Administrators and employees: all of them, not only staff who work directly with children
- Regular volunteers: 18 or older with direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours a month or 32 hours a year
- Occasional volunteers below both thresholds aren’t required to be Live Scanned or trained under AB 506, though screening them is still recommended
- Parents who meet the regular volunteer definition are covered like anyone else
How to set up Live Scan
- Apply to the DOJ for approval to receive criminal history under Penal Code §11105.3 and get an ORI number
- Designate a Custodian of Records, who must be fingerprinted and confirmed by the DOJ (Penal Code §11102.2)
- Enroll in CalVECHS before January 1, 2027
- Send each person to a Live Scan site with your Request for Live Scan Service form, and request subsequent arrest notifications
Results go only to the organization that requested them, so a Live Scan done for another organization generally can’t be reused for yours.
What Live Scan costs
| Nonprofit youth org volunteer | For-profit youth org volunteer | Employee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA DOJ fee | Waived | $32 | $32 |
| FBI fee | $15 | $15 | $17 |
| Vendor rolling fee | about $20–$40 | about $20–$40 | about $20–$40 |
| Typical total | about $35–$55 | about $67–$87 | about $69–$89 |
Government fees as listed on published California Live Scan fee schedules, September 2026. Fees depend on the ORI and application type on your form. Confirm with the California DOJ.
Written policy details, including the mentoring exception
Your policies must cover reporting suspected abuse to people or agencies outside the organization, including the reports mandated reporters must make under Penal Code §11165.9, and require at least two mandated reporters present, to the greatest extent possible, whenever administrators, employees, or volunteers are with children.
One-to-one mentoring programs are exempt from the two-adult rule if they have the reporting policies plus policies for comprehensive volunteer screening, training of volunteers and parents or guardians, and regular contact with volunteers and parents or guardians.
Related California rules: parent notice and screening-report laws
Parent notice (Bus. & Prof. Code §18900): community youth athletic programs with adult employees who supervise children must tell parents in writing whether they run criminal background checks on coaches. If they do, the notice must say whether checks include state and federal history, whether the program gets subsequent arrest notifications, and where parents can learn more. Posting it on your website can satisfy the requirement.
Screening reports: supplemental reports from a consumer reporting agency such as SecureSearch are covered by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and California’s consumer reporting laws, which require disclosure and written authorization. For paid positions, California’s Fair Chance Act can also affect when conviction history is considered.
Frequently asked questions
Does AB 506 apply to my organization?
AB 506 applies to a youth service organization, which Business and Professions Code section 18975 defines as an organization that employs or utilizes the services of people who, because of their relationship with the organization, are mandated reporters under Penal Code section 11165.7(a)(7). In practice that reaches most youth sports leagues, camps, youth programs, and church youth ministries in California. The statute is not limited to nonprofits. If you are unsure whether your organization is covered, confirm with counsel.
Who has to be Live Scanned under AB 506?
Every administrator and employee of a youth service organization, plus every regular volunteer. A regular volunteer is someone 18 or older who has direct contact with, or supervision of, children for more than 16 hours a month or 32 hours a year. The employee requirement is not limited to staff who work directly with children.
What is CalVECHS, and do we need to enroll?
CalVECHS, the California Volunteer and Employee Criminal History Service, is the California Department of Justice program through which qualified organizations receive state and federal criminal history results for employees and volunteers. The DOJ has advised that organizations fingerprinting under Penal Code section 11105.3, including youth organizations, must enroll by the end of 2026, before January 1, 2027, to keep submitting fingerprints and receiving federal results. Contact the DOJ to confirm your organization’s status.
Is Live Scan free for volunteers?
Not entirely. For qualifying nonprofit youth-organization volunteers the California DOJ fee is waived, but a reduced FBI fee (typically about $15) and the Live Scan vendor’s rolling fee still apply. Volunteers of for-profit organizations and employees generally pay the DOJ fee as well. Eligibility depends on the ORI number and application type on your Request for Live Scan Service form. Confirm current fees with the California DOJ.
Can we accept a Live Scan a volunteer already completed for another organization?
Generally no. Live Scan results are sent confidentially by the DOJ to the requesting organization under its own ORI number, so each organization needs its own submission for the person.
What mandated reporter training satisfies AB 506?
The statute requires training in identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect, and says the requirement may be met with the free online mandated reporter training from the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention. Many organizations add more thorough abuse-prevention training with completion tracking as a best practice.
Is a Live Scan enough on its own?
Live Scan is the check the law requires, and it satisfies the AB 506 background check requirement. It has known limits: dispositions can be missing, some cases never enter fingerprint databases, and it says nothing about driving history. Many organizations add supplemental searches such as county and federal court records, a national sex offender registry search, motor vehicle records, and ongoing monitoring. These are best practice, not AB 506 requirements.
Are parent volunteers covered by AB 506?
Under current law there is no separate parent category. A parent who meets the regular volunteer definition, 18 or older with direct contact with or supervision of children for more than 16 hours a month or 32 hours a year, is covered like any other regular volunteer. A 2026 bill, AB 2649, proposed treating parent volunteers differently, but it had not been enacted as of September 2026.
Sources
- Business and Professions Code §18975
- Penal Code §11105.3 and §11165.7
- Business and Professions Code §18900
- California DOJ Information Bulletin 25-04 and CalVECHS FAQ
- California Office of Child Abuse Prevention mandated reporter training
Legal information, not legal advice. This page summarizes general California requirements as of September 2026. It does not create an attorney-client relationship or guarantee compliance with AB 506 or any other law. Requirements, DOJ procedures, and fees change. SecureSearch and Safeguard from Abuse provide screening and training services that support compliance; responsibility for compliance rests with your organization. Verify current requirements with qualified counsel and the California Department of Justice.