Guardian Applicant Portal

California Department of Social Services
Guardian Background Check System

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) welcomes you/UserFiles/Servers/Server_675748/Image/ChildrensServices/ to Guardian, a new online portal for the submission and tracking of criminal background checks.

1. Access the Guardian Applicant Portal
Please visit https://guardian.dss.ca.gov/Applicant/

2. Create an Account
If you have not created an account before, please click "Register as a new user"

3. Login
Your username is your email address.  A temporary password was sent to the email account you used to register.

4. Enter Application Information
Complete the application and enter the Agency PIN T47BZ when prompted.  If applicable, await agency confirmation.

5. Retrieve the Live Scan Form
Print the pre-populated form and submit fingerprints to a Live Scan vendor.

For questions regarding this notice, please visit https://www.guardian.ca.gov or contact CBCB at 1-888-422-5669 or [email protected].

Applicant Instruction Form - PDF