Tag Archives: Volunteers

With spring sports registration comes spring sport background checks

Posted on by
Reply

It’s hard to believe, but winter is waning and spring sports registration is under way in many parts of the country. If your business, school or organization is involved in any way, shape or form with spring sports involving children and teenagers, now is the time to make sure you have — and are following — a clearly stated policy on background checks. Make sure everyone currently on staff has had a thorough background check, and that any new coach, volunteer or job applicant undergoes the same background screening.

Parents will be asking what your policy is, so have handouts on hand to give out as part of the registration process. And be sure to include a phone number and contact person for parents to call with questions or to report any activity they feel is suspicious or worrisome.

Finally, check with your state laws to make sure the type of background checks you’re doing are compliant with state regulations. And get the process under way as soon as possible — many coaches and volunteers tend to drag their feet when it comes to completing and returning the necessary forms. The last thing you want is to have a shortage of eligible coaches when it comes time for the season to start!

Follow VerifyProtect.com on Twitter!

www.VerifyProtect.com

New Jersey facing incomplete compliance with new trustee screening law

Posted on by
Reply

As of last Friday, more than 400 school board and charter school trustee members across the state of New Jersey had yet to comply with the new school trustee screening law that went into effect in May. The law required people responsible for deciding local school policies and budgets undergo background checks by the end of  2011 or be immediately removed from office. Crimes that would bar someone from serving included murder, robbery, luring a child, assault and drug possession or distribution.

According to the state Education Department, 95 percent of the more than 4,700 school board members and 70 percent of charter school trustees in New Jersey had been screened since the law was signed in May. Twelve board members had been barred from serving after completing their background checks.

The new state law is an example of how the laws are changing across the country to make background checks and pre-employment screening more of a mandatory part of the position-filling process, whether someone is elected, hired or volunteers. Likewise, the fact that not everyone is in compliance with it after more than six months is a telling example of how some school districts, employers and others are still resistant to the process.

Follow VerifyProtect.com on Twitter!

Be Clear About Background Check Policy to Ease Parents’ Fears

Posted on by
Reply

Chances are if your business or organization deals with children, you’ve taken steps to ensure their safety through the use of background checks on every teacher, coach, minister, volunteer and staff member that comes in contact with youth. If so, good for you! But are you doing an adequate job of conveying to parents and guardians all the hard work you’ve done checking into people’s pasts?

As the school year starts and fall sports start revving up, don’t make it difficult for parents to find the information that’s on all their minds: Will my child be safe in your hands? Be sure to clearly state your background check policy on a letter, handbook or whatever material goes out to all parents at the beginning of your school year or program. Be specific, too. Don’t merely include a line about how staff and volunteers undergo background checks: Tell them exactly what is checked. Does your background check include a look at national and state sexual offender registries? What about criminal records? Does the report include just felony convictions in a certain number of years, or does it include every misdemeanor and conviction dating 10 years, or more?

The more specific you are, and the more clearly stated your background check policy is, the happier and more secure parents will feel trusting their children with you. Plus, such a strongly worded, clearly stated background check policy is a clear sign to would-be offenders that they’ll never get past your security gates, so they may as well not even try.

Follow VerifyProtect.com on Twitter!

SHRM Tells EEOC to Reconsider Their Views on Background Checks during Hiring

Posted on by
Reply

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has striven to ensure that all workers be given a fair shot at obtaining jobs.  However, the organization’s vigilance has often come at odds with employers’ abilities to use background checks, specifically credit checks, as a measure of weeding out applicants with questionable records.

Consequently, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has urged the EEOC to reconsider its position in regards to credit checks, citing many types of workers who should ideally have excellent credit records in order to obtain certain positions.  (As an FYI, we’d suggest anyone with access to his or her employer’s financial records or cash be screened via a credit check background check.)

Without a doubt, the EEOC is simply trying to make certain that no potential employees are unfairly eliminated from a job applicant pool.  But SHRM makes a strong argument for the employer’s side of the coin, as performing background checks (including those regarding credit reports) offers protection for workers, companies, vendors, volunteers and customers.

It’s Time to Start Background Checking Your Volunteers

Posted on by
Reply

Schools are doing it.

Churches are doing it.

Nonprofits are doing it.

They’re all background checking volunteers… and it’s probably high time for your organization to do so, too.

Why the sudden movement to ensure that all volunteers can pass at least a simple (if not a comprehensive) background check?  To be perfectly honest, the answer can be traced back to all the negatie press that’s been fluttering about thanks to problems with sexual predators in after-school programs and pedophiles in religious organizations.

Of course, not all criminals prey on children.  Other headlines regularly explain how volunteers have been able to take money from the nonprofits they are seemingly “helping”.  (In all truth, they are simply “helping” themselves to a portion of the proceeds.) 

To protect yourself and everyone in contact with your volunteers, it’s crucial to have a background checking policy in place starting ASAP.  Be prepared to have some people balk at the idea, especially if you ask them to cover the minimal payment associated with doing so.  But know that those who truly support your agency, firm or institution will gladly help you in your endeavor to make it as safe and secure as possible.

More Schools Implement Stringent Background Checks for Volunteers

Posted on by
Reply

Years ago, being a volunteer at your child’s school was a cut-and-dry proposition.  You basically told the administration, teacher, PTO/PTA, district or school staff that you wanted to help out… and the doors were held open for you to come in.  Today, it’s much different.  In fact, background checks of all volunteers is becoming more and more mainstream.

Typically, background checks are expected for any volunteers who help out, whether they have hands-on access to kids or not.  However, that doesn’t mean that parents, grandparents and guardians need to undergo background checks to attend school plays, community events, fundraisers and other special experiences. 

The cost of these types of background checks is often passed along to the parents.  Though some moms and dads feel the district or school should pay, having them invest does weed out the better candidates (aka, the ones who really want to be in the school with their kids.)

We’d like to know if your school insists upon background checks for all volunteers?  Fill out the poll below!

 

 

  • VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.
  • Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.

    • USA Swimming Updates Background Checking Regulations

    Posted on by
    Reply

    It’s no secret that this year hasn’t been the best for USA Swimming, as a scandal earlier this year brought to light serious sexual abuse that had been occurring between USA Swimming employees and volunteers and swimmers.  As a result, updated Athlete Protection Policies were passed on Saturday at the U.S. Aquatic Sports Convention.

    Among the new Policies are:

    • Penalty changes for infractions.
    • Alterations in reporting structures to protect athletes.
    • New background checking rules/regulations that extend to volunteers as well as coaches.  (Note:  USA Swimming coaches have been background checked for many years; it has been peripheral persons — assistants, volunteers — that have slipped through the cracks recently.)
    • Timely systems for dealing with any reports.

    The new background checking procedures for USA Swimming will result in upwards of 40,000 more background checks taking place than have currently been happening.  USA Swimming plans that the upshot of the institution of these new background checks will be a significant reduction in the number of abuse cases that have plagued the sport.

    Though this is a terrific step and we applaud USA Swimming for dealing with the crisis, it’s still imperative for parents and guardians of swimmers to ask the question about background checks for their own edification as well as their children’s protection.

  • VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.
  • Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.

    • Background Checks Ferret Out Those Who Use “Diploma Mills”

    Posted on by
    Reply

    If you’re an employer and you’re not familiar with the term “diploma mill“, you should be.  Diploma mills are made-up educational institutions where individuals can essentially pay for a copy of a diploma that looks real.  Thus, when they apply for jobs, they can say they have a BA, BS, MBA… even JD.  Fortunately, background checks can and do ferret out such deceptions.

    Don’t think you can simply “tell” who is apt to use a diploma mill, either; there are plenty of out-of-work men and women these days due to the economic downturn.  And desperation can sometimes lead to unethical behavior.  That’s one of the reasons that it’s absolutely critical for all potential employees to be expected to undergo a comprehensive background check.

    Again, it’s just one more way that you can protect your employees, customers, vendors and, if applicable, volunteers from persons who should not be representing your business.

  • VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.
  • Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.

    • Boy Scouts Know Value of Background Checks

    Posted on by
    Reply

    As this article from Dallas shows, the Boy Scouts of America know exactly how important background checks are when it comes to protecting the safety of kids.

    As the piece points out, the Boy Scouts make all volunteers go through criminal checks to ensure that there are no persons working with children who should not be.  In fact, the Boy Scouts keeps files on all individuals who have been deemed as unacceptable… and they have done so since the 1920s.

    Have the Boy Scouts had their issues with bad hiring decisions?  Certainly.  But they’ve also put into place excellent measures along the way.  And your organization (or the organization where your son or daughter is attending classes, sports, etc.) could take a page out of the Scouts’ progress in this arena.

    If you don’t currently background check volunteers and/or employees, you need to start doing so.  No agency or business can afford the backlash of a critical error in judgment that could have been prevented. 

    Who Is Coaching the Kids?

    Posted on by
    Reply

    With school back in swing, tons of kids are getting back to their sports of choice — football, soccer, basketball, hockey.  But who’s coaching them?  That’s a question that every parent needs to seriously consider.  It’s also something that athletic programs need to think about.

    The benefits to background checking all personnel related to any athletic programs are really quite extensive:

    1.  If all coaches and other staff members (and volunteers) are background checked, that fact can be marketed to parents.  (And moms and dads love to know that their children are safe.)

    2.  The cost of the background checks can be passed to coaches, etc., as long as that’s legal within your state, school district, etc.  (Please check with an attorney for specifics.)

    3.  There will be no sudden “bad publicity” crises due to coaches taking advantage of the innocence of boys and girls.  (Make no mistake — that type of issue can bring an athletic program to its knees.)

    4.  The kids will be safe.  Above all else, this is something that everyone involved can bank upon.  And it’ll also enable them to learn the skills needed to perform at the highest level they possibly can.  (Safetly begets security which begets openness to training.)

    So… who is coaching the kids at your school district, school, community center, etc.?

  • VerifyProtect: Fast, Secure, Affordable Background Checks.
  • Join VerifyProtect on Twitter.