I’m a youth pastor and for several years have required background checks for volunteers as part of our application process. Also, asking for references and actually following up on them is a good idea, as well as setting clear guidelines and boundaries concerning what is acceptable and what is not.

If anyone is interested, here’s the link to download the PDF application packet for our youth ministry. It contains most of our safety guidelines, expectations, boundaries, etc.
http://redeemercrew.com/volunteers/CREW%20Staff%20Application.pdf

Frugal is one word… If something ever happens with one of the workers whose form is filed away without running the background check, Frugality instantly turns into stupidity.

Can you imagine the legal liability if one of those persons were to, say, molest a young person; and then the parent finds out that the church had the perb fill out the form but didn’t spend the 20 bucks to actually have it processed?

If I leave my kids in a classroom, having been assured that the teacher had been properly screened; only to find out that the screen form had been filed away; I’d be pretty T’O’d.

And the church would be liable for a huge chuck ‘o change if/when anyone decided to sue.

I’m afraid would say that this church is not safe; and ‘frugal’ is a very kind word for them.

Todd

I direct a church-owned Daycare/Preschool.  The state requires that all our staff be cleared through state & federal background checks and have arrest records searched.  At first I thought this was a hassle, but it is so useful.

I can GUARANTEE that these employees hold no record and have no history.  What a plus to parents.

My thought:  every volunteer/staff in the church MUST be checked out.  Period.  Not only should it be a no-brainer, but it should be a non-negotiable.

As a parent, I want to know my kids are safe.  Saying someone is safe IS NOT THE SAME as PROVING they are.

Has it ever occured to those doing background checks, that most churches do it only as an entrance requirement to work in childrens ministry.  What about after they have been there 5 years?  Isn’t it possible that a 20yr old that started working with kids could be picked up on an indecency charge when he is 24?  We do require background checks at our church, but were beginning to think they need to be done periodically for everyone of the workers.  As far as monitoring known sex offenders, that can actually work against you.  If you are devoting manpower to watch the known sex offenders, wouldn’t it make it easier for the unknown sex offenders to molest a child?  I think the only reasonable measure a church can take to protect their children is to have “positive transfer” of all kids to their parents, at least through the 6th grade. In our church of over 700 it’s important to teach parents that we don’t know who is in our services anymore than we know who is in Walmart when we go there with our kids.  We need to take the same precautions in church that we would take at a shopping center.  That’s the safest and most logical thing we can do to protect our kids.

I use background check to search personal information about all new people in my life, especially if they people meeting with my teens

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We should educate our children to be careful with unknown people.

That’s an interesting issue. there are many sites that handle this issue also. but i think it’s up to us.

My church mandates safe church training for anyone working with children. It can be a barrier to getting volunteers, but it also weeds out people who shouldn’t be there and gives us as volunteers some training to protect ourselves and keep kids safe. It covers basic stuff like what to do if you see signs of abuse (in most states you have a responsibility as a mandated reporter to inform child protection services within 24 hours) and guidelines to help avoid situations where abuse or false allegations can happen (i.e., hang out with youth group kids in public spaces, not one-on-one in private spaces).

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You have to be careful at every place you go especially with children. Thats including churches.

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