Summer is coming and lower pandemic numbers are opening up activities for youth to enjoy the season. Owners and managers of facilities that cater to youth are gearing up to hire staff. But how can you be sure that these potential employees are who they say they are? How can you be sure that children will be safe around them?

A thorough employee background check must be done by owners and managers of youth day camps and overnight camps; lifeguards at condo complexes, municipal pools, and other recreational facilities; playground staff; summer sports staff; and bus drivers.

What Kinds of Things Should You Look For?

 According to the publication, “What You Need to Know about Background Screening: A Reference Guide for Youth-Serving Organizations and their Communities,” published jointly by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) of the U.S. Department of Justice Office and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children^®, the following should serve as red lights when hiring anyone who will work with children.

All of these would be uncovered by a thorough and professional employee background check.

• Failure to complete the screening process
• History of sexual victimization of children, regardless of whether the individual completed therapy
• Conviction for any crime in which children were involved, regardless of successful completion of probation or incarceration
• History of violence or any sexually exploitative behavior, including acts against adults
• Termination from a paid or volunteer position for misconduct with or involving a child
• Misleading or inconsistent information or explanation about criminal history, such as arrests or convictions

An Employee Screening Policy Should Be in Place.

Youth organizations should have a written policy regarding how employee background information will be collected, processed, retained, and used. Information gathered should be handled in a secure and confidential way. Background screening should be ongoing where youth are concerned to ensure that any complaints have not been received or laws broken. Applicants must be apprised in advance of exactly what is involved in the screening and what information may disqualify them. Also, be aware that different laws apply to employees than to volunteers.

Step Up Screening for One-on-One Contact with Children

Even more in-depth screening may be needed for programs with a high degree of one-on-on contact between children and adults, such as camping programs, mentoring/ tutoring programs, individualized instruction, and coaching in sports or the performing arts.

In these situations, the following should be employed.

• Nationwide, state, and local criminal history checks
• Jurisdictional (state, tribes, territories, the District of Columbia) and national public sex offender registry websites
• State child abuse and neglect central registries
• Written applications and interviews
• Reference checks
• A driver’s record check should be required in employment that would include driving/transporting children

Trust the Professionals.

Because the employee background screening process is complex, and there are state and federal laws that protect applicants, it is advisable to have an experienced professional do the check and save you from 1) hiring a bad or even dangerous employee and 2) fines or worse if you violate a law that you didn’t even know existed.

Be safe, not sorry. Avoid a situation where a child is violated on your watch. Besides the grief and trauma, you’ll face a lawsuit and possible closure of your facility.

Why Choose The Hire Authority for Employee Background Screening?

We are experienced professionals who keep abreast of all the laws governing employee background checks so that you do not risk breaking them and paying the consequences. At The Hire Authority we are thorough in our screening, which guarantees that you will receive information that is current and relevant. We care about your security and we will work to keep you safe from harm or unnecessary problems.

We’d be happy to talk to you about screening your employees. Call us at
(508) 230-5901 or visit our website www.hireauth.com with any questions you may have.

The foregoing should not be construed as legal advice. Employers should always consult their own legal counsel for advice on labor and employment matters.