Background checks

[Steve]

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Must we do criminal background checks on our volunteers?  

by Janet H. Hiller


(Internet Nonprofit Center)---Until recently, being an interested, warm 
body was the main criteria for accepting an adult as a volunteer in 
Extension 4-H youth development programs. In Fall 1989, 
Washington State Cooperative Extension implemented a more 
stringent volunteer screening process. Three reasons precipitated 
this action:  

1.  A 1988 Washington State law allowed the Washington State 
Patrol to conduct free criminal conviction checks on volunteers 
working directly with children. 

2.  The university attorney general advised Extension 
administration to design screening procedures to lessen the risk of 
unwanted lawsuits. 

3.  Some Extension volunteers and faculty felt measures to help 
ensure a safe environment for youth in Extension programs were 
needed.  

In September 1988, Extension administrators gave the charge of 
developing screening procedures for all Extension programs 
involving youth to the 4-H Volunteer Development Committee. A 
literature search on screening procedures revealed three steps to 
successfully screen volunteers: application, interview, and contract.  

The Washington State Cooperative Extension decided on these 
minimal requirements:  

All volunteers interested in working with youth in Extension 
programs will complete an application form, including a criminal 
history disclosure form. All new organizational club leaders will be 
interviewed. Reference checks are optional, but highly 
recommended.  

County faculty developed management procedures that would work 
best for them, depending on the number of new volunteers and the 
number of county faculty and support staff. Many county faculty 
decided to interview all new volunteers and most decided to conduct 
reference checks. They were encouraged to develop a written policy 
of procedures, including who will have access to the confidential 
files, and keep records as long as the individuals are Extension 
volunteers.  

County faculty were given a chance to review the procedures and 
forms and offer suggestions. Ninety minutes of training were 
provided to each county Extension office over a satellite system. 
Training included philosophy statements by the state 4-H leader, an 
explanation of the procedures and forms by a state 4-H specialist, 
comments by a county Extension agent on management procedures, 
and legal and philosophical information from the Washington State 
University attorney general.  

In Spring 1990, a mail survey asked Extension agents in 40 
Washington counties about the process. Of the 32 respondents, two 
said that the process had "not worked very well," 10 answered 
"okay," 15 "well," and five "very well." Agents liked receiving the 
necessary forms from the state Extension bulletin office and the 10-
day or less turn around time for the Washington State Patrol to 
conduct the conviction check.  

Some county faculty felt the screening process should be expanded 
to include all leaders, not just new applicants. Recommendations 
were made to develop a program to train volunteers to conduct the 
interviews and reference checks. Some recommended expanding 
the screening to include checks on individuals coming to 
Washington from other states and checking for Driving While 
Intoxicated (DWI) convictions.  

Washington is in the second year of using a statewide screening 
process and firmly believes that having an Extension volunteer 
screening process says that Extension cares about the safety of the 
children and youth participating in its programs.  


The Internet Nonprofit Center, the Nonprofit Locator, the Library, and 
the Form 990 Project are projects of The Evergreen State Society, in 
Seattle, WA, USA. These pages copyright 1999.
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