Many churches rely on volunteers to help with operations as an extension of the paid employees. Often, the volunteers are on the front lines of the church and interact with churchgoers as much as the employees. Like most businesses, churches conduct background checks on employees before hiring, but does your church also run background checks on the volunteers?
You’re probably familiar with a background check when you start a new job. A church volunteer background check is similar. Conducting background checks on volunteers is as essential as running background checks on employees.
The SafeChoice Program is specifically designed for volunteers to help protect churches from negligence claims, to help ensure the safety of other volunteers and church members, and to help prevent costly public relations nightmares.
A volunteer background check is critical in determining whether the individual is the right fit for the church’s environment. You don’t want to jeopardize the church’s safe environment and pose a threat to the church attendees. Also, as church volunteers often work closely with children or senior citizens, checking the volunteers’ criminal history is essential.
National Crime Search has 15 years of experience with volunteer background checks. NCS also has full accreditation from the Professional Background Screening Association, so you can have peace of mind that you’re working with a credible background screening company.
NCS offers two levels of volunteer background checks that will reveal the volunteers’ criminal history for the past seven years, including both felonies and misdemeanors, along with checking the National Sex Offender Registry and the US terror watchlist. Suppose your volunteers drive a church bus or other church vehicle. In that case, you can also include a Motor Vehicle Report to check their driving history and ensure they have the appropriate valid driver’s license.
Background checks also shouldn’t be one-and-done. NCS has you covered with Continuous Monitoring so you can monitor your volunteers’ behavior. With Continuous Monitoring, NCS will automatically check for criminal records every 30 days, and you will immediately receive an alert if there are any changes in the volunteers’ criminal history.
NCS is here to assist you. Reach out to start conducting background checks on your church volunteers.