Writing a Code of Conduct: Additional Risk Areas
Your Code of Conduct will be unique to your organization, based on your size, purpose, location, staffing, ages served, additional vulnerabilities…
Home / Screening & Hiring / Implementing Additional Screening and Hiring Measures
Additional screening and hiring measures should be implemented based on the specific needs, responsibilities, and risks of your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), the children you serve, and the position requirements of your staff. Employ the necessary procedures for screening such as state and national background checks, reviewing credentials, and assessing prior employment experiences.
Employing additional screening procedures may require your YSO to:
Conduct state criminal records check (CORI) and national criminal background checks at hire and periodically. Utilize criminal record screenings to determine if the candidate has an appropriate history to work with children at your organization. Leadership should conduct regular checks on criminal records for those working at the organization such as the Criminal Offender Records Inventory (CORI).
Administer state sexual offender registry check (SORI) and national sexual offense background checks at hire and periodically. Use sexual offense background checks such as the Sexual Offender Records Inventory (SORI) to ensure the candidate does not have sexual offenses. Utilize both state and national checks in order to provide a thorough check of all available databases.
Verify state and national child abuse registry checks. Ensure the information provided by background checks is correct and up to date. Use these registries to verify staff and volunteers at least annually.
Check professional credentials and disciplinary records to ensure the suitability of candidates to work with children. Examine past training, academic, and employment records to ensure the candidate’s suitability for working with children. Confirm the candidate has appropriate experience and qualifications for the specific position they are applying for.
Review driving records and ensure adequate licensure if the position includes the responsibility to transport children. For positions including transporting children, check the candidate’s driving qualifications and records to verify safe transportation. If the position requires the candidate to operate a vehicle with specific licensure, ensure they have the correct qualifications during the screening process.
Conduct a home observation if work is conducted at a child’s or staff person’s home. In addition to screening through background checks, if the services provided at your organization will be conducted in someone’s home or staff and volunteers will work with the child in their home, conduct and shadow home visits. Check to ensure that the children under your care will be safe in the candidate’s home.
Implementing additional screening measures outlined here may help to determine the suitability of the candidates who will be in contact with children at your organization. In-depth screening procedures help increase the safety of children in your care.
Code of Conduct
Your Code of Conduct will be unique to your organization, based on your size, purpose, location, staffing, ages served, additional vulnerabilities…
Sustainability
In order to uphold a culture of safety at your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO), communication between leadership, staff and volunteers must focus…
Training
When it comes to training your volunteers, there is certain core content that is critical to include in a comprehensive training program to…
Training
Ideally, all children/youth should receive training and education on issues of personal safety and abuse prevention. Personal safety and child…
Screening & Hiring
Certain organizations, such as public schools and licensed childcare programs, must also query national criminal record and fingerprint-based…
Training
Training should be used to increase knowledge and awareness of child abuse prevention, to teach staff about responding to children who disclose…
Code of Conduct
Your Code of Conduct will provide your staff, volunteers, and others responsible for children and youth with very specific guidelines that will…
Policies & Procedures
Whether your organization is evaluating an existing policy or creating a new one, we’ve provided a convenient Child Sexual Abuse Prevention (CSA)…
Screening & Hiring
Finding staff and volunteers you can trust to work with children includes additional steps beyond interviewing and checking references. …
Training
Training for Different Audiences Training programs designed to prevent child sexual abuse take many forms and contain varying levels of detail,…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
Safe Kids Thrive is managed by the Children's Trust of Massachusetts
Learning Center Registration
Sign up for an account and start your learning experience.
Free Online Assessment
Let us help you find out where to start.