Safe Environment Strategies: Transportation
Your youth-serving organization may provide transportation to children and youth—either on a regular or occasional basis. If you’re a larger…
Home / Screening & Hiring / Screening Toolbox: National Criminal & Sexual Abuse Background Checks
Certain organizations, such as public schools and licensed childcare programs, must also query national criminal record and fingerprint-based registries to assess the suitability of individuals who will have direct and unmonitored access to their children and youth.
The nationwide fingerprint check is a search of the FBI’s master fingerprint file, which can be accessed through state law enforcement agencies. The check involves searching the official state repositories of criminal-history information. These state repositories are maintained in a database called the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). IAFIS is a national fingerprint and criminal history system that responds to requests 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. IAFIS searches include arrest records, convictions, juvenile records (if provided by the state), dismissed charges or not-guilty verdicts, warrants, Sex Offender Registry information, physical characteristics (i.e., height, weight, hair, tattoos, and eye color), and aliases. All arrest data included in an Identification Record is obtained from fingerprint submissions, disposition reports, and other information submitted by agencies with criminal justice responsibilities.
Another national criminal identification resource is the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). Federal law created the NSOPW, which links public, state, territorial, and tribal sex offender registries into one national site which is searchable by the public free of charge. Utilizing this website as a screening tool may help you identify sex offenders who attempt to avoid detection by moving from state to state and/or may live in one state, but apply for employment in a bordering state. In Massachusetts, you can also access the NSOPW website through the SORB website. It is important to search both the national and state websites.
Although sex offenders are required to provide a large amount of personal data, the Massachusetts SORI records and NSOPW registries provide limited information, including:
NOTE: Not all sex offenders are on the NSOPW. State laws dictate which offenders are made public. For example, it is possible that an offender will come up on a fingerprint check, but will not be listed on the public website due to the requirements of the state. Links to all state, territorial, and tribal sex-offender websites can be found by visiting the “Registry Sites” web page, accessible from NSOPW.gov. If you have questions about the NSOPW, contact the SORB or the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).
Many employers, privately owned businesses, studios, and clubs that provide services to children and youth do not fall under the Massachusetts or Federal laws and accreditation regulations that mandate CORI, SORI, and fingerprint inquiries. However, they can still follow certain procedural requirements to access the publicly available aspects of these databases as part of their screening process. As of May 4, 2012, any employer in the Commonwealth may register for an iCORI account to screen current and prospective employees, including full-time, part-time, contract, internship employees, and volunteers. Even if your organization is not required to register, it doesn’t take a lot of time, and may be in your best interest to gather this information as your due diligence. It can help you more fully assess the risks associated with individuals who could have access to the children you serve.
Safe Environments
Your youth-serving organization may provide transportation to children and youth—either on a regular or occasional basis. If you’re a larger…
Training
A Model for Evaluation: Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Every training course needs a method of collecting feedback to ensure a course is…
Training
Staff and volunteers must be trained on child abuse prevention, including the signs and symptoms of child abuse. In order to identify and vet these…
Training
Parents and other caregivers need to receive, at a minimum, the same level of prevention education as their child/youth. Parents can be strong…
Safe Environments
Along with site safety, visibility issues, physical access, and security procedures, supervision is a critical aspect of creating and maintaining…
Reporting
Mandated reporters are required to immediately report suspicions of child abuse and neglect to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families…
Safe Environments
Safe Environment Strategies: Access Complementing the physical aspects of safety are the procedural aspects of safety and security, and how…
Training
Effective abuse prevention training provides learners with new information, knowledge, and skills. Your leadership is critical to the ways in which…
Reporting
Who Are Mandated Reporters? Massachusetts law defines a number of professionals as mandated reporters (for the full list, see MGL Chapter 119,…
Sustainability
Leadership at Youth-Serving Organizations (YSOs) should maintain regular communication on the culture of safety with staff, volunteers, parents, and…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
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.