Summer is coming and that means children around the country will be going to camp or other youth programs.  This means that children an at-risk populace of the USA will be spending in some cases unsupervised time with coaches, counselors and other volunteer personnel.  As recent news has highlighted it can be disastrous for children to be in this kind of environment with a sexual predator or other kind of criminal that puts the safety of a child at risk.

Laws are changing in regards to criminal background checks on employees and volunteers for youth programs like summer camp.  In Delaware a new law went into effect on April 7th 2016 “mandating background checks for all … summer camp employees.”  This new law originates due to a task force discovering a significant inconsistency in volunteer background screening.  http://delawarepublic.org/post/background-checks-required-summer-camp-workers-starting-april#stream/0

In New Orleans the recent arrest of a volunteer baseball coach highlights a clear need for volunteer background screening.

From NOLA.com (Mar. 10, 16):

(1)               …questions about the screening process arose after… a former football, baseball and basketball coach who had volunteered for decades, was arrested in October. In February, a grand jury charged him with aggravated rape of a child younger than 13, four counts of sexual battery, four counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and nine counts of production of pornography involving juveniles.  nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/jefferson_parish_background_ch.html

The incident above clearly identifies the importance of vetting volunteers especially those with access to children.  Adults including counselors, coaches and volunteers whose positions give them unsupervised time with children must be properly vetted to both avoid harm to the children and to deter potential past offenders from applying for such a position .  It is a powerful preventative measure for past offenders to apply for such a position if they are aware that they will be professionally screened before being hired as they know their criminal history will be discovered.

Using public records like court records in addition to conducting an in-depth interview and a credentials check will act as a deterrent against potential predators along with weeding out individuals with a criminal past. Not doing this may prove catastrophic to at-risk populations like children.  For this reason and others it is incumbent for companies, organizations and youth programs to fully screen all their employees and volunteers through a professional background screening company.  It is also a good time to develop a clear and legal employment screening policy for full time employees, part time employees and volunteers.

The new Delaware law and recent cases of malfeasance conducted by volunteers has highlighted the need to work with professional third party background screening companies to help properly vet any employee or volunteer position that has unsupervised time with children.

Since children fall into the at-risk population it is imperative that all those spending time with children undergo a thorough background screening including a comprehensive national criminal background check and national sex offender registry search.  It also makes since to perform a social security number (SSN) validation with address history trace as this will discover if their SSN is valid along with revealing current and past addresses associated with the SSN.  The volunteer background screening should also include a rigorous face to face interview and reference checks both personal and professional.  Additionally those positions requiring certain degrees, certificates or licenses should also undergo a professional license verification.

To read more regarding volunteer background checks and how to help prevent at-risk populations like children from being harmed from previous offenders and predators read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release:  http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2016-04-20-Summers-Coming-and-Its-Time-For-Camp.html

Protecting at-risk populations like children and the elderly is extremely important in creating a safe environment for those members of society that are the most vulnerable to malfeasance.  While it may not be possible to prevent every bad person from getting a job with unsupervised time with at-risk populations the risks can surely be minimized.  Risk management for protecting this populace includes performing due diligence before hiring someone and giving them access to your home.

The best way to conduct such due diligence is to use a third party employment screening company to conduct a thorough nanny background check on the job candidate prior to hiring.  This vetting process should include a criminal background check, sex offender search, social security number trace with address history and verifications including personal references, credentials check and prior employment reference check.

In Boston a large online nanny care provider is under fire for seemingly not providing thorough background checks.  Recently from the Boston Globe the use of background screening is often highlighted as a necessary and required step in vetting a nanny or someone applying for a similar job.  In the Boston case a subsequent review discovered a variety of criminal cases against a poorly vetted nanny.

A Boston Globe review found 28 criminal cases against Stephanie Lee Fox a notorious thief.  She was convicted of numerous larceny and fraud charges in the Boston area, spent time in jail and was still on probation when she registered as a nanny on Care.com.  The Waltham MA based company failed to discover the numerous criminal offenses during a background check.  The company promised that background checks had been performed, however now after this incident and others in Nebraska and Wisconsin it is becoming clear that Care.com’s background screening efforts are subpar and not at all adequate for their customers looking to hire nanny’s to care for their children.

In the Boston case the couple that hired Fox as their nanny discovered that she stole more than $280,000 from their checking account.  As horrible as being robbed is it could have been much worse if a nanny or other caregiver abused children or the elderly.  Either way it is absolutely essential to properly vet anyone coming into the home especially those entrusted to the safeguard and well-being of children and the elderly.

While conducting a thorough nanny background check is paramount it is equally important to use a professional third party background screening company to furnish the public records and/or consumer reports necessary in evaluating the worthiness of a person before placing them in unsupervised environments with at-risk populations like children and the elderly.

To read more regarding the importance of professionally background screening a nanny and other caregivers before letting them into the home read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release.

As the year is coming to an end it is important to reflect on how urgent it is to protect the at-risk population in the USA.  The two primary groups of people most in need of protection is children and the elderly.  Also included in this group is the mentally ill and physically handicapped.  With an aging population and the need for caregivers growing each year, it is incumbent on society to take an active role in protecting its most vulnerable members.  One way to help protect these individuals is to conduct background screening including criminal background checks, sex offender registry searches, social security validation with address history trace and character reference checks.

When a child is born into a family it is an implied responsibility that the parents accept in welcoming a child into this world.  However this responsibility usually extends beyond the family and to baby sitters, care givers, coaches, tutors, instructors, nursery school teachers, day care providers and much more.  Sometimes as a parent you cannot fully protect or shield your child from the world and those that live in it.  Yet there is something practical that can be done to greatly increase the chances of the safety of a child or the elderly and that tool is background screening.  Caregiver background screening and volunteer background screening can help weed out people that could be a threat to the at-risk population.

Caring for at-risk populations is critical as both the young and the old deserve the best care in the safest environment.  One protection that should not be overlooked nor underutilized is a caregiver background check.  This tool can be utilized directly by parents to get the information they need before making a decision about an individual that is either self-employed or part of an organization or business.

Professional third party background screening companies can provide access to facts and information regarding individuals entrusted with the care of children, the elderly, the mentally ill and the physically handicapped.

To learn more about caregiver and volunteer background checks and how they help protect at-risk populations read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release.

In the United States background checks have become commonplace in a variety of areas.  In each sector background screening fulfills needs like finding out education and employment history, income verification, social security number validation, criminal history records and sex offender history.  Of all the areas of the background screening industry the area most recently in the spotlight is employment screening.  The use of background checks like criminal background checks has been under review and subsequent State laws outline how and when criminal background checks can be performed in the hiring process.  Also with the EEOC on the offensive with litigation going up against large corporations regarding their hiring process and enforcing disparate impact even if the employment screening procedures do not discriminate on surface levels, the focus primarily is on the use of background checks in the employment arena.

The primary reason given for employers to perform criminal history checks on potential and current employees is to reduce risk.  Risk mitigation is usually at the center of background screening along with creating a safe working place for employees, protecting at-risk populations and to avoid negligent hiring lawsuits.

It is clear that the primary factor in each background screening sector is risk mitigation and to protect at-risk populations like children and the elderly in the case of volunteer background screening and in home caregivers.

Recently Melissa Sorenson, executive director of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) said, “Screening was uncommon for employers 30 years ago, but popularity of background checks has risen significantly in the last 15 years”.  She went on to say that “the Internet is a big factor, along with amount and availability of information, decreased costs of screenings and a rising desire among employers for risk mitigation”.  It is clear that risk mitigation is the core proponent for the increased use of background screening, but also very high on the list is to protect at-risk populations.

With background checks being used for employment screening, tenant screening, volunteer screening and caregiver background screening the amount of background checks being performed in the USA keeps rising.  With the increasing popularity of background screening it is important to note that there are multiple ways to get background information.  Due to the many ways to access background data it is important for individuals, companies and organizations to use a professional third party background screening company to conduct background checks on their behalf.  There are many websites and companies that provide background information and many ways to access public records, but only a professional background screening company can assist their clients in performing background checks legally and can help explain how and when employers can conduct criminal history checks.  They can also assist in the creation or modification of employment screening policies to help ensure they are thorough and consistent.  A professional background screening company can also make sure the records provided are accurate, up to date and complete.  They can also facilitate such requests as expungement and can send out a professional court researcher to any county in the country to verify information.

To learn more about the areas of common background screening and how background checks are a big piece of risk mitigation, along with why professional background screening companies should be used in the hiring process please read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release.

Uber, a taxi cab/ride sharing company is under fire for hiring drivers with serious criminal history records.  In Los Angeles four Uber drivers were cited by LA International Airport Police and over the course of this investigation were discovered to have serious criminal pasts.  From the Los Angeles Times the offenses which included child exploitation, identity theft, manslaughter and driving under the influence would have made these drivers ineligible for a Los Angeles taxi permit.  However, Ubers problems don’t end in Los Angeles as a driver in Dallas Texas was recently alleged to have raped a passenger after dropping her off at her home.  Uber and the City of Dallas continue to debate whether or not the driver had legal standing as an Uber driver.

A best practice for an employer is to use a professional background screening company to pull all the necessary reports and information regarding a job applicant’s current situation and past records.  A ride sharing or taxi cab company must perform thorough criminal background checks on its new and existing employees as the life of the passenger is literally in the hands of the driver.  According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) about 69% of organizations reported that they perform criminal background checks on all their job candidates.  About half of these organizations perform criminal background checks in order to reduce legal liability for negligent hiring, and just under 50% of them perform background checks to help create a safer workplace for their employees.

In the end thorough employment screening helps employers make intelligent hiring decisions and these decisions help reduce legal liability and also create a safer working environment for current and future employees.  Performing quality criminal background checks through a professional third party background screening company is the best practice for any employer to avoid hiring a bad employee that could put other employees in danger or in the case of Uber put the employer’s customers in danger.

To learn more about the recent challenges to Uber and why employers and organizations should use a third party employment screening company please read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release.

Many sports leagues and youth activities require some amount of volunteer help. If a volunteer has supervision over children or routinely interacts with them it is important these volunteers undergo a proper background screening. Already extensive background checks including criminal background checks, sex offender registry searches and in some cases driving record checks and reference checks are used in the pre-employment screening arena. However since volunteers are not considered employees many of them never had to undergo a background check prior to working as a volunteer. This is changing and is evident by new laws requiring certain volunteers to undergo a background check similar to those used for employment screening purposes. The State of Florida recently introduced a new law aimed at increasing protection for children by requiring that every employee or volunteer who has routine interaction with children go through extensive background checks every three years.

Volunteers under this new law would be required to have a state criminal history, child abuse history and federal criminal history clearances. They define volunteer as any and all non-compensated athletic coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers and others associated with school athletics; non-compensated band, musical or other performing arts assistants including managers, choreographers, directors, acting or instrumental coaches and others with similar roles; and non-compensated chaperones who assist with field trips or overnight trips and may have direct supervision over students. In the end if the goal is risk mitigation and to protect children than volunteers working with children must pass a thorough criminal background check that includes a national sex offender search.

To learn more about risk mitigation through volunteer background screening and new laws pertaining to the protection of children and volunteer background checks please read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release.

Summer youth programs like summer camps are gearing up for the season and many now have to follow new volunteer vetting requirements when hiring volunteer staff. New Hampshire just recently put into effect this year that anyone working with children at youth programs must undergo a criminal background check. When dealing with at-risk populations like children it is becoming more and more imperative to protect this group and performing criminal background checks including sex offender checks is a big step in achieving this. In the past volunteers were not normally screened like full time employees were but now the impetus is on properly vetting all persons including volunteers. Any person spending time with children especially unsupervised time needs to undergo a thorough background screening process. Youth programs like summer camp should be a safe and nurturing environment and mandatory volunteer background checks is a big step in achieving that goal.

Additionally, the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) is strongly encouraging all youth sports organizations to perform criminal background checks on their volunteer workers as part of a complete screening process. This is a powerful message and implementing it is easier now than in the past. Performing background checks now requires minimal work due to online criminal background check systems and the cost in nominal when compared to risk of harm to a child.

To learn more about new laws pertaining to youth programs and volunteer background checks please read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported that in 2012 nursing homes reported more than 13,000 maltreatment complaints up from less than 3,000 in 2010. Although better reporting requirements are to blame for some of this increase it does not account for all of it. With an aging population the demand for home health care and nursing homes is rising incredibly fast and so too is the opportunity to abuse and neglect the elderly an at-risk population. It is important to properly vet a caregiver prior to sending them into someone’s house unsupervised or having private time with nursing home residents. A thorough caregiver background check should include a criminal background check, sex offender registry check, employment verification and when necessary an education verification. Reference checks from prior employers and even landlords can also assist in painting the picture of a health care aid and whether there is a propensity or history of abuse or malfeasance activity. With an ever increasing demand and lack of uniform employment background screening policy caregiving to the elderly will remain a challenge. Risk mitigation is important and so is protecting at-risk populations like the elderly, and performing thorough background checks in the vetting process is a clear way to help prevent abuse to the elderly. To read more about elder care and how to help protect the elderly and the challenges in dealing with an aging population view recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2014-12-20-Caregivers-for-the-Elderly-A-Difficult-Challenge.html