Screening Church Staff And Volunteers Chicago IL

Whether you are in the process of formulating a screening policy for your congregation, or already have a screening program in place, here are some tips to help you with your efforts to protect your church family.

Local Companies

SOLU Consulting Group, LLP
312-758-3260
1045 E. 166th ST
South Holland, IL
Chestnut Pearson & Assoc
(312) 587-3247
222 E Chestnut St
Chicago, IL
Amethyst
(312) 640-7990
213 W Institute Pl
Chicago, IL
Lamb Group the
(312) 664-5600
303 W Erie St
Chicago, IL
Tania Consulting Services Inc
(773) 631-8693
5151 N Harlem Ave Ste 304
Chicago, IL
Fimat Facilities Management
(312) 727-0356
181 W Madison St
Chicago, IL
Management Harry James
(773) 235-0418
1420 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL
Midwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center
(312) 368-4600
150 N Wacker Dr
Chicago, IL
Wald Management Company
(773) 463-1967
3148 W Wilson Ave
Chicago, IL
Success by Design
(312) 553-5101
30 E Adams St Ste 400
Chicago, IL

1. Get your house in order.

  • Decide who will oversee the screening process and keep track of the paperwork. This person must be well respected in the congregation, be trusted to handle confidential information, be well organized and if possible have human resources and management experience. Recognize this ministry within the life of the congregation. Place an announcement in the Sunday bulletin and bless the ministry within the Sunday liturgy.

  • Set up a filing system. All screening documents should be stored in a locked file cabinet (within the congregation or offsite) for an indefinite period of time. Files should never be left out in the open or in a readily accessible location.

    2. Assess risk and determine the screening requirements for the position in question. Assess the level of power, authority and control of those who minister, the level of vulnerability of those being ministered to, and the risk that harm could be committed by sexual harassment, exploitation, assault, emotional, verbal, physical, spiritual or financial abuse. Screen appropriately for the level of risk inherent in the position.

    3. Gather information from those to be screened, including the following:

  • A well crafted Application Form that contains key questions concerning past incidents of inappropriate behavior.

  • A Reference List of all the candidate's schools, employers, congregations, and religious supervisors over the last five years. A minimum of three references should be checked.

  • A broad Release Form to permit these references to freely divulge information about the candidate, and allow you to perform other investigative inquiries.

    4. Check with the candidate's references - preferably in writing. Ask them a series of key questions to reveal any past history of inappropriate conduct. Well worded inquiries will reveal the most information about a candidate.

    5. Check appropriate public records. Based on the candidate's residential address history, perform a criminal history records check at the state level (almost all states have a central repository available), and the county level (all are available) going back five to seven years. Similarly, check with the appropriate state Sex Offender Registries (most state's now have free on-line checks available). If the candidate will have access to church financial assets, include a credit bureau check. If the candidate will be driving for church related activities, include a driving record check.

    6. Comply with the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Employers that use outside agencies to assemble background information on their candidate's must comply with certain disclosure and notice requirements. Consult your legal council, or link to http://www.oxforddoc.com/pdf/fcra.pdf for an overview of the FCRA requirements and free samples of the disclosures and notices.

    About the Author:

    Glen Johnson, founder of Oxford Document Management Company, has worked exclusively with denominational leadership, legal experts, and risk management professionals for over 14 years to create and administer screening programs that are the "standard" in the religious community. For more information about the screening of church personnel, call 1.800.801.9114 or visit Oxford Document's web site at http://www.oxforddoc.com.


    Article Source:

    thePhantomWriters Article Submission Service

  • Featured Local Company

    SOLU Consulting Group, LLP

    312-758-3260
    1045 E. 166th ST
    South Holland, IL

    Related Articles
    - Keys To Maximize Employee's Performance Chicago IL
    Things go wrong probably no more than five or ten percent of the time, yet we spend ninety percent of our time belabouring those few things. We probably only spend ten percent of our energy talking about the ninety percent of things that are done well. This theory also works on the staff management. The below passages give you a general idea about how to maximize employee's perfomance.
    - Building Your Team Chicago IL
    - How To Select a Background Screening Service Chicago IL
    - Creating A Winning Staff Team Chicago IL
    - Web Sites for Non-Profits Chicago IL
    - Employee Screening Chicago IL
    - Supporting Charities Chicago IL
    - Background Searches Chicago IL
    - How to Find Employees Chicago IL
    - Recruiting And Training Fundraiser Volunteers Chicago IL
    Related Articles
    - Keys To Maximize Employee's Performance Chicago IL
    Things go wrong probably no more than five or ten percent of the time, yet we spend ninety percent of our time belabouring those few things. We probably only spend ten percent of our energy talking about the ninety percent of things that are done well. This theory also works on the staff management. The below passages give you a general idea about how to maximize employee's perfomance.
    - Building Your Team Chicago IL
    - How To Select a Background Screening Service Chicago IL
    - Creating A Winning Staff Team Chicago IL
    - Web Sites for Non-Profits Chicago IL
    - Employee Screening Chicago IL
    - Supporting Charities Chicago IL
    - Background Searches Chicago IL
    - How to Find Employees Chicago IL
    - Recruiting And Training Fundraiser Volunteers Chicago IL
    Related Local Events
    Let's Put Our Heads Together-Lunch/Learn/Leverage Small Business Advisory Group
    Dates: 10/2/2009 - 10/2/2009
    Location: Panera Bread
    Naperville, IL
    View Details

    Chicago Executive Business Invitational
    Dates: 9/25/2009 - 9/25/2009
    Location: Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge
    Burr Ridge, IL
    View Details

    Making Great Managers
    Dates: 9/22/2009 - 9/22/2009
    Location: Crowne Plaza - Chicago O'Hare
    Rosemont, IL
    View Details

    TS2 Expo
    Dates: 7/20/2009 - 7/22/2009
    Location: McCormick Place
    Chicago, IL
    View Details

    Rss   Delicious   Digg   Add To My Yahoo   Add To My Google   Bookmark   Search Plugin

    Topics:
    Advertising Family Home Services Real Estate Resources
    Business Services Fashion Industrial Goods & Services Retail & Consumer Services
    Career Financial Services Insurance Software
    Cars Food & Beverage Internet Technology
    Computer Hardware Franchise Legal Telecommunications
    Construction Health Miscellaneous Trade Shows
    Education Holidays Nightlife Travel
    Entertainment Home Appliances Online Database Weddings
    Environmental Home Electronics Pets World History