What is the National Education Campaign on Screening?

The National Education Campaign on Screening is an initiative of the federal government and a response by Volunteer Canada to provide public education on screening volunteers and employees in positions of trust with children and other vulnerable individuals.

Screening refers to the range of procedures and processes used by organizations to carefully scrutinize individuals who apply for paid and unpaid positions in order to choose the best candidates and to weed out - as far as possible - those who are incompetent or who have the potential to do harm.

The Need to Screen

Many volunteers today are involved in positions of trust with children and other vulnerable individuals. Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of their obligation to provide services that are well-managed and as free from risk as possible. Proper selection and screening of individuals are significant elements of this efffort. Volunteer Canada is committed to providing organizations with information and resources to help them develop comprehensive screening measures to protect clients, staff, and the community from harm.

Ten Steps to a Safer Community

1. Determining the Risk:

   Organizations can control the risk in their programs by taking steps to minimize, prevent or eliminate the risk altogether.

2. Position Design and Position Description:

   Careful position design and clear position description determine the position's level of risk while sending the message that your organization is serious about screening.

3. Recruitment:

   Recruitment materials should indicate that your organization screens applicants.

4. Application Form:

   An application form can request permission to do a police records check or any other screening measure, and can only ask for information related to the requirements of the position being filled.

5. Interview:

   Interviews help ensure that you hire people who meet your requirements and fit in with your organization.

6. Reference Checks:

   Don't assume that all applicants will only give you names of people who will speak well of them.

7. Police Records Check (PRCs):

   PRCs are one step in the 10-step screening process.  PRCs signal - in a very public way - that the organization is concerned about the safety of its clients.

8. Orientation and Training:

   Orientation and training sessions offer an opportunity to observe volunteers in a social setting and to provide information on your policies and procedures.

9. Supervision and Evaluation:

   The greater the risk in a position, the more frequent and intense the supervision and evaluation process should be.

10. Participant or Client Follow-ups:

    Regular contact with clients and family members can be a deterrent to someone who might otherwise do harm.

Resources

The Screening Handbook

This book provides assistance to organizations trying to sort out the legal, moral, and ethical questions related to screening.  The handbook includes sample interview questions, application forms, policy statements, and 20 ways of screening staff.

The Education Dossier

The Dossier is a presentation folder of fact sheets in Q&A format which deal with a specific aspect of screening.

Duty of Care

This 15 minute video provides an introduction to the need for screening staff and volunteers in the positions of trust with vulnerable individuals, and includes interviews with representatives of organizations which routinely screen staff.

For more Information

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