Going beyond the background check with volunteer screening

Your email raises a couple of great points, and I would be curious to hear others weigh in. There are different types of screening and background checks that should be part of running a strong, safe program (for more information see http://www.edmentoring.org/pubs/screening.pdf). Most states maintain some sort of central registry documenting child abuse and neglect, (a few states do not) but the type of information and access to information varies from state to state. The Child Welfare Information Gateway provides an online list of State Statutes that can provide guidance on doing these checks: http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/state/ I would say that doing a child abuse registry check is important, but it is also important to remember that there are potential gaps in these registries, and they are only one part of thorough screening.

A couple of excellent sources of information on background checks and screening is the book from Friends for Youth I mention in my original post called SAFE: Screening Applicants for Effectiveness http://www.friendsforyouth.org/SAFE.html, and the Nonprofit Risk Management Center at www.nonprofitrisk.org.