In a perfect world coaches instill a strong work ethic, teach life skills, and leave kids and teens with a lifelong passion for their sport. Blindly trusting those wanting to coach children is never a good idea. News stories of sexual assaults, emotional or physical abuse remind us that coaches and mentors need to have
Five Years After McGirt v Oklahoma: Are Your Background Checks Keeping Pace?
In July 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a historic decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma. The case reaffirmed that much of eastern Oklahoma (over half the state) remains legally recognized as tribal land. The McGirt decision effectively restored reservation status to roughly 43–52% of Oklahoma land, allowing for the shifting of criminal jurisdiction away from local
Florida’s New Background Check Law
What Every Youth Sports Organization Needs to Know about Florida Statute 943.0438 Before 2026 When parents drop off their children for practice, they are entrusting your organization not only with their development as athletes but also with their safety. Since 90% of child abuse cases involve someone the child knows and trusts, Florida Statute 943.0438 aims to protect children
Protect My Ministry Background Checks: Now in Planning Center
Creating a safe environment for the children in your care is paramount. It requires diligence, attention to detail, and policies and protocols. With the new Protect My Ministry 2.0 add-on, you can track the background checks and safety training of your staff and volunteers right from within Planning Center. By connecting your Protect My Ministry
EXPECTATIONS GAP: Four Background Check Pitfalls that Undercut Your Church’s Security – and One Easy Way to Avoid Them
Your church families have high expectations when it comes to background checks for your ministries’ volunteers. Are you meeting their expectations? According to a new study… maybe not. But you should. And best of all – you can! Let’s take a look at how your church can close the background check expectation gap. First, the
Inside the Mind of a Sexual Predator
“We let him into our lives, our home. We trusted him with our children, and he betrayed us in the worst way possible,” the mother told the judge. “It is inconceivable to think that this man was able to maintain the lie of who he was for eight years in our community.’’ Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/05/sex_offender_left_oregon_and_d.html Those
When Should Your Church Re-Screen Employees and Volunteers?
Recently, a church found itself at the center of every congregation’s worst nightmare; One of its former volunteers is accused of sexually abusing several children he met through the church. The worst part is that these newest charges come years after similar allegations plagued the man and the church. Once a clean record, not always a clean a
How to Spot a Predator – One Church’s Story
“Background checks are required but statistics say that background checks only catch ten percent of predators. We knew our goal had to be to get the entire staff savvy on how to spot predators.” – Executive Pastor Donald Pope of First Baptist Church of Canton, Ga. In a bold move by a Georgia church, executive
Background Check Requirements for Volunteer Chaplains
Chaplains do important work. These faith-oriented individuals often work with hospitals, police departments, schools, prisons and other secular (non-religious) groups and provide a peaceful, nonjudgmental ear for employees to share their feelings with. They help in a variety of ways that often go beyond the scope of what an employer can provide to an employee:
How to Define Your Social Media Screening Policy
“Legal experts have one main thing to say to employers considering using social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram as an initial job-candidate screening tool: Don’t do it. According to a recent survey from Careerbuilder, more employers are turning to social networking sites to find information on potential candidates. And, CareerBuilder reports, 51 percent