Policy On Criminal History Background Checks

Purpose:
Westover Church values the safety of children in its care, its employees and volunteers, and the people whom it serves. Accordingly, Westover must take prudent measures to protect its human and material resources. Effective May 2004, the Deacon Board requires that criminal history background checks be conducted for all church personnel as well as volunteers working in unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18. Criminal history background checks are required in addition to proper screening,
interviewing, and reference checks conducted by all hiring agents.

General policy regarding screening:
All paid Church personnel including those paid by stipend shall have a criminal history background check. Volunteers who regularly are entrusted with unsupervised contact with children under age 18 will have a criminal history background check. Vendors or outside contractors will be required to give proof that their employees who have access to our children, have had a criminal background check and can be placed in a position involving unsupervised contact with a minor.

Procedure:
Time: At the time of application for employment or assignment or request to volunteer, the Applicant will be provided with a copy of this policy. Incumbent Church personnel and volunteers will be provided with a copy of this policy at the time their names are checked.

Requirement:
A criminal history background check is a condition for employment or volunteering. Noncompliance with the policy will result in loss of employment or volunteer position.

Responsible Agent:
Requests for a criminal history background check will be conducted through Background Information Systems, Inc.

Type of Background Search:
All Church personnel and volunteers will be required to have a criminal records history background check. It is expected that records searches will be conducted by BIS, Inc.
Criminal history background checks will encompass all places where the person has lived for the past seven years. If the person has worked outside the state of North Carolina, a criminal background check will also be done in that state.

Compliance Monitoring:
Senior Director, Operations Ministrywill submit an annual report on the compliance with these policies in connection with the annual financial report and/or required reports submitted to the Deacon Board. Further verification of compliance with this policy will be reviewed at the time of the annual church audit.

Communicating Results of Criminal History Background Checks:
Upon receipt of the results of the criminal background check the Human Resources Associate shall communicate, as appropriate with the Senior Director, Operations Ministry and / or Executive Pastor. The Senior Director, Operations Ministry or Executive Pastor, in consultation with the hiring entity, legal counsel and other appropriate individuals, will make a final determination regarding future service of the church personnel or volunteer. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), church personnel or volunteer has the right to be notified of negative impact resulting from the criminal history background check, as well as obtain a copy of the background check and the FCRA report.

Control and Privacy:
All information will be kept in a locked file; available only to the Human Resources Associate, Executive Pastor and the Pastor of the ministry the applicant is serving.

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