Volunteer Canada Articles

Screening Does Not Equal Police Records Checks

Police records checks create a false sense of security and creating an abusers' registry is a very bad idea. These are two of the messages which were communicated during the launch of Phase III of the National Education Campaign (NEC) on Screening. As stated by Paddy Bowen, Executive Director of Volunteer Canada, at the 1997 Canadian Forum on Volunteerism, "We can't allow ourselves to think that by looking up a name on a list that kids, seniors, disabled people and patients will be suddenly safe. We have to be very vigilant."

The federal government announced the extension of the NEC on Screening at the 1997 Canadian Forum on Volunteerism in Winnipeg. The two year extension is funded by the departments of the Solicitor General, Justice, Health and Canadian Heritage.

John Harvard, MP for Charleswood-Assiniboine on behalf of Federal Solicitor General Andy Scott announced the extension of the NEC on Screening and stated, "It is important that governments, the voluntary sector, police and communities continue to work together to raise awareness about the need for sound screening practices. Protecting children and stopping child abuse is everybody's responsibility. We must continue to send the message that abuse of our children will not be tolerated."

Phase III is a three-pronged initiative focusing on training of people to screen volunteers in sports and recreation, education and religious communities; a public education campaign; and an awareness program involving police. The training will focus on sport, education and religious groups because they all share some important traits: They use known volunteers; they work with middle-class, mainstream kids; they're tight communities; and they're in a severe state of denial when it comes to screening.

There are two key messages that the NEC on Screening must communicate in the next two years; police record checks are not the simple answer that everyone thinks they are and it is not a violation of trust to ask volunteers to participate in a screening process.

No matter how much work and resources are involved it is crucial to educate and act on screening now.

Screening - 10 Steps to Safety

In 1994 Volunteer Canada first became involved with the issue of volunteer screening. At that time the organization took the lead role in the National Education Campaign on Screening, a project funded by the department of Solicitor General of Canada in cooperation with Justice and Health Canada. Over the past six years Volunteer Canada has developed resources, training curricula, and a national training network on screening.

With over 150,000 nonprofit organizations in Canada there is clearly much work left to do in educating organizations about screening. Last year Volunteer Canada began a three-year partnership with the Government of Ontario's Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation. The goal of the partnership is to provide education and training to nonprofits in the faith, sport, recreation, community support, and rural sectors. This project, the Ontario Screening Initiative, is being scrutinized by other provinces; it is hoped that they too will replicate the model.

What is screening?
Screening is a process designed to create and maintain a safe environment. This process involves identifying any activity of a volunteer position which by virtue of the responsibilities of the position could bring about harm to children, youth, or vulnerable persons. The screening process also ensures the most appropriate match is made between volunteer and task. Screening involves recruiting, selecting, and managing volunteers.

Screening is a poorly understood and relatively new concept in many organizations. This is particularly true in organizations that are predominantly volunteer-driven and magnified in organizations that utilize a large number of parent volunteers and work with hundreds of thousands of children. The recreation community fits this description.

Why screen?
The answer is simple. We want to do a better job of assigning volunteers and protecting them and program participants. All organizations that provide programs to vulnerable people, whether run by staff or volunteers, have a responsibility to appropriately screen their volunteers. This responsibility is moral, legal, and spiritual; it is not only the right thing to do but it is legally required under the "Duty of Care" concept.

"Duty of Care" is the legal principle that identifies the obligations of individuals and organizations to take reasonable measures to care for and protect their participants. Groups need to understand that Canadian courts will uphold their responsibilities with regard to screening in the context of their "Duty of Care".

While many organizations accept their responsibility to protect the vulnerable participants in their programs, they can feel overwhelmed by the need to screen every one of their volunteers.

Organizations can do a better job of protecting their program participants if they use the following process.

10 Safe Steps

1. Determine the risk
2. Write a clear position description
3. Establish a formal recruitment process
4. Use an application form
5. Conduct interviews
6. Check references
7. Police records check - when appropriate
8. Orientation and training
9. Supervise and evaluate
10. Follow up with program participants

Screening - Dispelling the Myths

The media has perpetuated the belief that child sexual abuse is the only risk organizations face. This narrow focus can lead organizations to neglect other possible harm to the communities they serve. A screening policy should be a safeguard from all possible risks.

Here are a few examples of situations that actually happened along with some suggestions on how they might have been avoided.

A volunteer treasurer in Edmonton stole more than $57,000 from the community league. She stole the money to support a gambling addiction. She had a previous conviction for stealing $25,000 from another community league. Many organizations only consider conducting police records checks on volunteers who are put in one-on-one relationships with vulnerable clients.

It is absolutely necessary to think about your clients' safety but you must also consider the "health" of your organization. A police records check or a policy of two-signatures on cheques might have prevented this incident from happening.

Religious scams are also very popular. Some volunteers seek positions working with the elderly to either convert them or to convince them that contribution to a particular organization will guarantee their entrance into heaven. These elderly victims often believe that this is what they have to do to be saved. Volunteer orientation sessions outlining exactly what volunteers are, and are not allowed to do, can go a long way in preventing this type of situation. Advising potential volunteers that there will be random spot checks for those who work one-on-one with clients may also discourage inappropriate behaviour.

Would you have suspected a provincial police officer, a school bus driver, a church camp counsellor to abuse his position of trust? Gary Blair Walker held all of these positions and more during the 33 years that he abused over 150 boys in his care. In 1994, he was convicted to an indefinite prison term for sexual assault. Organizations must decide what screening measures they will employ based on the level of risk in the position. Given the previous example, it is obvious that screening must be applied consistently regardless of the applicant's background.

Risks come in all faces, shapes, and sizes. Organizations need to adequately determine all the possible risks for the well being of their clients as well as the health of their own organizations. Volunteer Canada is committed to safeguarding the community against these incidences.

Safe Steps: A Responsibility To Question

The following article appeared in the March edition of Volunteer Beat and can be reprinted in whole or in part.

Imagine a day-care centre hiring a child-care worker without an interview. Or a bank hiring a cashier without doing a reference check. It just doesn't make sense. Yet, many volunteers are put in positions of trust with no questions asked. We all know how it happens: the organization was overburdened, no one could process the volunteer; or the volunteer was a friend of a parent - no need to go through the usual process.

The reasons for accepting a volunteer without any kind of screening are often rooted in the best of intentions. And yet, it is these same good intentions which open the door to harm.

Sadly, convicted pedophiles repeatedly state that they sought out positions in voluntary sector organizations. They declare their amazement at how quickly and easily they were placed in volunteer positions with vulnerable clients. No questions asked. This spring volunteer centres across the country are issuing a call to action to parents and guardians. The message being delivered is that parents and guardians have a responsibility to question find out if the volunteers working with your children have been screened.

Volunteer Canada has laid the foundation for this public awareness campaign. Through the National Education Campaign on Screening, Volunteer Canada has created the needed volunteer screening resources. Organizations now have access to three primary resources:

“The Screening Handbook”, “The Education Dossier”, and the video “The Duty of Care”. As well, many volunteer centres have certified trainers ready to lead organizations through the process of setting up screening procedures.

Asking parents and guardians to demand organizations be accountable will certainly disturb some people. Many organizations in the recreation, education, and faith communities rely upon parents or known volunteers. As a result, the general belief that "it won't happen to us" pervades these communities.

The truth is that abuse of our society's most vulnerable members is occurring at the hands of unscrupulous people hidden in the voluntary sector. Gary Blair Walker, called Canada's "worst-ever pedophile," abused up to 150 boys and teens. He was a police officer, scoutmaster, bus driver, church leader, and school-board worker. He also coached judo, baseball, and hockey.

Volunteer screening is an effective tool we can use to protect children and other vulnerable people. It is not just an intake procedure, nor is it as simple as a police records check.

Screening is a comprehensive process based on Ten Safe Steps. It begins with the evaluation and description of the volunteer position, continues with the assessment of the volunteer's suitability, and carries through with monitoring and evaluation.

This spring volunteer centres across the country will have the opportunity to promote volunteer screening. Together we can strengthen this community of 7.5 million caring Canadians.