A Great Example Provided by the Parks and Recreation Department in Columbus, Indiana

The Parks and Recreation Department in Columbus, Indiana, have clearly laid out a policy regarding employee and volunteer background checks. It is a great resource for companies, businesses and non-profit organizations to use when implementing their own polices.

The Parks and Recreation Department of Columbus clearly states the department’s goals and guidelines of protecting their employees, volunteers, and those they serve from potential harm. Noting they have a special concern for children and the desire of providing a safe recreational experience for them, the Department mandates background checks must be completed on all employees, volunteers and independent contractors.

In each background search the following information is obtained by the Parks and Recreation Department:

• Social Security verification
• Address Trace
• Statewide criminal check within Indiana
• Criminal record check in 38 states, as appropriate
• State Sex and Violent Offender registry

This comprehensive background screening package provides a great example of what an ideal background search on a volunteer should entail, especially when one is working with or who has contact with children. For the low cost of submitting these searches so much potential harm and danger will be avoided by the Columbus Parks and Recreation department as well as other organizations like it that have and follow such policies.