To all those interested in the safety of children,
We have had a series of meetings to consider ways to improve background check practices in the county. We have received a proposal that offers considerable cost savings, which has been the major drawback to getting the kind of background checks that really need to be done.
The bad news is:
1. There may be personal liability for staff and Board members if held negligent in making provision for protection of vulnerable populations being served. That liability may not be covered by Directors and Officers liability policy.
2. Many local jurisdictions do not report to state and national databases. If all you are checking is online records, you are missing much information.
The good news is:
1. A shared online database of persons holding credentials could save all of us a substantial amount of money since we share many of our volunteers with other groups.
2. Costs to obtain appropriate checks can be reduced through a shared contract. Proposed fees are $75 annual “membership” for access to shared reports. Extensive checks including Social Security Verification, Address History, National Criminal History Database Search, Multi-State Sex Offender Registry Search, and County Criminal Searches based on Address History would be $12.95 each.
At 8:30 AM on January 28, 2016 Mike McCarty with Safe Hiring Solutions will be in Greenfield to answer questions about the proposal and discuss next steps to help us decide if we want to move forward. The meeting will be held at the Love INC offices at 737 Green Meadows Drive in Greenfield. Please RSVP to (317) 468-6300 so we can insure we have adequate materials.
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