Summer is coming and that means time for summer camps and sports camps for children. Often these camps entail overnight stays and parents have to trust their children with camp counselors, coaches and other staff. The experience of some of these camps can be life altering in a positive way for children but parents and the greater society need to be at peace knowing that these kids will be safe in these new unchartered places. This is where employment background checks comes in. Nowadays parents, the government and society in general are making it mandatory for such camps to put all their employees and volunteers through a proper background screening.
A thorough background screening for such personnel should include reference checks, criminal background checks, sex offender checks, SSN Traces, verification checks such as license verifications and of course a proper in-person interview.
As parents look into different opportunities for their child during the summer break they often look into summer camp.
Summer camp comes in a variety of forms:
- Day camp: Generally a localized activity covering a single day and filled with a wide variety of activities.
- Sleep over camp: These camps can last from a single over-night to extended visits up to a couple of weeks or even months.
- Theme camp: A theme can extend to location or activity or both. A week on a ranch in Montana tending to horses and cattle. A weekend in the mountains learning about a different topography or geography and so on.
From Laduenews.com (Mar. 30, 17):
Camp constitutes a place for kids to try new things, become more independent and gain self-confidence. Simple challenges for children include building fires, going on hikes or learning to ride horses; more complex situations, though, include understanding how to get along with others, learning to ask for help and trying things outside one’s comfort zone. Letting go can be difficult for parents, but it’s life-changing for kids. laduenews.com/business/columns/prepare-you-and-yours-for-summer-camp/article_c68627b1-8e59-5adc-86b2-8a1107170cce.html
Camp is a great outlet for a child’s energy, time and curiosity. As long as it is a safe environment a parent should only worry about a little one being homesick.
A great many camps take considerable steps to protect children.
From RichmondMagazine.com (Mar. 30, 17):
The American Camp Association (ACA) provides guidelines for hiring and developing competent counselors. Pre-employment screening, education requirements, job descriptions and personnel policies, discipline procedures, training recommendations, performance evaluations, diversity requirements and the ratio of campers to staff are all part of the association’s voluntary accreditation program that offers benchmarks for management standards, including staffing. richmondmagazine.com/news/education/whos-watching-your-kids/
Certain camps set higher standards. Also, from RichmondMagazine.com:
Some camps have developed their own hiring and training standards, which typically address preventing sexual harassment or abuse, CPR and first aid training, smoking and substance abuse policies, acceptance standards, guidelines for anger management, conflict resolution protocol, and reference checks, criminal background checks and a check of the national sex offender registry. ibid
One key component of a good camp is the thoroughness of the background check. A complete background check is a great tool to utilize within a screening program. Combined with a solid interview, background screening helps further protect a child from potential risk.
A third-party employment screening company can assist any organization or group with background screening of employed or volunteer camp counselors or employees.
To read more regarding the benefits of a thorough background screening of summer camp and summer athletic camp counselors, employees and volunteers and what particular background checks should be utilized in this process to help protect children read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: http://www.criminalbackgroundrecords.com/news/2017-04-19-Its-Time-to-Protect-Young-Athletes-and-Campers-with-Thorough-Background-Screening.html