The debate on whether or not volunteers should undergo a background check continues and there are convincing arguments on both sides. Proponents for volunteer background checks say that in order to protect at-risk populations like children all volunteers should be properly vetted to help weed out malfeasant individuals. While on the other side of the aisle people who are against volunteer background checks say that if people who would normally be willing to volunteer for certain positions may opt out of applying altogether. This is due in part to the hassle and intrusiveness of undergoing the background screening process. Which means that the public would lose a lot of good people that would otherwise be happy to offer their talents as a volunteer.
Now that the country is into the summertime thousands of volunteers are required across a broad spectrum of activities. From summer sports to sleep over camp and hundreds of other places, volunteers interact with at risk populations daily and, subsequently, many believe should be thoroughly vetted. Background checks, especially criminal background checks on volunteers some believe should be a critical part of the vetting process and consider this approach a best practice for volunteer organizations.
And yet volunteer checks are often questioned as either unnecessary, inconvenient or too expensive.
Volunteer background checks are often considered an important tool in risk mitigation, one that can help protect at-risk populations and should be treated as a number one priority.
From an op-ed article posted to the Richmond-DailyNews.com (Jun 06, 19) and discussing the pros and cons of volunteer background screening:
The idea is a mixed bag. In some cases, potential volunteers may not like the hassle of government intrusion into their lives, with the result being that some otherwise decent volunteers may not bother. But there are also the rare cases where a background check might reveal a person has an unsavory history that disqualifies that person from being around children. Overall, erring on the side of caution – particularly when considering child safety – suggests background checks may turn away a few good people, but losing them is preferable to giving a pass to even one pedophile. richmond-dailynews.com/opinion/gov-should-require-checks-on-volunteers/article_3a0a6312-8891-11e9-985f-d395ca0ace8a.html
Those against volunteer background checks have made themselves heard.
From mySanAntonio.com (Jul 02, 19):
“Putting up new roadblocks to dissuade the general public from wanting to apply to serve their community would be unwarranted,” Allen said, calling the checks “a slippery slope” that the city should avoid.
“This is opening Pandora’s box. Where do we draw the line as to what kinds of crimes or records would disqualify a commissioner from being appointed?” he said. “Who would be the judge, jury and executioner in regard to making decisions about what disqualifies an applicant from serving on our boards?”
Councilman Tim Woliver countered, saying he views the checks “as a means of public safety” and as “a bit of an insurance policy” that could protect the city in the future. mysanantonio.com/news/local/communities/northeast/article/Cibolo-considers-new-policy-for-background-checks-14065051.php
The argument is on-going, but as stated previously, a background check can weed out potentially malicious individuals and a best practice for protecting at-risk populations especially children is to thoroughly vet all volunteers that would have access to such individuals.
As of the publication of this article this issue is still being discussed and both sides have not found common ground yet, but the bottom line is that volunteers are very much in demand and nobody wants a good person willing to contribute as a volunteer to be dissuaded from applying for a volunteer position due to the uncomfortability surrounding an impending background check and possibly the inconvenience of the whole process; yet no one wants an unsavory individual to gain access to at-risk populations like children either.
There still needs to be some mediation on both sides so good volunteers aren’t scared away and also so the wrong type of individuals applying for volunteer positions never get hired.
To read more about the ongoing debate of whether or not volunteers should be background checked prior to working and how protecting at-risk populations should be paramount while at the same time trying not to scare away potential contributing volunteers in the process read recent CriminalBackgroundRecords.com press release: Background Checks for Volunteers: An Ongoing Debate; Opines CriminalBackgroundRecords.com