Girl Scout Commonwealth Council of Virginia, Inc.
Criminal Background Checks

Frequently Asked Questions

 
Q: What is the purpose of criminal background checks for volunteers?
A: Background screening is a preventive measure to ensure a safe environment for girls, volunteers and staff. Criminal background checking is the process of looking into the history of an individual to determine whether she/he has a criminal record. It is an integral part of a Girl Scout council’s due diligence process and the first line of defense in placing the right adult in the right volunteer position.

Q. Who does it affect?
A: GSUSA states that background screenings must be done on all volunteers regardless of position and must become a standard practice of volunteer policies and practices. For the initial phase of the council’s implementation, criminal background history checks will be conducted on all board members and volunteers who come in contact with girls or handle money or product.

Q: Will all volunteers be screened at once?
A: During the council’s initial phase:

• All new applicants for 01 and 02 volunteer positions will be screened prior to appointment.
• All re-registering volunteers who work directly with girls or handle money or product will be screened by 3/09. Reappointment is contingent upon an approved background check.
• Any volunteer whose presence is required to meet the Safety-Wise recommended ratios for adults to girls must be screened. Anyone providing transportation for Girl Scout activities must be screened.

Q: When will the background check screening start?
A: Girl Scout Commonwealth Council will start conducting criminal background screenings for volunteer appointments beginning with early bird registration in 2008.

Q: How will volunteers be notified of the new criminal background check procedures?
A: Girl Scout volunteers will be notified through regular communication channels, i.e., the website, Breaking News, Pulseline, Focus, service unit meetings, the troop packet and email communication.

Q: What happens if the Intellisearch Report contains a conviction for any of the crimes listed in the policy statement?
A: If a background check contains a conviction for any of the crimes listed in the policy statement, a letter of adverse action with a copy of the report will be sent to the individual by certified letter. The individual will have 10 business days from the date of receipt to respond and take appropriate action to resolve the matter. If the matter is not resolved within that time-frame, the adverse action will remain in effect. A letter of adverse action (containing no confidential information) will be sent to the volunteer supervisor and the appropriate staff member will receive a copy.

Q: What happens to a troop if a volunteer is released while serving in the O1 leadership position?
A: The service unit administrative volunteers and staff must find a replacement for the leader or place the girls in another troop.

Q: Must an individual provide consent before having her/his criminal background history checked?
A: Yes, prospective volunteers must sign an Authorization for Release permitting the council to conduct a background check.

Q: What happens if a volunteer refuses to grant permission for a background check?
A: If a volunteer refuses to grant permission for a background check, the council will not conduct a background screening and the volunteer will not be appointed or reappointed.

Q: How will volunteers’ privacy and confidentiality protected?
A: All records and information concerning background checks will be handled discreetly and confidentially. To ensure that volunteers’ private information is protected, the following precautions will be taken:

• Applicants and current volunteers will be asked to place the Authorization for Release in a sealed envelope, marked Confidential: Attention Adult Development and mail or deliver it to the Girl Scout council office.
• After the background screening has been completed, the Authorization for Release will be stored in a locked file in the council office.
• Legally, the candidate’s confidentiality must be maintained, therefore all volunteer applications, background screening information, interview notes, and related documents must not be stored in any other location, including council staff/volunteer’s car or home, or the council shop, camp or other facility.

Q: Which staff person(s) will have access to confidential information?
A: The administrative assistant/adult development and the Director of Adult Development.

Q: Where will confidential records be kept and for how long?
A: Confidential records will be kept as long as the volunteer remains active. If the volunteer becomes inactive, the Authorization of Release must be kept for five years, after five years, the paper files will be shredded.

Q: What method of background screening will be used?
A: Girl Scout Commonwealth Council will use Intellicorp®, a nationwide provider of background checks for employment and volunteer screening. Since 1996, this company has worked with court systems and other reporting agencies throughout the United States to be a unified data center. Intellicorp® is the architect of this country’s most comprehensive and reliable data repository of criminal records and other public information. This company has been approved by and is in partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA.

Q: How much will it cost?
A: The cost per background check is $1.50.

Q: Why is the cost so reasonable?
A: GSUSA has partnered with Intellicorp® to enable Girl Scout councils to have access to a reliable vendor at reasonable costs. Through this partnership, councils can order Intellicorp®’s Criminal SuperSearch for each volunteer candidate at an incredibly reduced rate with online service 24hours/7days a week.

Q: Who will pay for it?
A: Volunteers will pay for their own background check.

Q: Who decided that volunteers would pay for their own background screenings?
A: The membership task group, a volunteer/staff group, made the recommendation, which was approved by the council’s board of directors. This decision was based upon survey results obtained from the membership, in which 79% of volunteers stated they would be willing to pay for their own background checks.

Q: Will a volunteer be allowed to submit his/her own background check from another source?
A: No, to ensure consistency, all background checks will conducted using the same provider, Intellicorp®

Q: How often will the council repeat criminal background checks?
A: Background checks will be repeated every three years, however, as long as the volunteer remains active with Girl Scout Commonwealth Council the background check may be repeated at anytime.