volunteer screening susan j. hendricken manager parks and recreation city of charlottetown

Volunteer Screening

SUSAN J. HENDRICKEN

Manager

Parks and Recreation

City of Charlottetown

FIRST STEP

PUTTING THE CHILDREN FIRST

OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION OF ISSUEBACKGROUNDER FOR POLICYROADBLOCKSBECOMING PROACTIVEACCESSING USEFUL RESOURCES

BECOMING PROACTIVE

COACHING CERTIFICATION

VOLUNTEER SCREENING

EDUCATING PARENTS

JOB DESCRIPTIONSCODE OF ETHICS

Being Reactive

Addressing the issue after the fact…closing the barn doors after the horses get out….setting yourself up for liability out of negligence and most importantly …… a child may have already been harmed!!!

Purpose of Screening

To implement a preventative measure to assist organizations in successfully recruiting appropriate leaders for our resident youth.

To reduce the liability or element of risk to both the City and volunteer based organizations in the matter of recruitment of volunteers.

To act in a proactive manner to protect children involved in sport, recognizing the significant role a coach can play in a child’s physical, social and emotional development

Procedure

SDA delivers form to potential volunteerWaiver/Consent Form optionalSDA submits completed forms to PolicePolice return checked forms to SDA or

volunteer (if waiver not signed)Master List created of all volunteers and

screening results at P&R DEP’T

Confidentiality

One person in SDA assigned task of receiving completed forms

Same person assigned to address anything relevant that shows up on a form

Forms destroyed after or kept under lock and key in a central place

Roadblocks

Human Rights StanceLevel of Police

involvement in process

Paperwork for SDAFrequencyConfidentiality

Nothing is ever full proof!

Never been fingerprinted and/or photographed - no readout

Under the age of 18

Volunteer reserves the right not to submit the report….but should then be declared ineligible to coach/volunteer

What is Unacceptable??

Activities under Narcotics Control Act

Food and Drug Act (i.e..trafficking magic mushrooms prescription drugs)

Criminal code Offences (i.e. assault, weapons,theft and fraud and impaired driving)

Outline

IssueBackgrounder for PolicyPurpose of ScreeningProcedureRoadblocksProceeding from here

Background

Municipalities and Parks and Recreation Departments, in particular, play a key role in ensuring that Recreation and Sport is a

safe place for children in every sense of the word.

The Big Picture

Action steps for parentsBoundary setting by SDATalk it up.. Silence is the #1 enemy hereRecognize many forms of abuse…

emotional ,physical, sexual, and neglectUse of resources available - MARS