Why are Background Screens Critical?

The following statistics are sobering!

• The Centers for Disease Control informs us that 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18.

But it gets worse for our friends with intellectual disabilities (IDD).

• The Bureau of Justice Statistics says the rate of rape and sexual assault against people with IDD is more than seven times the rate against people without disabilities.
• For women with IDD, the rate goes up 12 times.

It has been reported that only about 43% of religious organizations have safety and abuse policies in place, yet based on insurance claims, they account for 30% of the cases.

Sexual predators, child abusers and molesters view religious organizations as easy targets. These organizations can be exploited because of their nature and characteristics.

• They are quick to see the good in people and accept them with little information.
• There is a shortage of volunteers, particularly male volunteers, in care ministries which include disability ministries.
• Many religious organizations have lax or no safety/screening policies.

Forming and following safety/screening policies in your church can be one of the most loving things your Christian community can do. It demonstrates that we value one another, especially those who are most vulnerable among us.

What does this mean for the Connection Ministries’ Network?

Connection Ministries recommends that our network churches with Friendship/SonRise groups implement safety procedures that include their disability ministries. A sample of this policy is available on our website by clicking on the “Friendship Safety Guidelines” button below.

We have also invested in your church’s Friendship/SonRise group by providing criminal background screens through Trusted Employees as an important first step in your safety protocols. We run screens on every volunteer at our cost as part of your Friendship/SonRise group volunteer registration. These screens are valid for two years.

But this offer is only as strong as the weakest link! If your Friendship group overlooks just one volunteer, while others are screened, your church could be liable to discrimination. One volunteer who does not follow your safety procedures may be a person counting on laxed policies leaving friends with disabilities unprotected. Your church may also be liable for neglect and together we have failed in our mission.

When you complete an online registration and your background screen is expired, you receive an email from Trusted Employees inviting you to complete an online background screen. Trusted Employees is the vendor we use to conduct our screens. The link on this email Invitation is good for 7 days.

I am sad to say, only about half of the volunteers follow the link to complete the screening process. Maybe the link expired, or the email invite went into your spam folder. If this happens, you always have the option to download the background screen form from our website by clicking on the “Download Background Screen” button and mail the completed form to our office.

Connection Ministries has set a goal to update all expired screens in our network Friendship/SonRise groups. If you are a volunteer whose background screen is expiring soon or has expired, and we have an active email address, you will receive another email soon inviting you to update your background screen.

“Let all that you do be done in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:14