4-H Ontario - Volunteer Screening

Volunteer Recruitment and Screening Process

Screening

Screening is essentially about judgement, about making a decision based on many factors, and whether or not to engage someone as a volunteer. Screening begins long before anyone is interviewed for a position and ends only when the individual leaves the organization.

If we lived in a perfect world, we would not have to worry about screening volunteers. But our world is not perfect and we do need to be concerned about the integrity of those who work with our youth.

4-H Ontario must do everything possible to ensure the safety and well being of our youth and adult volunteers. Therefore, the 4-H Ontario’s Volunteer Recruitment and Screening process is designed to help protect the youth as well as the adult volunteer.

The 4-H Ontario Volunteer Operating Policies & Procedures were adopted by the delegates at the Annual Meeting of the Ontario 4-H Council in 1993. These policies are continually updated.

From Volunteer Canada’s Website:

What is screening?

Screening is a process designed to create and maintain a safe environment. This process involves identifying any activity of a volunteer position which by virtue of the responsibilities of the position could bring about harm to children, youth, or vulnerable persons. The screening process also ensures the most appropriate match is made between volunteer and task. Screening involves recruiting, selecting, and managing volunteers.

Reasons for screening?

Volunteer screening serves two main purposes:

To create and maintain a safe environment
To ensure an appropriate match between volunteers and tasks

It is much easier to ensure the right people take on the responsibilities that suit them best than to spend the resources to deal with problems that arise from poor recruiting. It should be noted that organizations are not obliged to accept everyone who wants to volunteer; however, they are obliged to do everything reasonable to protect those in their care.

Volunteers have the right to be fully prepared to perform their volunteer duties as assigned. The organization has the responsibility to provide the necessary training and tools for satisfactory volunteer performance and return to the organization.

Why Screen?

The answer is simple. We want to do a better job of assigning volunteers and protecting them and program participants. All organizations that provide programs to vulnerable people (such as youth), whether run by staff or volunteers, have a responsibility to appropriately screen their volunteers. This responsibility is moral, legal, and spiritual; it is not only the right thing to do but it is legally required under the "Duty of Care" concept.

"Duty of Care" is the legal principle that identifies the obligations of individuals and organizations to take reasonable measures to care for and protect their participants. Groups need to understand that Canadian courts will uphold their responsibilities with regard to screening in the context of their "Duty of Care".

How does 4-H Ontario screen a Potential Volunteer?

Each 4-H Association is asked to establish a Volunteer Recruitment and Screening Committee. One person from the committee is designated as the key Volunteer Screening Contact and is responsible for ensuring that each new volunteer completes the recruitment and screening process.

Role of the Volunteer Recruitment and Screening Committee:

The Committee ensures confidentiality of all information collected and is responsible for:

conducting reference checks
setting up and conducting interviews
making recommendations to the 4-H Association on the whether to accept or decline the volunteer applicant

Once the volunteer applicant has completed the 4-H Volunteer Recruitment and Screening process, the applicant will receive notice of the decision to accept or decline them as a volunteer.

Volunteers will be expected to complete a Police Records Check and attend a training workshop every two years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 4-H screening procedure the same across the province?

Yes. It is a requirement that all 4-H Associations use standardized forms and procedures developed by the Ontario 4-H Council. While different 4-H Associations have different local police services and the procedure of completing the Police Records Check may vary, the process leading up to that point and all forms and applications are standard.

How long does it take an applicant to go through the Volunteer Recruitment and Screening process?

The time will vary depending on the police record check procedure and the local Volunteer Screening Committee's scheduling of interviews. We anticipate it may take several weeks. The OPP does not guarantee or define a search result response time, as this will be affected by the number of requests and by CPIC’s response time.

Is the information collected on the individuals kept confidential?

The Volunteer Screening Contact and Volunteer Screening Committee are all required to sign an Oath of Confidentiality. They are only to discuss information on applicants in a confidential and professional manner, and only for the purposes of making recommendations.

Does the local police service keep Associations updated on any changes in the person’s criminal record status?

No. This would be an overwhelming task for the local police services. Volunteers, when agreeing to a Police Records Check, also acknowledge that a Police Record Check will be done on an ongoing basis. 4-H Ontario policy states volunteers are to be re-screened every two years.

What happens if the 4-H Volunteer Screening Committee finds an applicant with a clean Police Record Check, but has concerns as a result of the application, reference checks and interview?

If the committee feels the safety of 4-H members may be jeopardized, they should recommend to 4-H Ontario that the applicant not be accepted. If safety is not the concern, the committee might recommend acceptance with conditions. Perhaps the committee questions the applicant's ability due to lack of experience working with young people. The committee might recommend the volunteer’s acceptance with the condition that the applicant works with an experienced volunteer. In addition to the concern for safety, if the selection committee has other concerns about the person (i.e. appropriate role model, known substance abuse etc.) those concerns must be documented and forwarded to 4-H Ontario attention Jennifer Hall, Manager Volunteer Services and Development.

4-H Ontario Policy indicates that all volunteers need to complete a Police Record Check every two years. What is the purpose and how can 4-H Associations do this effectively?

The purpose of completing a Police Record Check every two years is to ensure that the volunteer’s record has not changed and that he/she is still an appropriate match to the task they are doing. A Police Record Check is good to the day the check is done. If a volunteer has since been involved in some criminal activity, the new Police Record Check will pick the offense.

Our Association has volunteers who don’t work directly with members, but are directors on our local Association, do they need to be screened?

Yes, every volunteer needs to be properly screened. 4-H Ontario’s insurance policies offer coverage for screened, registered volunteers. For this reason we need to screen all volunteers.

Will 4-H Associations have to release or deny any 4-H volunteers?

4-H Volunteers are put in a 'position of trust’ with our young people. If the 4-H Association has reason to believe that a volunteer may jeopardize the safety of 4-H members, an information investigation will be conducted. Pending the investigation’s outcome the 4-H volunteer may be released. Criminal convictions for sexual offenses, offenses against children, offenses involving violence against persons or property and drug or alcohol offenses of a serious and repeated nature would be grounds to deny a volunteer. Where a 4-H volunteer is currently charged with an offense, his/her 4-H volunteer responsibilities will be suspended and on hold, and will not be reinstated until all legal proceedings are finalized.

Valuing Our Volunteers

4-H Ontario, like all other volunteer organizations, value the contributions made by volunteers. Volunteers are the foundation to which our 4-H program has been successfully built. To quote, Douglas M. Lawson, Ph.D. “Volunteering does make a difference in your life and in the many lives you touch because of your giving. Like a pebble thrown into a pond whose ripples flutter to the shore, every act of kindness you display creates a chain of positive good into the lives of thousands of people you will never meet and continue into future generations.”

The 4-H Ontario Volunteer Recruitment and Screening process is the first step in making a difference in the lives of 4-H members, 4-H volunteers and yourself. Thank you for making a difference!

For more information on how to become a 4-H volunteer or about the 4-H Ontario Volunteer Recruitment and Screening process, contact 4-H Ontario at privacy@4-hontario.ca or 1-877-410-6748.