Definitions
Screening
- An ongoing process designed to identify any person – whether paid or unpaid, volunteer or staff – who might harm children, youth or other vulnerable persons or who may cause harm to the organization. Screening is one part of a risk management strategy.
- Is about ensuring a “right fit” for the volunteer and your organization
Duty of Care
- Is a legal principle that is designed to protect vulnerable individuals from manipulation or harm.
- “The obligation that an organization or individual has to take reasonable measures to care for and protect their clients, staff and organization to an appropriate level or standard.”
Standard of Care
- Refers to the degree or level of service, attention, care, and protection that one owes another.
- Individuals and organizations are not legally required to absolutely guarantee that no harm will come to their client, their staff, or the community at large. However…
- “The standard of care expected in individual circumstances is that of a reasonable or prudent person.”
Position of Trust
- Is a situation in which someone has:
- Significant degree of authority or decision-making power over another; and/or
- Unsupervised access to another person and their property.
- A position of trust also involves situations where the success of their service depends on the development of a close, personal relationship between two individuals.
What is screening?
Screening is an ongoing ten-step process designed to identify any person – whether paid or unpaid, volunteer or staff – who might harm children, youth or other vulnerable persons. Screening helps people know that you care about the people you serve in your community. Screening is performed by an organization to ensure that the right match is made between the work to be done and the person to do it. The screening process is clearly communicated and consistently delivered. Screening begins before someone starts volunteering and continues throughout their involvement with the organization. The proper management and screening of volunteer resources plays an important part in an organization's ability to carry out its mission.
Goals
- Will have gained an understanding of what screening is and key terms associated with screening
- Have gained knowledge in how to assess your organization’s readiness/awareness for developing a screening strategy
- Be able to identify the 10 steps to screening and the tools that can be applied in each step
- Will have gained an understanding of how “screening in” volunteers is part of the “bigger picture”
