Simple Tips for Screening and Selecting Underage Workers
How to recruit trustworthy youth volunteers.Marian V. Liautaud | posted 1/26/2010
Churches put a lot of emphasis on screening and selecting adult volunteers, but what about recruiting minors to serve in your ministry? Because churches cannot screen all the kids active in youth ministry and because potential 16-year-old offenders have no criminal record, normal sexual misconduct preventions do not apply.
So what is a church to do? Here are some simple steps you can take to begin implementing specific screening and selection protocols for your underage workers:
Raise the barStart by establishing requirements that must be met before an individual can serve in a position working with children or youth. For volunteers, attention should be given to two factors: (1) how long the person has been part of the congregation, and (2) the level of involvement the person has in the church. It is not enough for a person to have attended the congregation for an extended timeframe, such as six months. He or she should also be active enough in the life of the church that other members can provide a reference.
Screen carefullyThe screening process for underage volunteers is similar to that of adult volunteers and paid staff, with the exception of a criminal background check. It should include the use of a written application, reference checks, and a personal interview. Because you can't conduct a criminal background check, have your youth applicants provide references from adults who have firsthand experience working with them, such as youth pastors, public school teachers, scout leaders, or coaches.
Forms for applications and interviews should be developed and approved by the congregation and reviewed by the church's attorney. All information, whether collected on a form or during an interview, should be kept strictly confidential.
Stay close to your volunteersRichard Hammar said the most dangerous areas for sexual misconduct are where older youth are given full supervision of younger children, such as in vacation Bible school or nurseries. This practice is very common in churches. Adequate adult supervision is a must. Volunteers, whether adults or minors, should never be alone with one child! Your underage workers should always be with an adult when working in children's ministry.
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Melodie Bissell
I do not agree with this statement. I believe it is misleading and if readers don't continue through the article they may be left with the sense they do not have to screen carefully. "Because churches cannot screen all the kids active in youth ministry and because potential 16-year-old offenders have no criminal record, normal sexual misconduct preventions do not apply." There is no reason a church cannot screen all the young people involved in ministry. Ask families who have had their children abused by a teenager if screening is not important. In Canada a youth can secure their own criminal record check with their parent's permission. We ask you 16 & 17 to bring their own CRC into the church. The article is very good except for this sentence. I also think you have missed one of the most important components of screening minors and that is "Training". Insurance companies require training for volunteers on an annual basis. Youth should not be exempt.
DM
My family was unfortunately devastated by a church who did not think twice about teens supervising children alone. As a result, our 5 yr old daughter was molested by a teen. After we began the process of investigation, we discovered there were possible other victims. I highly recommend the book "When Child Abuse Comes to Church" (Anderson) for anyone who doubts the necessity of being careful when using teens as childcare volunteers.
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