Potential Employees

For Church workers, paid or unpaid, the following steps must be followed, and attached documents completed, in screening, recruiting/hiring, and training:
  1. Provide the applicant with relevant information: a job description that lists the general duties of the position, the specific responsibilities, to whom he/she reports, and other requirements of the job. There should be a job description for volunteers as well as for paid workers.
  2. Obtain Job Application: All clergy, lay employees and volunteer youth workers who regularly supervise children’s or youth activities must complete and sign an application, including a list of personal references and the certification and authorization for background checks. An application is not required for regularly scheduled “Sunday Morning Only” workers or for vestry members and wardens.
  3. Check the applicant’s references listed on application.
  4. Check Application-Related Documentation: For all applicants, the interviewer should check the following:
    1. Applicant’s driver’s license* to verify identity
    2. Documentation or other verification of educational claims or credentials, and military, employment and volunteer history claimed in the applications (for example, checking that the worker actually graduated from the college he/she has listed).
  5. *Additionally, for applicants seeking a position that includes driving as one of the duties, the following documents are requested in the job application and must be verified by the interviewer:
    1. Copy of his/her driving record (seek this information at least 10 days before the start of the job; an applicant may obtain his/her record by requesting it from the local office of the Division of Motor Vehicles). 
    2. Proof of the applicant’s automobile insurance.
  6. Conduct Interview: Establish a list of questions to ask all workers, paid or volunteer and keep notes on the responses
  7. Obtain Certification Regarding No Prior Child Sexual Abuse Conviction, Paraphiliac Diagnosis or Act of Abuse. This certification must be signed by all clergy, lay employees, and volunteer youth or child workers. Form found on misconduct prevention webpage.
  8. Obtain Documentation of Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training
  9. Investigate “red flags:” Note and investigate any red flags such as gaps in employment history, frequent job changes, excessive debt, a pattern of traffic violations, substance abuse history. Ask the applicant to explain any “red flags.”

For Questions Contact: 

Gloria Parham | Assistant for Episcopal Ministries | gparham@thediocese.net | 804-643-8451 ext. 1053