This post will review the screening process for the new criminal record check and questions that may arise from the results of checks. If you have not yet read part one of this subject, you may want to do that first- just scroll down to the last post.
The application is available to download from the Solicitor General of BC’s website. http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/criminal-records-review/shareddocs/consent-form.pdf
This is a form that you will want to read carefully, perhaps more than once. As a volunteer co-coordinator I have found it helpful to fill out a standard form that I can refer to each time I am having a volunteer fill one out. Page 2 of the consent is very helpful as it has checklists to refer to.
Please ensure that volunteers read and understand the Consent for Release of Information which is located at the bottom of page 2 in small print.
The area for the applicant’s signature is separate from the applicant’s information- therefore it is important to double check that your volunteer signs the consent.
There are 6 different schedule types- which has led to some confusion. For screening volunteers, most organizations need to check Schedule E. However, organizations that are not licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act will more than likely check Schedule A- (remembering that in the Act’s language, employee and volunteer are interchangeable).
PAYMENT
There are several options listed here.The fee is $20.00. Certified cheques and money orders have extra fees that make this process even more costly. The most economical and straight forward to administrate is to pay by pre-authorized credit card. There is also the option of applying for a draw-down account. Organizations that are having their volunteers pay for their own CRCs may want to collect the fee in cash and apply it toward either of the last two options in order to keep the cost down for volunteers. Organizations that have many volunteers to process may want to explore setting up an on-line service to process their volunteers.
There are two ways of sending the information to the Solicitor General’s office. Remember you are sending a copy of the application- your organization must keep the original.
MAIL: Criminal Records Review, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, PO Box9217 Stn Prov Govt,Victoria BC V8W 9J1. If paying by credit card you have the option to FAX the credit card authorization form with the completed application to 250-356-1889.
Be sure to use dark ink. Incomplete or incorrect information will result in processing delays. If using Fax as your mode of delivery, check to see that your Fax was received. Refunds are not given for duplicate forms that may be processed.
The Criminal Records Review Program can be contacted at (250) 387-6981 or 1-800-663-7867.
Here are some more FAQs about the CRC process and implications of the results.
In the past I have had volunteers who are active with more than one agency. Is the Criminal Record Review transferable from one position/agency to another?
No- the Criminal Record Review is agency-specific. The request is filed by the agency to be specifically connected to a particular position at that agency. The review is looking for different “relative offences” based on if someone is volunteering with children or adults. You can no longer use a photocopy of a volunteer’s CRR- even if it is up to date.
What about practicum students?
For practicum students- the post-secondary institution or professional organization requests and holds the CRR. Practicum students can therefore be transferable from one agency to another.
We have a volunteer who did have a criminal background but we kept him on as he paid his dues long ago and his crime was not really relevant to his volunteer position. Will we have to let him go?
The CRR looks specifically for convictions or outstanding charges on a series of relative offenses depending on whether the person is volunteering with children or adults. The volunteer will either pass or not pass the screening depending on those offenses. Your volunteer may be fine to continue volunteering, if his/her offense was not something that the screening is looking for. There is also a review process for volunteers who do not pass the screening.
Thank you for reading this information. As mentioned in the first post the decision to implement a criminal record check with a fee for volunteers has been a stressful situation for many agencies. Many larger facilities, especially seniors residences, rely on the goodness of volunteers. To ask them to pay a fee for their service just does not seem right.
In October 2011 AVRBC and Volunteer BC wrote a joint letter on behalf of their memberships to the Solicitor General outlining the concerns of the volunteer management community and non-profit organizations regarding the Criminal Record Review. As a result of this letter a meeting will take place in early 2012 with representatives of AVRBC, Volunteer BC and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to develop an avenue of information and relationship building.
If there are any changes in the future we will surely keep you informed. In the meantime if you are having questions concerning the new Criminal Record Check that have not been answered, feel free to contact Lornna Olson at Volunteer Victoria- 250-386-2269
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