Volunteers

BECOME COMPLIANT TO VOLUNTEER AT ST. ANDREW PARISH
Contact: Mary Beasecker, 614-451-4290, ext. 7, mbeasecker@standrewparish.cc

Volunteers are an invaluable group of individuals who provide a sense of community for the many parish activities at St. Andrew. To keep all of our activities safe for the youngest of our parishioners, all volunteers are asked to complete the Protecting God’s Children Training Program. To become compliant, all volunteers must complete the following process:

Complete the Volunteer Application.
Sign the Volunteer Code of Conduct.
Attend a three-hour interactive session that details the importance of keeping our children safe through awareness and vigilance (see below for details).
Provide a current criminal background report (see below for details).

ST. ANDREW PARISH SAFE ENVIRONMENT POLICY STATEMENT
•Includes two-deep policy and social media guidelines

DIOCESE OF COLUMBUS SAFE ENVIRONMENT MANUAL

OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS SAFE ENVIRONMENT POLICY LETTER

WHO IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND A PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN TRAINING SESSION?

All parish, school, and diocesan employees, regardless of their level of contact with children.
All clergy and applicants to clerical formation who serve in the Diocese.
All volunteers in the school, all coaches, all Boy Scout and Cub Scout volunteers, volunteers working in a school program, or volunteers working in ministry for children and youth, regardless of their level of contact with children.
Volunteers for other parish programs or ministries who have been delegated care, custody, or control of children.

PROTECTING GOD'S CHILDREN TRAINING IN THE COLUMBUS DIOCESE:

To view a list of all sessions or register for a session within the Diocese of Columbus, visit the VIRTUS WEBSITE. Click on "First-time Registrant" from the homepage sidebar menu and then select "Columbus, OH Diocese" from the drop-down menu. You will be prompted through the rest of the registration process.

WHO MUST HAVE A BACKGROUND CHECK?

All parish, school, and diocesan employees, regardless of their level of contact with children.
All clergy and applicants to clerical formation who serve in the Diocese.
All volunteers in the school, all coaches, all Boy Scout and Cub Scout volunteers, volunteers working in a school program, or volunteers working in ministry for children and youth, regardless of their level of contact with children.
Volunteers for other parish programs or ministries who have been delegated care, custody, or control of children.

HOW TO COMPLETE THE FINGERPRINTING PROCESS

You can schedule a fingerprinting appointment by visiting the FAST FINGERPRINTS WEBSITE. Fast Fingerprints also accepts walk-in appointments.

Fast Fingerprints is located at 1486 Bethel Road, Columbus, Ohio 43220. The cost is $37 for BCI or $72 for both BCI and FBI. Checks are made payable to Fast Fingerprints. Results are sent electronically to the Diocese of Columbus and then to St. Andrew Parish. Email Safe Environment Coordinator Mary Beasecker to confirm your results.

USE THIS FORM when you go to Fast Fingerprints.

BCI is required if you have lived in Ohio for FIVE consecutive years. If you have lived outside of Ohio at any time in the past FIVE consecutive years, both BCI and FBI are required.

You must provide a valid ID such as a driver’s license, Passport, or State ID at the time of fingerprinting.

Once your prints are scanned, they will be sent to the BCI, which will process the prints and send a report to the Diocese of Columbus Safe Environment Office. The Diocese of Columbus will then notify St. Andrew of the results of the background report. Background report processing times can range from a few days to 30 days.

SECURELY MAINTAINING YOUR RECORDS

The Diocesan of Columbus Safe Environment Program is the central repository for your Protecting God's Children class verification, and all background checks for state (BCI&I) and Federal (FBI) reports. All background reports are sent directly from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI&I) directory to the Diocesan of Columbus Safe Environment Program office. St. Andrew Parish IS NOT permitted to accept background reports or copies of reports from parishes, schools, agencies, or individuals. This information is then made available to the individual parishes. Please note that the Diocese and our parish treat criminal background reports confidentially.

Individuals with no break in volunteer service and transferring between diocesan parishes can request that their information is transferred to St. Andrew Parish. If you have a break in service to the parish or diocese of longer than 18 months, you will be required to complete the background check process again.

REPORTING ABUSE

Sexual abuse by a priest, deacon, or a staff member or volunteer in the Diocese of Columbus should be reported to the Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator, 614-224-2251, 866-448-0217, or at helpisavailable@columbuscatholic.org. If you are the victim of sexual abuse (or any other crime), please contact local law enforcement immediately.

To learn more about the prevention of child sexual abuse, please refer to www.virtus.org and sign up for their training bulletins and/or view their continuing education articles.

WOULD YOU LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE?

CLICK HERE to visit the Diocese of Columbus Protecting Our Children web page, which provides a host of resources and additional information.
Visit www.virtusonline.org for educational resources and material about keeping our children safe.

NEED TO CONFIDE IN SOMEONE? NEED TO REPORT WARNING SIGNS?

Contact one of the following confidential sources:

Regina Quinn
Director, Safe Environment Office
614-241-2568 x1543
rquinn@columbuscatholic.org

Bob McGee
Associate Director, Safe Environment Office
614-241-2568 x 1544
rmcgee@columbuscatholic.org

Laura J. Lewis, M.A., L.P.C.C.-S
Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator
866-448-0217
llewis@columbuscatholic.org
helpisavailable@columbuscatholic.org

Volunteers

Parish Involvement