Recommended Provider

We currently recommend Trusted Employee as a background check provider. They can do a national criminal justice and sex offender registry search along with other additional search options.

Sample Letter

This is a sample letter to use when asking adults to undergo a background check.

Dear [Name],

Thank you for your commitment to UU youth community. With the incredible support from adults in our denomination, our youth are able to lead, organize, worship, and act on their faith. Adults are a vital part of our community and we celebrate the relationships built across the ages. In order for these relationships to flourish, we need to be sure that everyone is as safe as possible.

In order to create safer space for our youth, we take a number of steps.

One of the steps we take is obtaining national criminal record reports and sexual offender information for all adult participants and leaders. We understand that most folks who abuse and assault youth and children are never caught and so this is only one part of our policies and procedures.

We understand that there are many reasons an individual may have a criminal record, including participation in social action or witness, injustices present in the system, and offenses which are not relevant because they occurred so long ago or pose little to no threat to youth. Each adult who wishes to volunteer with us and be involved in our community has inherent worth and dignity. Thus, each instance where a record is returned will be carefully considered. A documented conviction is not a guaranteed exclusion from our community, but rather the beginning of a conversation.

We acknowledge the fact that there is pervasive racism, homophobia, and transphobia in the United States’ criminal justice system. People of color are disproportionately convicted of felonies, and homosexuality or claiming a transgender identity has itself been historically considered a sex offense in many states. To help deal with these facts, when the UUA receives criminal history information that raises concerns, experts may be called in when necessary.

Any criminal or child welfare history disclosed to the UUA in the volunteer application process will remain strictly confidential. UUA staff will not share the information without the express written authorization of the applicant.

Thank you,