In an effort to guard the safety of Vulnerable Persons under the care of the Archdiocese, all Church Personnel, ages 18 and older, will be required to submit a completed Criminal Background Check Form as well as a complete set of fingerprints so as to facilitate a criminal background investigation.
Eligibility for employment, volunteer work, or ministry will be contingent and conditioned upon a satisfactory background investigation. This background investigation will be updated every five years. This policy applies even if an individual has been cleared through an FBI or FDLE check conducted by their employer or another entity.
Volunteers under the age of 18 are not allowed to have unsupervised access to children, youth or vulnerable adults. This includes youth ministers, coaches, mentors, scout leaders, babysitters, etc.
These individuals who may assist with children, youth and vulnerable adults must be supervised by a volunteer or employee who has been Virtus trained and has successfully completed a Level 2 Background Check. Because volunteers under the age of 18 are not allowed to have unsupervised access to children, youth or vulnerable adults, they are not screened for criminal history. Virtus training for volunteers under the age of 18 is optional.
All Church Personnel, including applicants offered a position, independent contractors and volunteers working with Vulnerable Persons are required to successfully complete safe environment training through the Virtus program. The initial training session must be completed within 48 hours of hiring and prior to serving for volunteers. Training continues in the form of monthly online bulletins. This is required reading. An active and up to date Virtus account is required for compliance and eligibility to serve.
