Frequently Asked Questions

Who requires a clearance to serve with minors?

• Anyone 18 or over serving with minors at Bahá'í-sponsored events is required to have a background check by Sterling Volunteers, the company selected by the National Spiritual Assembly.

• In addition, any 15, 16, or 17 year old who plans to assist with classes requires a background check which is done by the Clearance Assistant.

Does an individual hosting a weekly children’s class or youth group in their home need to have a background check?

Yes, the host would need to complete a criminal background check if they are home during the class since they would be seen as a trusted adult by the children attending.

Does an adult providing overnight hospitality to minors participating in Bahá’í-sponsored activities need to have a background check?

Yes.

Does a tutor for a youth study circle need to have a background check?

Any adult working with minors needs a background check. So, if there are youth under the age of 18 in the study circle, then yes. If the facilitator is a minor, then a Bahá’í status check should be done on them as well as a search in the sex offender database(s).

Do current Book 3 and Book 5 study circle participants need to have a background check?

Participants do not need to be cleared. However, it is important to mention to those going through those books that if they are going to serve as children class teachers, assistants or animators then they should be prepared to complete a criminal background check prior to starting that service. They also need to have read and understand the requirements of the Policy for the Protection of Children, Junior Youth, and Youth.

Does a minor (under 18 years old) who serves as a teacher, animator, or assistant need to have a criminal background check?

No, not at this time.

Does an individual who drives children and junior youth to children’s classes and junior youth groups need to have a background check?

Yes, There needs to be 2 cleared volunteer drivers need to complete a criminal background check and a Motor Vehicle Record check. There needs to be 2 cleared adults in the vehicle with the minors.

Do parents who make driving arrangements among themselves to get their children to and from a Bahá’í-sponsored activity need to have a background check?

The guiding principle is that background checks are needed for all volunteers serving with minors in a Bahá’í-sponsored activity or at the request of an institution or agency of the Faith must complete a background check to be eligible for service. If an LSA, coordinator, or teacher/animator arranges rides, the drivers need background and MVR checks. Parents who make their own driving arrangements do not need to be screened.

Does an individual who cares for children during the Feast need a background check?

Similar to the previous questions, if an Assembly asks individuals to care for children at Feast then background checks should be completed. If the host or the parents attending Feast self-organize the child care arrangements, then background checks are not required.

Does a person who completed a criminal background check for employment purposes (ex. an elementary school teacher who is screened by their school district) need to be screened through Sterling Volunteers?

Yes, we need them to complete a check through Sterling Volunteers, because we need to ensure that everyone serving with minors on our behalf is cleared the same way.

Are undocumented individuals eligible to volunteer in Bahá’í-sponsored children’s classes and junior youth group?

Yes, but they must also go through a background check prior to serving using the manual process through Sterling Volunteers.

Is there specific information about Sterling Volunteers security measures that might be shared with volunteers to help alleviate concerns about entering their personal information online?

The National Assembly’s direction to implement criminal background checks is to ensure that the Bahá’í community is exercising due diligence in the protection of young people in Bahá’í-sponsored activities. All who wish to serve with children, junior youth, and youth in Bahá’í-sponsored activities must complete a Sterling Volunteers background check. Anyone who is unwilling to complete this process for whatever reason is welcome to serve in other ways that don’t involve young people.

Can a background check be run without a social security number, or is this required?

Yes, a background check can be done through the manual process, but this should be used in very rare occasions because it can be less thorough.

What do we do if a volunteer doesn’t have an email address?

There is a manual process for this in Sterling Volunteers (they can also “borrow” someone else’s email address), but you would need to make sure that the individuals receive and approve the consents and that any personal information received by you is responsibly protected and stored for the required amount of time.

Since Sterling Volunteers re-checks each eligible volunteer’s record every month for a year, do we now only need to initiate renewals every 2 years?

At this time, every volunteer’s eligibility needs to be renewed every two years from the adjudication date of their previous background check.

How long does the link in the Sterling Volunteers invitation email remain active?

There is no expiration date on links or invitation emails even though it asks for the volunteer to take action within 72 hours of receiving the email. The link remains active until the individual clicks on it and sets up their user name and password in Sterling Volunteers. Only then will the link not work. The volunteer will need to write down the password they entered.