Background Checks

• People applying to participate in a program who are assigned to work at a site that serves children and/or vulnerable adults will not be allowed to participate until a satisfactory background check has been completed. Staff and directors of the program, if working directly with children and/or vulnerable adults, must also complete a background check. (Have questions about this? Visit the Why It's Done This Way page.)
  • All students receiving stipends (they are considered "Special Program" employees) and any person designated as a "Limited Term" or "Special Program" employee will also require a background check.
• Background checks cost $9 each. 
• Background checks must be completed once a year for anyone working with children or vulnerable adults.
• Copy and paste the instructions (below), and send them to your program participants who need to have a background check
• When hiring someone for your program, integrate this language into appointment/acceptance letters:
  • “Employment is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check and may be terminated upon receipt of the results of a background check deemed unsatisfactory. As soon as possible, initiate the background check.”
  • Feel free to include or adapt the instructions (below) for those needing background checks.
• You are responsible for checking to make sure that all of your students and volunteers have completed the background check at least two weeks prior to the start of the program.
  • To review which of your appointees or volunteers have initiated background checks, follow these instructions.
  • Remind those who have not yet initiated the process that this is a firm requirement prior to working with children or vulnerable adults. Include the instructions below for initiating the background check.
• If one of your participants is flagged on the background check, you will be notified; otherwise, assume that everyone is clear.
  • A person who is flagged may have completed the check incorrectly. Ask that person to resubmit a background check.
  • Until people pass a background check, do not allow them to work with children or vulnerable adults. Assign them elsewhere.
• Students who do not have Social Security numbers will not be able to pass a background check.
  • If the student is an international student, then, in lieu of a background check, the individual must be supervised by someone who has passed the background check (an adult student or staff) whenever in the presence of minors or vulnerable adults.
  • If the student is undocumented, they unfortunately cannot work with minors or vulnerable adults. Another worksite must be found for them.
• Background check results cannot legally be shared between different organizations. (Questions? Visit the Why It's Done This Way page.) Thus, the findings of this background check through InterVarsity cannot be shared with any partnering organization.* 
  • *Exception: If a student requests access to their background check results, and sends the results directly to the partnering organization themselves, the results may be shared. Direct the student to email Human Resources, with their name and their program. Please note that you as an Urban Program director cannot act as an intermediary between the student & the partnering organization in this transferring of background check results. 
• The Director of Human Resources and General Counsel as well as the HR and Legal staff will be the only InterVarsity employees with full access to the check results via a secure website.
• If you have any questions about or difficulty with the process, please contact Human Resources.  

Instructions for those needing background checks

[Copy and paste these instructions and send them to your program participants who need a background check.]

As soon as possible, please visit the Background Check website (www.intervarsity.org/go/bcheck) and initiate this background check.

You'll be asked for your

The cost of the check is covered by InterVarsity, and both the required personal information and any results are kept confidential. Thank you for taking a moment to help with this important matter.