Criminal Background Checks and VIRTUS Requirements
As part of the diocesan initiative to maintain a safe environment for all of our children, all volunteers with significant contact with children are required to complete a background check prior to working in the school. As we begin a new year, in accordance with diocesan policy, only those parents who have completed the criminal background check are eligible to volunteer in positions that involve contact with students. Those who will be volunteering in the school on a regular basis or even repeatedly are required to complete the background check. Those who have not yet completed the background check process are invited to request a packet of forms from the school or parish office.
An additional component of the safe environment program established by the Diocese of Arlington is mandatory training for volunteers on the topic of child abuse prevention. The full VIRTUS program, entitled Protecting God’s Children will next be offered at All Saints soon. All volunteers who have not previously attended the seminar are asked to register on-line in order to receive credit for attending this upcoming session. (www.virtus.org)
The diocese also requires volunteers who have completed this training to attend an annual update entitled Keeping the Promise Alive. This 30 minutes video training is a prerequisite for volunteering in the school. The following is a list of upcoming sessions. (Please note: For planning purposes, volunteers are asked to confirm their intent to attend a session on the voicemail of Mrs. Janet Smith. 703.393.2158)
These are the opportunities for the required annual update to Virtus training:
Tuesday, November 29th (Room 212/7:00 p.m.)
Thursday, December 15th (Art Room/7:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, January 17th (Meeting Room 2/7:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, February 21st (Art Room/7:00 p.m.)
