New Background Check Requirement for Youth Camp Employees and Volunteers
As you may know, as of October 1, 2022 any prospective camp employee or volunteer 18 years of age or older, who is applying for a position at a youth camp that requires the provision of care to children or involves unsupervised access to a child, must complete comprehensive background checks prior to providing direct care or having unsupervised access to children.
As camp season approaches, we want to highlight some key points of this new background check requirement and the procedure to complete a background check in order to ensure timely compliance for a successful summer.
Who?
All youth camp employees and volunteers, 18 years of age or older, who provide care or have unsupervised access to children, whether they be seasonal hires or year-round staff, must complete comprehensive background checks.
What?
A comprehensive background check for youth camps consists of the following:
Option 1
- A criminal history records check based on fingerprints or an internet search of the judicial department website based on name and date of birth, and
- A check of the CT child abuse registry, and
- A check of the national sex offender registry
Option 2
- Verification of a current J-1 visa, H-1B visa or R-1 visa issued by the US Department of State
When?
Now. Each employee or volunteer must have a current background check (or visa specified above) on file. A comprehensive background check is required every 5 years.
Where and how?
The Background Check Information System (BCIS) is the Office of Early Childhood’s background check management system that allows youth camp administrators to verify completion of background checks and supports the efficient processing of all required background checks.
Need help using BCIS?
Get instructions on how to use BCIS.