Creating a Safe Environment (for Volunteers)
Welcome to the Holy Cross School family! We are hoping that you will get involved in our school in whatever way you are able. To keep our young ones safe, all volunteers must meet the church’s safe environment requirements: going through safe environment training and having a background check. If you think you might be interested in volunteering in any way during the coming school year (for example, helping in the classroom or library, accompanying the class on a field trip), we encourage you to meet these requirements now.
All adult volunteers working with children, youth, or vulnerable adults need to complete the same training— whether they are new, renewing after 3 years, working with children/youth, or working with vulnerable adults.
Awareness is the first step in preventing child abuse. Each of us have a responsibility to protect children and young people. As an employee or volunteer in at Holy Cross School, you are an essential part of efforts to create safe, nourishing, and respectful environments.
Child abuse training, trafficking awareness and safe environment policies help protect youth from abuse, as well as adults and youth from allegations of abuse.
Training
Below are the instructions for the online training—it’s possible to start it and resume later.
Background check
Attached is the form to authorize a background check. What gets checked is your identity, the NYS corrections records and the NYS and federal sex offender registries. If you have an enhanced license or passport, we don’t do the identity check, so your social security number isn’t needed—just write “enhanced license” or “passport” on the line for SSN. There will be no DMV check.
For complete information on completing the safe environment requirements for volunteers, please read the HC CASE welcome letter 2024.
DOR Safe Environment Website: https://www.dor.org/safe-environment/office-of-safe-environment/
Authorization Background Check for Volunteers 2024
Authorization Background Check for Volunteers 2024 – Spanish
User Instructions Accessing Safe Environment Training
User Instructions Safe Environment – Spanish
Volunteer Code of Conduct for Adults
