Volunteering Screening (Police Background Checks)
As per Baseball Ontario,
Every volunteer and/or paid employee 18 years of age or older working with or for a local baseball association, affiliate association or Baseball Ontario
must have completed a Vulnerable Sectors Check (VSC), or attestation in order to be eligible to be insured under the Baseball Ontario liability policy.
Step-by-Step Instructions
COACHES:
- Rep Coaches
- Select Coaches
- House League Coaches
UMPIRES:
VOLUNTEERS:
What is a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC)?
The PVSC is restricted to applicants seeking employment and/or volunteering in a position of trust or authority over children or vulnerable persons in Canada only. (This means more than having contact with children or vulnerable persons). This check will include offence information, including convictions, outstanding warrants, charges, judicial orders, and sexual offence convictions for which the individual has received a record suspension (pardon) where authorized by the Minister of Public Safety. Non-conviction information shall be released only when it meets the Exceptional Disclosure Assessment.
The Police Vulnerable Sector Check will include the following:
- Criminal convictions from CPIC and/or local databases.
- Summary convictions (previous 5 years) when identified.
- Outstanding entries, such as charges and warrants, judicial orders, Peace Bonds, Probation and Prohibition Orders.
- Findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act within the applicable disclosure period.
- Absolute and Conditional Discharges (for 1 or 3 years respectively).
- Dispositions of Not Criminally Responsible by Reason of Mental Disorder.
- A review will be conducted of all police contacts. Non convictions are criminal charges that did not result in a conviction in court. However, if the information meets the Exceptional Disclosure Assessment it will be released under the authority of the Police Services Act.
- All record suspensions as authorized for release by the Minister of Public Safety.
The Police Vulnerable Sector Check WILL NOT include:
- Convictions under provincial statutes.
- Local police contact.
- Ministry of Transportation information.
- Special Interest Police (SIP) category of CPIC.
- Family Court restraining orders.
- Any reference to incidents involving mental health contact.
- Diversions will not be released as police contact and no reference to the occurrence is permitted (CC S.717.4).
- Youth Criminal Justice Act information beyond the applicable disclosure period.
- Foreign information.
- Any reference to contagious diseases.
Why is a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) Required?
Duty of Care...
The duty of care is the fundamental principle and premise underlying the question of screening. Duty of care is a legal principle which identifies the obligations of individuals and organizations to take reasonable measure to care for and to protect their clients to an appropriate level or standard. If the clients are vulnerable, if they cannot protect, defend, or assert themselves, permanently or temporarily, because of age, disability, or circumstances, then that duty becomes more intense and the standard higher. (The Screening Handbook, 2012).
Who is required to obtain a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC)?
All volunteers and umpires who are 18 years and older.
How often do we need to have a PVSC completed?
In their first year (and every third year thereafter or any year after a year away) as a volunteer or employee, each individual 18 years of age or older will have a Police Vulnerable Sectors Check (PVSC) completed prior to engaging in any volunteer activities.
In their second and third year as a volunteer or employee, each individual may provide a BASEBALL ONTARIO ATTESTATION (form) to the applicable association prior to engaging in any volunteer activities. An attestation is a signed statement that, to the best of their knowledge, the volunteer or employee has not been arrested, convicted or investigated for any criminal activity in the previous 12 months. (The attestation form is currently in development)
Can a PVSC obtained for another purpose (i.e. employment or other volunteering) be used?
Yes, the PVSC provide may have been obtained and used for another purpose including for an employer or other organization with which the individual volunteers
- The PVSC provided to the applicable association:
- Must have been completed in the last 6 months
- Must be an original (scans and photocopies not acceptable)
- May be produced by a local police service, provincial police force, national police force or other similarly credentialed provider
I have been told that a scan or photocopy isn’t acceptable - why not?
- Scans and photocopies are easily manipulated to change dates or names or other information and can’t be trusted.
- Baseball Ontario is currently working with police services and online providers to determine how an electronic PDF can be determined to be an original.
- If you would like the original PVSC returned to you, please forward that request to SafeSport@stcatharinesbaseball.ca.
I’m worried about my privacy - who is going to see these?
Baseball Ontario suggests that as few people as possible see the PVSC results in order to protect privacy. Identifying a single individual on the board or having a non-aligned and trusted individual review the PVSC results (lawyer etc.) is an option but the actual process is to be determined by each local.
We often recruit volunteers close to the start of the season - what if the PVSC isn’t completed on time?
Should a completed PVSC not be available prior to commencing volunteer duties the following process will be accepted:
- The PVSC acquisition process must have been initiated
- Evidence that the PVSC acquisition process has started must be provided (payment receipt, signed form from police service, acknowledgement from online service etc.)
- A completed PVSC is required within for 6 weeks of the start of volunteering
Fingerprinting Requests - Why? Now what?
Vulnerable Sector: If you are applying to work in a paid or volunteer position where you will be in a position of trust or authority with children or vulnerable persons you will be required to submit fingerprints whenever the name and/or gender and date of birth of an applicant match to an existing pardoned sex offender record. This is not an accusation of criminality, but a requirement to confirm identity and protect privacy.
In order to verify identity and complete the PVSC, they will contact the applicant and set up an appointment to get the fingerprinting done.
This normally will be done at the NRP Headquarters in Niagara Falls, and the fingerprinting process is quick and easy (digitally scanned fingerprints). The applicant will more than likely be able to wait while the check is done, and be able to obtain the completed PVSC prior to leaving.
This process is done through the RCMP, and would normally carry a $25 fee. If you are asked to get fingerprinting done, please contact us at SafeSport@stcatharinesbaseball.ca and request a form letter. This will confirm your role within our Association, and should be enough to waive this fee.
Who decides on what will exclude a volunteer from eligibility?
A Vulnerable Sectors Check does not provide a decision about engaging an applicant. They provide an organization with additional information on which to base their decision. Offences on the record may or may not have direct bearing on the position in question or may be unrelated; they may be viewed as major or minor; they may be recent or in the distant past. The number and frequency of the offences may indicate a possible pattern of behaviour or they may be viewed as isolated incidents.
These are all judgment calls that the organization must make. It is not the responsibility of police to determine the bona fide requirements of a position or positions within an organization. Those are best determined by someone familiar with all elements and potential risks of a position. Local Associations need to establish policies and procedures to make these decisions in a consistent and transparent way.
How much will the PVSC cost?
The cost of the PVSC is $20. The Online processing will cost $9.95, which is the easiest way to obtain your check, particularly in these COVID-19 times. Total cost should be approximately $30.
Please submit your original PVSC document, along with your receipt, and mail it to:
SCMBA Safe Sport
C / O St.Catharines Minor Baseball Association, Inc.
P.O.Box 20273
St.Catharines, ON, Canada
L2M 7W7
The cost for these PVSC will be reimbursed ONLY if the check was done specifically for St.Catharines Minor Baseball Association.
If you are submitting a PVSC that was done for another organization, and falls within the 6mth window specified above, then SCMBA will NOT reimburse you for the check, as this should/may have been done by that particular organization.
Effective Monday June 22, 2020 the Records office at Headquarters will be open to the Public by APPOINTMENT ONLY.
An Appointment can be made to attend the Records Counter from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
You are encouraged to use the online application process for Record Checks and other processes where able however, if you need to attend the station you are asked to call 905-688-4111 x 4400 to book an appointment.
PVSC Process
The applicant applies to the police service where he/she lives. You must be a resident of Niagara in order to obtain a PVSC from the NRPS.
The applicant will be required to provide the police service with the following information:
- A description of the position
- The name of the organization staffing the position
- Details regarding the children or vulnerable persons
The police service conducting the vulnerable sector check may ask for more information. The police service will use this information to determine if the position meets the legal requirements to conduct a vulnerable sector check. If the position does not meet the requirements of the Criminal Records Act for a vulnerable sector check, it is illegal for the police service to conduct one.
The police service will conduct name based checks of all of the data bases. In some cases the applicant will be required to submit fingerprints for identity confirmation. The use of fingerprints ensures the accuracy of the identification process.
*** All Coaches must submit proof that process has begun ***
Please IMMEDIATELY submit copy of receipt or email showing that the application process has begun
Online Applications
If you would like to apply for your police record check online please visit our
Online Police Record Check Application Page
(You will need to create an account first if this is your first time requesting a PVSC online)
In order to use the online solution, a $9.95 processing / authentication fee will be added to the price of each police background check.
This covers the cost of processing the web application and authentication with a licenced consumer credit reporting agency.
The Niagara Regional Police Service will return the results of the check by mail to the applicant only.
We will not mail the results to a third-party organization or employer under any circumstances.
Offline Applications
In the event that you do not wish to pay the convenience fee, you may come in person to any Niagara Regional Police Service (please see locations and hours below).
In-Person Payment Policy Adjustment
Effective October 1, 2018, please be advised that effective October 1, 2018 payment may be made by Debit, Visa or MasterCard.
Cash will no longer be accepted.
Contact Us
Police Vulnerable Sector Checks are processed by Niagara Regional Police Service, Records & Information Management Unit, Customer Service Clerks.
Please reach out to set up an appointment.
Telephone: 905- 688-4111, extension 4400.
Email: niagara@policesolutions.ca
Mail: 5700 Valley Way, Niagara Falls Ont. L2E 1X8
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
