Volunteer Background Screening
Parents, guardians and girls trust that Girl Scouts is a safe place for them, and Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida does not take that trust lightly. We are committed to maintaining policies and procedures that create a safe environment for girls to discover, connect and take action.
Criminal background checks are one of the strategies used to ensure that girls are safe with us. Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida’s policy is to conduct criminal background checks on all new volunteers, and to repeat them on all volunteers every three years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do new volunteers get a background check?
A: The process begins when you register as an Adult Volunteer. Upon completion an email will be sent from theadvocates@verifiedvolunteers.com. You should see the email within 24-48 hours of completing your registration.
Q: I have been volunteering for years- why are you asking me to do this again?
A: Thank you for your continued service to Girl Scouting. We require volunteers to complete a background check every three years. Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida provides a safe environment for all girls through screening our adult volunteers. Troop Leaders should perform checks and balances throughout the year to ensure all adult volunteers have completed the background check process (background check expiration dates for troop volunteers are listed in the Troop tab of your MY GS community). Troop Leaders who do not follow this policy are endangering the girls and violating Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida insurance requirements. Action will be taken in these circumstances.
Q: How much does a background check cost?
A: $8 per volunteer every three years. The Council pays this fee, although volunteers do have the opportunity to pay some or all of this cost if they choose when completing the background check.
Q: How long does a background check take?
A: You’ll spend a few minutes completing an online form to get your check started. We often hear back from our background check agency within twenty-four hours, so that you can get started volunteering right away.
Q: Are you checking my credit? Will this impact my credit rating?
A: No. We do not check financial information or credit for any of our volunteer positions. We are only doing a criminal background check.
Q: May I provide a previous background check or one from another organization/school?
A: No. Background checks vary by agency, so our volunteers need to go through our process.
Q: Do I need to provide my Social Security Number?
A: Yes. Respecting our member’s personal information is very important to Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida. Our vendor, Verified Volunteers, provides a secure online process for submitting your information. Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida does not see or store your Social Security number and Verified Volunteers only stores the last four digits. We are confident that there is little to no risk to you in our online background check process.
Q: What could exclude me from volunteering with Girl Scouts?
A: Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida cannot work with an adult who has been convicted of, has pleaded guilty to, has received adjudication for, or has pleaded no contest to the following crimes:
Automatic Disqualification
- Registered Sex Offender
- Crimes against children
- Felony offenses against persons
- Felony offenses against a family member
- Crimes defined as public indecency
- Crimes involving the use of weapons
- Any violent crime
- Any felony drug-related offense
- Any felony conviction within the five (5) year period preceding the background check
- Any offense involving driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated or equivalent within the five (5) year period preceding the background check will be automatically disqualified but may be eligible for reversal upon appeal by prospective volunteer
- Residing on the same premises as a registered sex offender (may only participate as a parent/guardian)
Possible Disqualification
For all other criminal offenses, or felony convictions older than the five-year period, Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida shall review the applicant’s situation on a case-by-case basis. The decision whether to allow service within Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida’s discretion, and factors to be considered include, but are not limited to:
- The nature and severity of the criminal conduct
- The position for which the person seeks to volunteer
- The length of time since the criminal conduct occurred
- The circumstances under which the crime was committed
- The degree of rehabilitation
- The likelihood that the person will commit the crime again
- The number of crimes committed by the prospective volunteer
