Criminal Background Checks Policy

Policy
Out of concern for the well-being and safety of the patients and families we serve, Seton Family of Hospitals performs criminal background checks on adult and college volunteers. Seton Family of Hospitals deems it necessary and advisable as a matter of policy to reserve the right to disqualify and prohibit any person from serving as a volunteer, including one who has been arrested for, convicted of, been on probation for, or received deferred adjudication for any criminal conduct.

The right to disqualify applies to any criminal conduct, regardless of whether (a) the criminal charges were subsequently dropped and the applicant was never prosecuted for the crime charged, or (b) the criminal charges resulted in a non-conviction such as probation, or (c) the criminal conviction was subsequently expunged from the applicant’s record as the result of appropriate legal proceedings.

Procedures
In order to screen prospective volunteers to identify those who have engaged in criminal conduct, Seton Family of Hospitals adopts the following procedure:

1. Application: Each volunteer is required to complete an application.
2. References: On the application, each adult volunteer is required to provide three references.
3. Personal Interview: Each prospective volunteer will undergo an interview with an appropriate staff or a Board Member of the Seton Family of Hospitals Volunteer Offices.
4. Criminal Background Checks: Each prospective volunteer will give written consent for a criminal background check, conducted by the Volunteer Department, a service of the Seton Family of Hospitals. The form of authorization will be that prescribed by the Volunteer Department.
5. Grievance Process: If a prospective volunteer is disqualified from placement with Seton Family of Hospitals based upon information received, and, if upon reviewing that information the person feels that the information is wrong or it is not his or her record, the person may request a fingerprint check from the Department of Public Safety as a method of positive identification, unless the person can prove by other means that he or she is not the person indicated on the criminal record. An individual may view the disputed criminal history transcript, but may not have a copy of the transcript.

Compliance with Requirements
Seton Family of Hospitals will comply with the requirements of the Criminal Information Act, including the destruction of criminal history record information promptly after the determination of the suitability of the volunteer.