The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado has begun requiring churches to run comprehensive background checks, including sweeps of sexual abuse registries and criminal records, on all staff and volunteers who work with children and youths.
The diocese has vetted clergy since the mid-1980s, and many of its 120 congregations have conducted screening of staff and volunteers for years, said Neil Riley, canon of faith formation for the 35,000-member diocese.
The new standardized process will bring consistency and thoroughness to a process meant to earn the confidence of parents and ensure the safety of children, Riley said.
“It wasn’t a reaction to anything,” he said. “We’re in an age where this is a real issue.”
Between 2,000 and 2,500 current staff and volunteers will be examined, Riley said.
Included are checks of criminal backgrounds in up to seven states, sexual offender registries and identification verification. A more thorough check covering driving records, credit reports and employment and education records is required if a church hires a youth director or fills a similar post, Riley said.
To date, no one has been red- flagged for child sexual abuse in the diocese, he said.
The requirement does not extend to Sunday school teachers, Riley said, because abuse is unlikely to happen in a supervised setting with so many adults.
Since 2002, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver has required criminal background checks on clergy, employees, seminarians and volunteers who work with children.
Staff writer Eric Gorski can be reached at 303-820-1698 or egorski@denverpost.com.
