Background Checks for Populations Working with Minors

What Is the Background Check Requirement for the Protection of Minors Policy?

Criminal and sex offender background checks are required for any member of the Boston University community who will have direct contact with Minors as part of participation in a service, program or activity involving Minors unless an exemption is obtained from Risk Management. This includes:

• University students, faculty, staff and volunteers
• Owners, operators, employees, agents, volunteers of Third Party Programs
• Programs and activities occurring on and off Campus

How Often are Background Checks Required? What’s the frequency?

Boston University Student – Full-time or part-time matriculated – Every 3 years
Boston University Student – Part-time non-degree – Annually
Faculty/Staff Full-time – Every 3 years
Faculty/Staff Part-time – Annually
Volunteers (excluding BU faculty, staff and students) – Annually

Note: Boston University School of Medicine students, including those in the Physician Assistant Program, do not require a new background check if they are in their first 3 years of study.

What’s the Process for Conducting Background Checks?

1. Students, faculty, staff and volunteers must complete the following forms:
   • Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Acknowledgment Form
   • Acknowledgement & Authorization for Background Investigation Form
   • Disclosure Regarding “Investigative Consumer Report” Background Investigation Form
2. Minors Program Coordinators or authorized individual:
   • Complete training and additional steps required for authorization indicated here: Background Check Authorization Page
     • You can find the required presentations here:
       • BU Presentation
       • Massachusetts State Presentation
   • Verify information forms are completed
   • Review government-issued identification (i.e. State Driver’s License, Passport)
     • If in-person identity verification is not possible, use the Notary Option on the CORI Acknowledgment Form in Step 1
   • Sign page two of the CORI Acknowledgement Form
   • Forms must be single-sided and without staples
   • Complete the BU Ordering Form
     • Only one BU Ordering Form needs to be completed as multiple people can be entered into the same ordering form
     • The “requestor” name and email will receive status notifications
   • Upload all completed employee forms and BU Ordering Form into the SharePoint
   • All forms can be dragged and dropped into the SharePoint file which will automatically upload the forms, and will notify CSI that new background checks have been requested
3. Creative Services Inc. (CSI):
   • Conducts background check
   • Notifies background check requestor of cleared results via email (csi_notification@creativeservices.com)
     • Adverse results go directly to HR

Tips for Handling Confidential Information

Background check forms contain highly confidential personal information that must be protected. You are responsible for the secure handling of the forms while they are in your possession.

DON’T

• Send or receive completed CORI forms through unsecured email
  • If a completed CORI form is sent using unsecured email, immediately delete the message from your mailbox and advise the sender/receiver to do the same
• Keep copies of the CORI forms in the department
• Retain CORI forms after the check has been completed

DO

• Report any instances of a breach or compromised Restricted Use data to the Incident Response Team (irt@bu.edu) immediately
• Review the training for the updated background check process

For additional information about protecting confidential information, see Information Security’s data protection standards

Background Check Policy

Questions?

Email: PoM@bu.edu