Posted on 12/27/2013 4:12:15 PM PST by marshmallow
The Church of England has carried out tens of thousands of criminal record checks on volunteers in a move that critics claim risks driving away bell ringers and florists
Volunteer bell ringers, florists and organists risk being pushed out the Church of England because of a regime of “overzealous” criminal record checks, the Archbishop of Canterbury has been warned.
Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that at least 58,000 people have been vetted by the Church in the last 12 months alone before being allowed to work in parishes or take back office roles.
More than 80 per cent of the checks carried out by individual dioceses were on volunteers, it emerged.
In many cases, vetting procedures are used in relation to adults working with children in Sunday schools and church crèches – a target of the government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
But research also found that large numbers of volunteers with positions including organists, choir members, bell ringers, altar servers, welcome stewards and tour guides had also been subjected to criminal record checks.
It comes after the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, said earlier this year that the Church was being “utterly ruthless” in its approach to criminal record checks even though cases of abuse are “negligible”.
The Archbishop said that volunteers refusing checks will be told: “You can’t come to church”.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I do not see anything wrong with a Criminal check.
One wonders if they might vet a sitting President? No one else did...
Criminal background checks have been part of most churches in the USA for youth and children’s ministry workers for decades.
I could understand checking for sex offenders but over all criminal records? Is that not a bit much?
I vetted him in my mind, I am from Chicago. The section of Chicago he was voted in to represent was a slum and is a slum while he was there. He did not help anyone or Anything.
If you can’t do good for a small section of the city you are responsible for, WHY would anyone give you a COUNTRY to care for??
I wouldn’t want an embezzler working as parish treasurer or even as an usher collecting the donations.
This is nothing compared to all the Catholic Churches in the U. S.
Every year, volunteers like me must undergo this test in order to work at my church.
All teachers, supposedly undergo a criminal check too. I know I did when I worked for the public schools.
I wonder how many biblical characters could pass these back ground test?
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