Background Coordinator Information

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October 1, 2007

Dear Background Coordinators:

As we discussed at several recent meetings, the NJ State Police and the Diocese of Metuchen have made some significant revisions to fingerprinting procedures that have been set forth below.  Please review the changes, most notably in the area of the Fingerprinting Procedure that is required to be conducted by the Sagem Morpho Program.  Any questions, please contact my office at 732-562-2413.

Revised Procedures for Criminal History Background Checks on New Volunteers/Employees Take Effect Immediately

You should take the following steps with regard to the background check policy.

Step One:  Using a completed Employee/Volunteer Application Form, which can be located on this office’s website (see Policies/Forms), the coordinator will identify those parish employees and volunteers who must be fingerprinted under the Policy.  The coordinator should ensure  that basic background information on each employee and volunteer including his or her name, address, e-mail address if available, date of birth, home phone number, diocesan title or position, and optional social security number is included on application form. Note:  No one under the age of 18 can be fingerprint background evaluated.

Step Two:  You should work with your Pastor/Administrator/Principal/Parish Catechetical Leader, Youth Minister and Athletic Director to obtain the information set forth in Step One, above. 

Step Three:  The Volunteer/Employee should be given a Sagem Morpho Applicant Information Form (Universal Fingerprint Form NJAPS1 V 1.8) which has been provided to all parishes and schools with a specific identification number for each individual location, that is located in Box #22 and Parish School Location Box #18.  Separate forms are available for employees and volunteers.

Step Four:  Volunteer/Employee should read form carefully and follow all instructions to complete fingerprint process. The form must be presented to be fingerprinted. No exceptions allowed.  No variation of form will be accepted.

Step Five:  Sagem Morpho appointment scheduling is available via the web at www.bioapplicant.com/nj 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.  For applicants who do not have web access, appointments are available through the toll free number center at (877) 503-5981 on a first call, first served basis Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST and Saturday, 8:00 AM to 12 noon EST.  Hearing impaired scheduling is available at (800) 673-0353.  English and Spanish operators are available through the Call Center.

Payment by money order at the site will be accepted for applicants scheduling via the call center only.  Money order payment must be indicated at the time of scheduling. No other form of payment will be accepted at the fingerprint site. 

Applicant must pay their own fingerprinting fees, payment will be required at the time of scheduling for check and credit card payments.  Applicant’s account will be charged at the time of scheduling. A fee of $14 is charged to cover the cost of a scheduled appointment for applicants who do not cancel by noon on the business day prior to your scheduled appointment (Saturday noon for Monday appointments).  The $14 fee also applies to applicants who are turned away from the printing sites due to their inability to present proper ID defined below (26), or who fail to present Universal Form NJAPS1 V 1.8 provided to you by your background coordinator and required for printing.  State and federal search fees will be refunded. 

The applicant ID number, date, time of appointment and payment confirmation will be confirmed by the call center.  Applicant must record this information in the appropriate blocks to the right side of form while speaking with the operator.

Valid photo identification must be presented at the time of fingerprinting and must have a valid expiration date.  Expired New Jersey photo driver license will be accepted in combination with current non-photo license.  No other expired identification will be accepted. 

Mandatory Acceptable Identification:  ID must be issued by Federal, State, County or Municipal Entity for identification purposes and must include photo, name, address (home/employer) and date of birth.  Examples of acceptable identification include 1) photo driver’s license or photo ID issued by any State DMV or NJ MVC, 2) passport or immigration ID, 3) Federal, State, County, Municipal Employment ID. ID must meet all of the underlined requirements which must be present on one ID.  Combination of documents is not acceptable.

Note:  Reimbursement for background cost is a Pastor/Parish/School-based decision. Current cost is $47.25 for volunteers and $63.25 for employees.  

Step Six:   Volunteer/Employee is to select Sagem Morpho location to be fingerprint processed.  At time of processing, a PCN number will be assigned to individual.  Individuals will be given a receipt as proof of fingerprinting with recorded information, attached to the Applicant Universal Form.

Step Seven: The Applicant Form and receipt should be photocopied and provided to background coordinator of Parish/School as proof of processing and should be maintained in Volunteer/Employee secured file records area. 

Step Eight (If Required):  Sagem Morpho Inc. will notify any individual that requires re-fingerprinting because of any computer error.  A 90 day time period will be enforced by Sagem Morpho for completion of re-fingerprinting. Any further delay will result in applicant being re-charged a new applicant fee.  

Step Nine:  The New Jersey State Police will conduct a background search and submit the results to the Diocese.

Step Ten:  The Diocese Office of Child & Youth Protection will inform Parish/School Background Coordinator of results and provide State Police paperwork for distribution to applicant and for applicant’s parish/school file. 

Step Eleven:  The Background Coordinator, in coordination with Pastor/Principal, will upon receipt of a Non-Recommendation Notice of background of Volunteer/Employee ensure that said Volunteer/Employee is removed from any position that puts person in contact with minor children until matter is resolved by Office of Child & Youth Protection as set forth in Diocese Policy. 

Steps One through Eleven will be followed each time someone needs to be fingerprinted.

Sagem Morpho Mobile Unit

Scheduling of a Mobile Unit to come to your specific location to process individuals can be arranged by contacting Sagem Morpho Mobile Unit Supervisor at 866-580-6324. Separate cost and procedures are applicable and can be obtained through Sagem Morpho Mobile Unit Supervisor.

Criminal History Rechecking Procedure (every three years)

Background rechecking procedure of employees/volunteers is required every three years
with exception of school employees background evaluated through NJ Department of Education Sagem Morpho Program.
            
Background Coordinator shall  coordinate dates of all employees/volunteers requiring rechecking and ensure they are rechecked. 

KidSafe Recheck Procedure (for individuals previously processed by KidSafe)

KidSafe will be under contract with Diocese until November, 2008 and as a result will be allowed to conduct recheck procedures.  Kidsafe upon request will provide to Background Coordinators, the NJ State Police (SBI 212B) forms that need to be distributed, completed and signed by volunteers that are still active that were previously background evaluated through KidSafe.  Forms will be distributed to volunteers by Background Coordinator and returned to Coordinator by volunteers who will submit to KidSafe.

Forms must be original NJ State Police 212B forms – no duplication is permitted. Completed and signed forms must be mailed to KidSafe by Background Coordinators.

KidSafe will send invoice for payment ($21 per person) to parish as per billing  procedure. Background Coordinators will receive notice from KidSafe of invoice if unpaid after 30 days.  Parish has discretion to ask each person submitted for background evaluation recheck procedure to reimburse for costs of evaluation.

After payment is received, KidSafe will deliver forms to NJ State Police for processing.
KidSafe will upon receipt of approval from NJ State Police issue a new KidSafe ID Card that will be valid for three years.

Any individuals who receive a disqualification notice from KidSafe needs to contact KidSafe to obtain a copy of their Criminal History for the appeal submission process to the Diocese of Metuchen, Office of Child & Youth Protection.  KidSafe’s telephone number is 732-922-2209.

NJ State Police/Sagem Morpho Rechecking Procedure (every three years)

VRO, Archive Submission of Volunteers/Employees fingerprint records who were processed by Sagem Morpho is available.  Diocese Policy requires rechecks every three years from date of VRO background approval notice to parish/school from NJ State Police.

Archive submission of employees/volunteers must be in accordance with instruction for archive submissions as directed by the NJ State Police VRO program.

Cost of archive which includes a FBI and State Police fingerprint criminal history check is $45.00 for volunteers and $63.00 for employees.

KidSafe Identification Cards

KidSafe will still produce and distribute to Background Coordinators new  KidSafe Identification Cards for all KidSafe recheck submissions after the volunteer/employee has been approved by the NJ State Police.  The cards will be distributed to individuals by the background coordinator.   

Volunteer/Employee Applications/File

Applications of all employees/volunteers should be maintained in a secure location designated by your pastor/administrator of your parish.  Included in your individual employee/volunteer files should be their application and any background verification records/rosters received from NJ State Police, KidSafe or the Department of Education (School Personnel), as well as any other material related to Employee/Volunteer (i.e. reference letters, etc.).

Standardized volunteer/employee application forms as well as other forms and Diocese policies are available on our Diocesan website for downloading – www.diometuchen.org.  Office of Child & Youth Protection.  Parishes are reminded that Part III, Religious Education Volunteer Catechist Records,  of the Volunteer Application is needed by Parish Catechetical Leaders’ Personnel Files.

School Employee Fingerprinting

All school employees are required to undergo Criminal History Checks through the NJ State Department of Education Sagem Morpho Inc. Live Scan Fingerprinting process.  The Diocese has no authority in regard to NJ Department of Education Sagem Morpho Inc. fingerprinting process and all questions should be directed to NJ Department of Education, Criminal History Review Unit, 609-292-0507.

However, school employees hired prior to January 1, 1990 are unable to be fingerprinted by Department of Education Program due to existing laws and are thus required to be fingerprint processed by way of our Diocese VRO program.  For any school employee/volunteer who requires fingerprinting via Diocese VRO Program must follow the previously discussed procedures.

Parish/School Employee Option for KidSafe ID Cards

Optional KidSafe Identification Cards are available for Diocese (Parish/School)  volunteers and employees that have been background evaluated through the NJ State Police VRO Program or NJ Dept. of Education, Sagem Morpho Process.

KidSafe has agreed to provide ID Cards at a cost of $10.00 each for volunteer/employees that produce NJ State Police Parish/School VRO Program and Dept. of Education background approval letter that is dated no earlier than February 21, 2003.  Backgrounds need to be done for Diocese of Metuchen location only.  ID Cards issued by KidSafe will have a three year expiration date. (The following procedures will be in place for this procedure by KidSafe for any Diocese School requesting KidSafe ID cards for their volunteers/employees).

Background Coordinator shall collect all State Background approval letters and submit them to KidSafe.

KidSafe and Background Coordinator will schedule a KidSafe Session at Parish/School location for ID photograph and/or arrange alternative available session. 

KidSafe will submit invoice to Parish/School and after receipt of payment to KidSafe will deliver ID Cards to Background Coordinator for distribution.

Employees/Volunteers who have been Fingerprinted for Previous Employments and Volunteer Groups

Employees and Volunteers who have been fingerprint background evaluated by other authorities for employment or volunteer groups are still required to be fingerprint
processed by Sagem Morpho for the Diocese of Metuchen and its Eparchies unless they fall  within the below listed categories:

Employee/Volunteer who has been previously fingerprint background processed for a “Diocese of Metuchen” Parish/School program through Sagem Morpho or Diocese/Parish through KidSafe, and information has been verified and determined there has been no break of service for employee/volunteer and background evaluation is less  than three years old.

Questions about this issue should be directed to the Office of Child & Youth Protection 732-562-2413.

Third Party Vendor Affidavit of Compliance for Criminal History Background Investigation

Diocese Criminal History Background Check Policy provides that any person or entity, other than an employee or volunteer whose work or services at any Diocesan entity calls for them to have contact with children as defined by Diocese Policy, in lieu of submitting to the background process, can submit to the Entity a sworn (notarized) affidavit certifying that all employees and identifiers (with names included) have never been charged or convicted of a crime. (Third Party Vendor Affidavit Form can be located on the Diocese website, www.diometuchen.org, Office of Child & Youth Protection).

County Prosecutor’s Office Megan’s Law Units Registration

Parishes are reminded to update registrations as changes of staff occur with your county prosecutor’s office.  This will ensure that all parish facilities and schools that have child-related programs receive notification of all Megan’s Law registrant notifications in their communities.

Please call me if you need assistance or more information regarding our program. Thank you for your cooperation.

Very truly yours,

Lawrence V. Nagle
Director
Office of Child and Youth Protection