National Safety Month – Pre-Employment Checks

June is National Safety Month. In recognition, we’re sharing a special “Creating a Culture of Safety” series to give you new tools to prevent abuse and neglect before it happens.

This week, we’re focusing on a critical first step in the abuse prevention process: thorough pre-employment checks.

Why it matters:

The individuals you bring into your agency are the frontlines of care. Ensuring they are committed to safety protects everyone and builds trust.

Your role:

• Include mandatory Staff Exclusion List and Criminal Background Checks for all prospective hires, including volunteers. This is required for any provider under the Justice Center’s jurisdiction. 

• Interview candidates in person and include questions to help identify concerns 
• Check references by phone using pre-determined questions that target the candidate's behavior
• Use heightened monitoring and supervision during the probation period
• Establish criteria to consider a candidate with a criminal record

In our next email, we'll discuss the importance of training and tools to help your organization maintain a safe environment.

Want to learn more about the pre-screening process? Explore our Pre-Employment Check resources, which includes specialized guidance for providers.

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