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Background Screening Program & National Rollout Schedule[CSI Homepage] [What's New] [FAST Database Query]
New
Background Screening Program & National Rollout ScheduleCoaches should direct their questions to Pat Hogan, at USA Swimming.
NOTE:
1. Your LSC is CT. You will be asked to name your LSC during the
application process.
2. You need a credit card. ($20)
3. (revised 12.08.06) All coaches should have received
email from USA Swimming regarding
this program. USA Swimming will be mailing (USPS) information in early January. If you have not received notifications please contact
office@ctswim.org with a correct address.
4. CSI Coaches may initiate the background screen between December 4-22, 2006 or
January 8-19, 2007. Please abide by these dates! You are assigned
these dates so that the staff and computer servers are not overwhelmed.
5. No coach is exempt, even if a background screen has been completed by another
organization or employer.
Documents that have been sent to all coaches include the following:
BG Announcement- National
Rollout
Directions for a BG
Screen
BG Frequently Asked
Questions
BG Rollout Schedule
Log- in here: http://www.usaswimming.org/bgpilot
Background
In September 2006, the USA Swimming House of Delegates approved implementation
of a background
screening requirement for the 2007 swim year for all coaches and other select
member groups. Following
the conclusion of a pilot study with 5 LSCs conducted in October 2006,
appropriate changes were made
to the program and the Board of Directors approved a national rollout schedule
at their November 18th
meeting. This document includes basic information about the screening program,
the national rollout
schedule, and enforcement guidelines for the new requirement.
Purpose
To implement and maintain a background screening program for the purpose of
determining eligibility for
membership in USA Swimming based on the criteria found in section 304.3.4 of our
Code of Conduct.
This screening is not intended to serve as a pre-employment background screening
program.
Program Guidelines
The program is designed to:
1) Protect the confidentiality of information of existing and prospective USA
Swimming members.
2) Review members and prospective members pursuant to the Screening Criteria
specified below.
3) Provide those screened with an opportunity to challenge incorrect information
found in the screening
process before a result is forwarded to USA Swimming.
4) Forward information to our outside legal counsel for additional investigation
and action in those
instances where the screening results produce disqualifiers. Except in rare
situations, there would be
no disclosure to the team, LSC, or national office personnel at this stage.
5) Screen members based on name, date of birth, address history and social
security number.
6) Limit the involvement of volunteers and staff in compliance, data collection
and record retention.
7) Be compliant with the applicable provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Members Required to be Screened
The following USA Swimming members are required to undergo regular background
screening:
1) All coach members and prospective coach members.
2) All non-athletes on national team staffs or working with USA Swimming
sponsored camp programs.
3) All USA Swimming Board members.
4) All candidates for office at the Annual Convention.
5) All USA Swimming HQ staff. Requirement includes pre-employment and regular
staff screening.
Screening Criteria for Membership Eligibility
The screening criteria used to evaluate background screens are designed to
identify only violations of
Section 304.3.4 of our Code of Conduct – “Conviction of, imposition of a
deferred sentence for, or any
plea of guilty or no contest at any time, past or present, or the existence of
any pending charges, for (i)
any felony, (ii) any offense involving use, possession, distribution or intent
to distribute illegal drugs or
substances, or (iii) any crime involving sexual misconduct.” The complete Code
of Conduct can be found
on page 104-105 of the 2006 Rules & Regulations. The National Board of Review
and the Board of
Directors will develop implementing rules to determine which violations of Code
of Conduct Section
303.3.4 will result in total ineligibility for membership, probationary
membership or other restrictions,
based upon the nature and severity of the crime and other circumstances of the
case (codifying how the
National Board of Review handles Section 304.3.4 violations currently).
Frequency of Screening
USA Swimming members subject to screening will be required to be screened every
two years.
Expiration for all screening tests shall be 24 months from the last day of the
month in which the screen
was conducted (i.e. a screening successfully completed on 10/15/06 will expire
on 10/31/08.) When it is
time to update screening records, it is highly recommended a member submit an
application for rescreening
within the first 15 days of the month that his/her previous screening is
scheduled to expire.
Screening Provider
After conducting an extended search, USA Swimming selected TC logiQ, Inc. as its
national provider. TC
logiQ is a specialty consulting firm that provides professional employment
services in the area of preemployment
and volunteer screening. More information about this Colorado Springs based
company is
available at www.tclogiq.com. The Technical
Support Desk at TC logiQ can be contacted by telephone at
877-825-6447 or by email at
technicalsupport@tclogiq.com.
Cost
In registration years 2007 – 2009, the USA Swimming background screen will cost
$20. This fee will be
paid to TC logiQ by the applicant at the time that he/she goes online to
initiate a background screen.
Process
1) An individual subject to screening must go online to the TC logiQ Web site
(or connect through the
link on the USA Swimming web site) to initiate and pay for a USA Swimming
Background Screen.
2) The requestor will then provide the information requested on the application
screen. Based on that
information, the provider will initiate a national search of criminal databases
and receive a screening
report that provides the individual’s address history and criminal information,
if any. Until TC logiQ
reviews this search report against the USA Swimming screening criteria, the
applicant’s “Screening
Status” on the TC logiQ Web site will reflect “Pending”. A determination
regarding membership
eligibility will be emailed to the requestor within 3-5 business days. In some
situations, confirmation
could take up to 8-10 business days.
3) When an applicant passes screening, the status will be updated to “Approved”
on the applicant’s page
on the TC logiQ Web site and will be communicated electronically to the USA
Swimming SWIMS
database. In SWIMS, the expiration date for the screening is reflected in the
same manner as coaches’
safety certifications.
4) If the background screen returns a finding of a potential disqualifier for
membership, there is a process
for review of the accuracy of the information and/or appeal to an established
National Board of
Review panel. If membership is not ultimately granted, SWIMS will display no
information.
Review & Appeals Process
In the event that a background screening returns criminal information that the
applicant believes is not
accurate, he or she will have the opportunity to dispute that information with
the provider. To protect the
applicant, that opportunity will precede any communication of information to USA
Swimming HQ.
In addition, there will be a hearing process - in compliance with Part 4 of the
USA Swimming Rules and
Regulations but on an expedited basis at no additional charge - before a
National Board of Review special
panel should the applicant choose to challenge a negative finding on membership
eligibility.
Information Management and Exchange
This program places the responsibility for information management and retention
on the screening
provider. The screening process will not provide the applicant or USA Swimming
with a copy of the
individual’s screening report. In the event that a background screen returns
information that results in a
negative membership decision, the applicant will be provided a copy of the
specific information in their
report that prompts that decision. Except in those few instances where a
member’s background screen
returns information indicating a disqualifying event and he/she then chooses to
appeal the membership
decision, USA Swimming will not store the information returned in a member’s
background screen.
Coaches Age 17 & Younger
Coach members age 17 and younger are not subject to the new background
screening requirement. The
screening requirement becomes mandatory for a coach who is 17 and younger at the
first annual
membership renewal following his/her 18th birthday.
Nationwide Rollout Schedule
In order to successfully accommodate the 10,000 individuals that must be
screened over the next few
months, all 2007 members subject to background screening must fulfill the
requirement in accordance
with the attached rollout schedule. Each of the remaining 54 LSCs has been
assigned a specific time
period. Coaches and other individuals subject to the screening requirement must
initiate a background
screen prior to the deadline assigned to the LSC in which they are registered.
There will be five LSC-Specific rollout periods. In addition to these assigned
periods, there will also be
two open rollout periods during which all members subject to the requirement may
initiate a background
screen. Members are asked to adhere to the schedule and initiate their
background screen only during the
period assigned to their LSC or during one of the two open periods. In either
case, they must meet the
new screening requirement on or before their LSC deadline.
The dates for each scheduled period are as follows:
Open Period: December 4 – 22, 2006
Connecticut LSC-Specific Period 1: January 8 – January 19, 2007
Open Period: February 19 – March 23, 2007
New 2007 Coaches Cards
Coach members who received a blue 2007 coach’s card prior to completing the
Background Screening
requirement, will receive a new, green-colored coaches card once they fulfill
the screening requirement.
The new green card will display expiration dates for all three safety
certifications and the background
screening requirement. Some coaches in the five pilot LSCs will have blue cards
that display the four
required expiration dates. These cards are valid and should be honored as
current cards for 2007.
Enforcement
To ensure compliance with the new requirement during the 2007 membership year,
the following policies
will govern the rollout of the background screening program:
1) An individual applying to be a new coach member in 2007 must complete the
background
screening requirement prior to being registered as a coach member.
2) All current 2007 coach members must apply for a background screen on or
before the deadline
assigned for their LSC (see the following LSC-specific rollout schedule).
Coaches who do not
initiate a screening application by the assigned deadline will, as of that
deadline, be considered
non-coach members until all requirements for coach membership are met. LSC
administrators
will be asked to make every effort to encourage noncompliant coaches to meet the
screening
requirement including taking action to restrict access to the deck at swim meets
and removing all
privileges associated with coach membership.
When a coach member is not current with one of the three safety certifications
or the background
screening requirement, he/she is not insured as a coach member of USA Swimming.
In addition, the
club’s insurance protection may also be in jeopardy.
Coaches should direct their questions to Pat Hogan, at USA Swimming.