May 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 70

NRPA Update

Recommended Guidelines for
Credentialing Volunteers
Hot Topics
Got an idea or a burning question you wish
you could get input on from your fellow park
and rec professionals? On NRPA Connect, an
online, real-time networking platform, you
can do that with more than 60,000 of them.
Below are a few discussion topics:
Shelter Reservations Weather Policy - As the summer months near,
shelter reservations are starting to fill up.
NRPA members are sharing their agencies' policies regarding rescheduling the
reservations due to inclement weather. Is
your policy rain or shine? Chime in today!
Medications and Youth Programming - More and more, park and
recreation professionals are being asked
by parents to administer medication to
their children during youth programming
activities. Your colleagues are looking for
suggestions, guidelines and/or policies on
how to handle this. Check out this discussion to see examples of permission forms.
Sports Equipment Vending Machines - Does your agency offer equipment rentals at your park facility? Many
agencies do not offer rentals because of
the extra staffing that would be needed.
One member is looking for a vending-type
machine that contains sports equipment.
Does this kind of machine exist? Have you
seen something similar or have an idea?
Professional Photography in Parks
- This hot topic always comes up in
the spring since photographers like to
photograph families, couples and kids in
local parks. So, do you require the photographer to purchase a permit? Is the
photographer allowed to set up a " perimeter " around the photo shoot to keep
park patrons out? Learn the various ways
some agencies handle this situation.
Don't be left out, visit www.nrpacon
nect.org to start, join or simply learn from
a conversation.

olunteers are an important part
of running your summer camps
and programs, but are you
screening them properly to make sure
you're keeping your community safe?
NRPA partnered with the Background
Investigation Bureau (BIB) to help park
and recreation agencies screen better.
NRPA members will gain immediate
peace of mind knowing that your volunteers and employees are being well-vetted using some of the most powerful and
advanced background checks available.
With the help of BIB, Southeast Security Consultants, TSS Photography and
DMP Consulting, NRPA has put together some recommended guidelines for credentialing volunteers. The recommended
guideline for comprehensive background
screening or background check includes:
* Address Trace
* County Criminal Record Check
* Criminal Record Database
* National Sex Offender Registry
* Timely Results
* Complimentary Consultation
A person should be disqualified and
prohibited from serving as a volunteer

Parks & Recreation

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if that person has been found guilty of
the following crimes:
* Sex offenses
* Felonies
* Misdemeanors
BIB can help you implement a safe environment for the volunteer, your staff and your
community. It offers a web-based, turnkey
platform for screening volunteers. Volunteers
enter their own data, removing paper forms
from the process. Secure Volunteer manages
who has been screened and when, facilitates
the approval process, provides a professional-grade screen and supplies approved volunteers with ID cards. NRPA members receive
exclusive pricing on BIB's Secure Volunteer
background screenings!
To read the entire Recommended
Guidelines for Credentialing Volunteers
and to learn more about taking advantage
of your NRPA member discount through
BIB, visit www.nrpa.org/BIB.

May 2018 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2018 - Parks & Recreation