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Mentor Screening Process at Youth Horizons

At Youth Horizons we are committed to the safety of the children we serve. As I think about the kids we serve, they are not just kids we serve but they are “our kids”. In considering a volunteer one of the questions that we consider is, “Would I feel comfortable with this prospective volunteer spending time with my son or daughter?”

In our mentoring program we match men with boys and women with girls and we ask them to spend a few hours each week with the child. Sometimes time is spent one on one and sometimes time is spent out in the community. Safety is one of our primary concerns as we are considering a volunteer. Below is the procedure that we follow in screening our volunteers for the mentoring program.

1. Each volunteer is required to attended a new mentor orientation
2. Each volunteer signs a volunteer agreement and agrees to participate in our screening process
3. Each volunteer participates in a one on one personal interview
4. A driving record check is conducted on the volunteer
5. A Child Abuse Registry check is conducted with the Kansas Department of Children and Families
6. A Kansas Bureau of Investigation police record check is conducted
7. A check of the National Sex Offender Registry is completed.
8. Four personal references are contacted including:
   – Family Member or Spouse Reference
   – Pastor or Spiritual Leader Reference
   – Friend Reference
   – Supervisor or Work Reference.

This screening process has been approved by the Kansas Mentors as a Gold Star Standard among mentoring programs in the state of Kansas. Not only is effective mentoring our aim but safety for our kids is also one of our chief aims.

If you have questions or concerns about this process please call our office at 316-262-8293 or contact us via our website.