Volunteer Policies Overview

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UGA – CAES – CES VOLUNTEER POLICIES

For the purpose of screening, certification and reporting, volunteers are defined as those individuals who are not employed by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension OR who are working outside the purview of their job responsibilities as UGA CAES CES employment. Volunteers are above 18 years old and serving as a volunteer.

Categories of Volunteers

Volunteer

All adult volunteers who as a part of a structured program organized, controlled and directed by a University of Georgia department for the purposes of carrying out the functions of the University, serve in roles that represent UGA to the public, interact with youth, or are involved in other functions must sign an Extension Volunteer Agreement, including the Adult Behavior Guidelines.

Supporting documentation:
1. Agreements are completed, signed and dated on the front, signed by a UGA faculty member, and initialed and dated on the back.

 Enter in 4‐H Enrollment as: Volunteer Agreement

Screened Volunteer

All adults working with property or money, having access to secure information, having access to keys and/or holding Driver privileges will be screened. Applications for screening are returned to the Extension office for
reference checks and submission to CAES Business Office, and include a Motor Vehicle Record check.

Supporting documentation:
1. Volunteer Agreement
2. Screening Application
3. Reference 1
4. Reference 2
5. CAES Human Resources approval (The Extension/4‐H hiring professional must complete the “Background Request Form” in order to request approval. The applicant will receive an email from Accurate Background Investigators providing instructions on accessing a secured portal to enter their information.)

Enter in 4‐H Enrollment as: Volunteer Agreement, Screening Application, Background Investigation Approval from Human Resources, Reference 1, Reference 2

– If approval contains Driver privileges, check Motor Vehicle Approval from Human Resources in 4‐H Enrollment. All volunteers who may operate a vehicle in the completion of his/her duties must complete and be approved under a Motor Vehicles records check. Duties could include driving adults, goods, or services as a part of their volunteer duties. A Class C license is required.

Screened Volunteer Working with Youth and Master Gardener Extension Volunteers

All adult volunteers supervising youth and MGEVs will complete the screening process and complete Georgia 4‐H Working with Youth & Managing Risk online training and pass the online test. Supervising youth is defined as an adult who directs a youth’s (other than their own personal child’s) behavior during an activity or event.

Supporting documentation:
1. Volunteer Agreement
2. Screening Application
3. Reference 1
4. Reference 2
5. CAES Human Resources approval (The Extension/4‐H hiring professional must complete the “Background Request Form” in order to request approval. The applicant will receive an email from Accurate Background Investigators providing instructions on accessing a secured portal to enter their information.)
6. Test results from online Risk Management Training, Georgia 4‐H Working with Youth & Managing Risk

Enter in 4‐H Enrollment as: Volunteer Agreement, Screening Application, Background Investigation Approval from Human Resources, Reference 1, Reference 2.

– The Risk Management Training ‐ Online Test checkmark will appear once successfully completed.
– If approval contains Driver privileges, check Motor Vehicle Approval from Human Resources in 4‐H Enrollment. All volunteers who may operate a vehicle in the completion of his/her duties must complete and be approved under a Motor Vehicles records check. Duties could include driving adults, goods, or services as a part of their volunteer duties. A Class C license is required.

Certified Trainings

Trainings are designed to work with specific programs. Training requirements vary based on certification.

Paperwork requirements include:
1. Volunteer Agreement
2. Screening Application
3. Reference 1
4. Reference 2
5. CAES Human Resources approval (The Extension/4‐H hiring professional must complete the “Background Request Form” in order to request approval. The applicant will receive an email from Accurate Background Investigators providing instructions on accessing a secured portal to enter their information.)
6. Test Results from online Risk Management Training, Georgia 4‐H Working with Youth & Managing Risk
7. Certified Training Certificate(s)

Enter in 4‐H Enrollment as: Volunteer Agreement, Screening Application, Background Investigation Approval from Human Resources, Reference 1, Reference 2.

– The Risk Management Training ‐ Online Test checkmark will appear once successfully completed.
– If approval contains Driver privileges, check Motor Vehicle Approval from Human Resources in 4‐H Enrollment. All volunteers who may operate a vehicle in the completion of his/her duties must complete and be approved under a Motor Vehicles records check. Duties could include driving adults, goods, or services as a part of their volunteer duties. A Class C license is required.
– Certification will be verified by the trainer.

Information for Documentation

All documentation should be filed in a secure location within the county Extension office with any sensitive information removed. Effective February 2018, the Background Request Form is used to request a Human Resources Approval; this form should be emailed to the CAES Business Office (caesohr@uga.edu) for processing. A file should be maintained at all offices where the volunteering occurs and recorded in the proper database. Master Gardener Extension Volunteers (MGEV) will be recorded in the MGEV recording system for MGEV activities. Volunteers who serve in MGEV  programs and other Extension programs will be recorded in both MGEV and 4-H Enrollment. A complete file should be available upon request on any volunteer.

Uploading Documentation Paperwork

All volunteers that are entered in 4‐H Enrollment should have their current paperwork uploaded.

Steps for uploading:
1. Login to 4‐H Enrollment.
2. Select ‘Volunteer’ under the heading ‘Volunteer and Staff Management’ from the left hand menu. This will show a list of all names that are associated with ‘Volunteer’ for the current 4‐H year.
3. For each volunteer:
a. Click the Folder Icon to the right of his/her name.
b. Check the box next to each of the documents you have on file for this person.
c. Click the ‘Save Changes’ button.
d. At the bottom of the page, upload the appropriate file (or files) you have for this person. All documents can be in one pdf file as a ‘packet’ with appropriate boxes checked. Only add checkmarks for the files that are being uploaded to this record.

Reminders for County Extension offices

– Volunteer agreements must be signed by a UGA Faculty member. This faculty member does not have to be present for the event or when the volunteer signs, but must have a knowledge of the activities of the event.
– An outside agency conducts a criminal background check as well as the sex offender registry, national database search, terrorism check, and a motor vehicle records check. The MVR is checked with the Background Request Form if the “Motor Vehicle” box is checked on the form (beside the applicant’s
name) so there is no need for a separate MVR request.
– References listed on the Screening Application should be contacted. If two references do not recommend the volunteer to work with youth, the Extension member will send a letter explaining that the volunteer has not been approved. Document how the reference was checked on the office section of the recommendation. Reference requests need to be mailed or emailed from the Extension office or contacted by phone by the Extension staff.
– References should not be immediate family members or reside at the applicant’s home address. In addition, Extension faculty/staff members in the local office should not serve as a reference.
– Background Request Form must include an Extension contact’s name and email address. The contact on the form will receive an email accepting or denying the volunteer. Print this email for the volunteer’s file. Denied volunteers will receive correspondence from CAES HR if their application is denied. Accepted volunteers will only receive notification from the Extension contact.
– Volunteers must maintain contact with the Extension office every 120 days in order to maintain “screened” status. If there is a lapse in service, the office will need to resubmit the BI Request form to start a new investigation.
– It is critical for volunteers to be correctly identified and coded in the database. Each year active volunteers need to be moved to the new year on the Volunteer Roster of 4‐H Enrollment. Electronic and hard copy documentation are to be maintained on each volunteer.
– The Consent for Background Investigation (used from October 2016‐ January 2018) should never be uploaded into 4‐H Enrollment and should instead be shredded. For screening applications prior to October 2016, cut off secured information before uploading and storing.
– Please note that the Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) is obtained with the Background Request Form (if the “Motor Vehicle” box was selected beside the applicant’s name) and no longer requires a separate form. (However, volunteers prior to 2012 may have a separate MVR form on file that should be kept.)
– It is recommended to screen all volunteers to the highest level volunteer category.
– All documentation should be filed in one secure location within the Extension office and should be kept in permanent storage.

9/27/2019