Volunteer and Host Family Registration Information

Volunteer and Host Family registration is very important to AFS.  At the end of 2007, AFS received clarification from the U.S. Department of State on the regulation requiring national criminal background checks for all volunteers.  Up until that time, AFS had understood the regulation to indicate that we could run national criminal background checks every 2 years for our volunteers, and had designed our volunteer registration process around this timeline.

The U.S. Department of State has clarified this requirement and indicated that volunteers, staff and host family members must submit to annual national criminal background checks.

In addition to requiring annual national criminal background checks on all volunteers, AFS-USA has made the decision to lower the minimum age requirement for criminal background checks for all volunteers and host family members from 18 to 14.  This decision is in line with standards from other volunteer based non-profit organizations and workplaces.  

It is important to note that for minors (14 to 17.9 year old) the only charges and/or convictions that will appear on the criminal background check report are sex offenses. These charges/convictions have no age restriction.  Criminal offenses, however, are not public and those charges and/or convictions will not appear on these reports.

These decisions have required AFS to review and make changes to the national criminal background check processes for host families and volunteers as well as the volunteer registration process.  

NOTE:  Even though AFS is asking volunteers who also host to complete separate national criminal background checks for both their hosting and volunteer application, doing so ensures that this requirement is being met for both the host family and volunteer application process within the timeframe that these background checks are valid according to our regulations.  To do so otherwise would add a layer of complexity that, in the end, would cost more in terms of programming and human resource than paying for an additional criminal background check.  This same thinking applied to how AFS applies references to the volunteer and host family application process, as noted below.

Host Family – National Criminal Background Check Process Changes

Volunteer – National Criminal Background Check Process Changes

Volunteer – Volunteer Registration and Re-Registration Process Changes

 Host Family – National Criminal Background Check Process Changes

All host family members age 14 and older must complete a national criminal background check.  This includes host family members that will turn 14 at any point during the hosting program cycle.

• This is a change from the previous policy where the minimum age was 18 and only applied if the host family member were to turn 18 at the point of the hosted student arrival.

• AFS will require parental permission to run a national criminal background check on their children ages 14 – 17.9.  This permission statement will be included in the host family agreement.

• Complete host family paperwork including national criminal background check must be done every time a host family decides to host.
  • Example:  If a family hosts for the Semester SH 09 program cycle and then decides to host for the Year NH 09 program cycle, the family must complete the full host family application including national criminal background check for both cycles
  • All host families that have already completed their application to host an NH 2008 student will be reviewed, and if there are family members who are or will be 14 during their host student program cycle, they will be required to submit to a national criminal background check
  • If a host family member is a registered volunteer, they will need to submit to a second national criminal background check as a host family member.  
  • If a host family member is a registered volunteer, the 2 references used for their volunteer registration process will not apply to their host family application and they will need to submit new references

Volunteer – National Criminal Background Check Process Changes

• All volunteers age 14 years and older must complete a national criminal background check process
• Volunteers age 14 – 17.9 must have parental permission in order to submit to a national criminal background check
  • The parental permission will be a hard copy form that can be downloaded from the volunteer registration page on the AFS-USA website
  • Volunteer applicants will not get a link to start the national criminal background check process until after both references have been received and accepted

Volunteer – Volunteer Registration and Re-Registration Process Changes

• As part of the online volunteer application process, reference email addresses will now be a required field for new applicants.  An applicant will not be able to submit their online volunteer application otherwise
• If a volunteer applicant was a host family, their host family references will apply to the volunteer registration process
• Starting May 5, 2008, all volunteers who have been registered 1+ year will receive email links to start the re-registration process.
  • This will be an online process and volunteers will not need to fill out  a new application, they will just need to:
    • Review and update their personal information
    • Accept the online volunteer agreement
    • Complete the online national criminal background check process
    • References will not be required