Background Investigations and Screening

All Program/Activity Staff, including employees, University students, and volunteers, who will have direct contact with minors must undergo background investigations (including sex offender registry check) in accordance with the Human Resources Administrative Practice Manual (HRAP).

Pursuant to record retention requirements under the Policy, Program Administrators shall maintain in their Program/Activity files a verification the background investigation was performed for all Program/Activity Staff.

Program Administrators should submit a list of all Program/Activity Staff, regardless of UGA employment status, to Human Resources prior to start of Programs/Activities to ensure background investigations are completed as required by HRAP.

UGA Program/Activity Background Investigation:

1.  Background checks are subject to the University of Georgia Background Investigation policy. All University employees who will have direct contact with minors must be in accordance with HRAP Background Investigation requirements prior to working with minors. All University students and volunteers working with a UGA minors Program/Activity must also complete a Background Investigation. If the Program/Activity is sponsored by UGA, University student and volunteer Background Investigations will be handled by UGA HR.

2.  Download and complete the UGA Consent for Background Investigation form.

3.  Submit your completed background form through your unit's HR Business Representative. If you do not know your unit's HR rep you can find your HR rep here or contact the Director of Compliance at programsfominors@uga.edu for assistance.

4.   Allow at least fourteen days for background investigations to be completed.

5.  If you have questions or need assistance with this process, contact UGA Human Resources by calling 706-542-2222.

Third Party Program/Activity Background Investigation:

The University of Georgia Human Resources Office does not conduct Background Investigations on third party Programs/Activities. Third parties working with minors using UGA facilities must ensure all of their Program/Activity staff, including volunteers, are background checked in compliance with the Policy. As a condition of utilizing University facilities, third parties are required to certify that they have performed background checks on Program/Activity staff which would, at a minimum, satisfy HRAP requirements.

Background investigations shall include, at a minimum, the following checks:

• A state and federal criminal history check covering a minimum of seven (7) years.
• A nationwide sex offender search.
• A social security number check using the Form I-9 and the federal E-Verify system.
• For positions that will have access to financial resources such as handling money, checks, purchasing cards, etc., a financial credit check is also required.

If any third party organizations have questions about the background check requirements, please contact:

                Talent Escalated Background team, University Human Resources, hrweb@uga.edu, 706-542-2222