FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR DIRECTORS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - 2009 and beyond
Greetings to all the DREs of the Diocese! This page has been created to answer questions that arise from DREs throughout the Diocese, and although only one may be asking the question, it may be on the minds of others as well. We hope that this will be a valuable resource for you, and we will update this list as more questions arise, so please keep checking back to see what has been added. It can also be helpful for those of you who by choice or necessity find yourself working on DRE issues in the wee hours. CSS has the ability to respond 24/7 if you need it as well. Of course, you are always welcome to contact the OCP directly at (508) 674-4681 or email Debora at djones@cssdioc.org. We are here to support you in any way that we can in doing the important ministry work that you have in our Diocese. Thank you for what you do and for asking great questions. Keep them coming!
How often do CORIs have to be done? Per Massachusetts law, all Diocesan employees must complete a CORI every three years. All Diocesan volunteers who might have any unmonitored access to children must complete a CORI every year. As a DRE, it is important to keep records of the employees and volunteers in your parish, including the date of each CORI that was submitted for each person. The Catholic Social Services (CSS) CORI data entry person will send you a list of your employees and volunteers, which will show the last date that a CORI cleared on each person. This is a ready-made reference for you and should help you to keep track of those in your parish. Please remember that it can take up to two weeks for a CORI to clear, so when you see the CORI date approaching, please have the volunteer or employee complete another CORI so that in particular, volunteering can continue without interruption.
Are parish employees, such as rectory office staff, under the same guidelines as other employees?
An easy way to remember the distinction is this: anyone who receives a paycheck from any Diocesan entity (school, parish, etc.) is considered an employee. The only exception would be subcontractors, but other than those individuals, anyone working for the Diocese in any capacity is considered an employee for the purposes of background checks and training. For further explanation of what is required of employees, please see the Fall River Diocese’s Abuse Prevention Policy and Procedures Handbook.
When we get the Excel spreadsheets of the trainings and CORIs for our parish, what does “needs” mean? What does a blank cell mean? If you look at the top of the column and see the header for that column, it is either a CORI form or a training date. If it is the CORI, it will usually say “pending,” which means that it was received by the CSS office and submitted to the State for the background check. If it is in the training column, it means that we do not have a training date for that individual. The lack of a date may mean that the person has not completed a training; that the person completed the training but the sign-in sheet was never sent to us; or that the sign-in sheet was not processed correctly. We did have a computer problem several years ago that caused us to lose some information, but we have hard copies of all the sign-in sheets going back to 2004. If you believe that the person was already trained, please check your records and see if you have a copy of the sign-in sheet from the individual’s training (you should keep a copy of all the trainings conducted in the parish). If so, please forward a copy to CSS. If you do not have a copy of your own, then please contact the Office for Child Protection (OCP).
If you see a blank cell, that is the same as a “needs.” It still means that we have no record of a training date for that individual. If you feel this is inaccurate, or if the person states that training has been completed, please get an approximate date of training (the year is the most important) and contact Debora at the OCP: (508) 674-4681 or djones@cssdioc.org.
Do we keep the copies of the photo ID, or should they be attached to the CORI form?
Every CORI must have a copy of the photo ID attached in order to be processed. If it isn’t attached, everything else will be returned to you and you will need to resubmit completed paperwork. Keeping copies of photo IDs in the parish is not recommended, given the sensitive information. If you do choose to keep copies, they should be in a locked filing cabinet and behind a locked office door when you are not in the office.
What do I do if one of our parish employees or volunteers has a name change, such as when getting married?
If there is a name change for any reason, please let us know so that we can notate our records as well.
What do I do when people leave parish employment or stop volunteering for us?
Please inform the Office for Child Protection as soon as possible so that we can update your master list of employees and volunteers. This will ensure that the lists that are sent to you only have the current employees and volunteers listed. It is one way of reducing what all of us have to sort through, as well as saving paper and becoming more green. That is a win-win situation for all!
Why is it so important to follow the paperwork guidelines? Can’t the OCP understand if we make mistakes?
Of course we are all human and we understand that no one is perfect. However, there are specific guidelines and rules for good reasons. First and foremost, much of the CORI process is mandated by State law and the abuse prevention training is mandated by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. As those who are hired to implement these safety measures for the Diocese, we take our work seriously and strive only for the highest possible level of compliance in all areas.
Second, there are three people in the CSS office who handle training and CORI forms for the entire Diocese, which consists of 29 schools, 93 parishes, and a total number of nearly 21,000 individuals in the database. Because the database is now so large, we had to break up the spreadsheets into two groups: parishes and schools and then within each master group, have a separate sheet for each parish or school, plus a current sheet for the same. Therefore, when we have several parishes and schools with the same name, it is imperative that we have all of the information filled out correctly so that we can enter the data into the correct sheet. The paperwork is first reviewed by the CORI coordinator, who looks for incomplete forms and returns them if necessary. Then she enters all the data into the State database, or mails the CORI forms to other states as needed. She also has to keep checking to see what CORIs have been returned as being finished, and follow-up if a CORI is not returned to us in sufficient time. The finished CORI forms and training sign-in sheets are then sent to the CORI data entry person, who puts the data into our spreadsheets for each parish or school, including completed CORIs and training dates. If a name change is needed, she does that as well. Finally, the training sign-in sheets are sent to the coordinator for the OCP, where all of the hard copies of training sheets are maintained for audit purposes.
With what seems like mountains of paperwork coming in every week, particularly in the autumn, it becomes very important to have everything submitted correctly the first time around. It is virtually impossible to track all of the partially completed paperwork and fill in the rest later. For example, if a sign-in sheet is sent to us and there is no corresponding CORI, the training date may not be correctly attached to the right CORI later. A huge problem has been in getting incomplete CORI forms or sign-in sheets, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to know who the person works/volunteers for. If the CORI form does not indicate school or parish and location, we may think it belongs to one St. Mary’s parish when it belongs to a different one.
Additionally, having training forms that are incomplete, in different formats and signed on both sides makes it very laborious to go back to old records to try to find proof of earlier trainings. We will be going through a comprehensive review of records early next year to ensure that all the training sheets that we have are entered into our system, but it is still much easier for everyone if there is a standard form, which has been sent to all DREs, and all of the forms are completely filled out. This saves time, postage and paper, and most of all, reduces frustration for all of us! The OCP office is currently undergoing some system revision which will make all future tracking easier, but that will only happen if everyone does his or her part to get things done correctly the first time.
Do all new DREs have to go through a separate training?
Yes! If you are a new DRE who has never been through the abuse prevention training, you will need to attend it here at the CSS office (please call the OCP at 508-674-4681). However, there is also an additional training that is required to ensure that you understand all the items that are needed for Charter and audit compliance and that you have all that you need to conduct trainings. Further, it is also designed to provide you support and answer any questions that you may have so that you feel confident in your new role. The coordinator for the OCP will come to your parish to do the training, so all that is needed is to schedule a mutually convenient time and the OCP will do the rest.
ADDED DECEMBER 2009
The CORI form is really confusing. Is there anything we can do to change it? The form is confusing and the possibility of changing it has already been explored. It is a form created by the State of Massachusetts and as such, cannot be changed in any way, nor can it even be retyped. If you need a fresh copy of it for use as a master copy, please call the OCP (508) 674-4681 and we will send you a new master.
When we train volunteers at the end of the year, the CORI forms sometimes come back to us and we have to redo them on the new color form. Why can’t they just to through on last year’s forms if they were trained last year?
There have been a number of questions about why volunteers who have been CORId at the end of the calendar year have to sign a new CORI in the new color at the beginning of the calendar year, when CORIs are good for a year and the form was just filled out? The answer is that far too often, we receive CORI forms that were done in September or October and not submitted until the last week of the calendar year. This means that there is no way for a CORI to be processed before the end of the year, given the holiday season. It also means that in the meantime, the volunteer was not cleared to volunteer anyway, which does not make a great deal of sense unless the volunteer was not needed until long after the form was done. Finally, it means that CORIs and possibly training sign-in sheets have been held for too long.
To avoid future problems, there are now two new rules to address this issue and to avoid frustration for all.
All training sign-in sheets and CORI forms should be submitted as soon as they are completed, especially if a large group has been trained or CORId. If the parish is small and there are only one or two people being CORId at a time, there is no need to spend postage for each one, but at a minimum, all CORIs and training sign-in sheets should be submitted monthly. If they are not submitted monthly and are held until there is a large batch, there can be a tremendous backlog in the CORI office at any given time and in the meantime, none of those individuals are cleared to serve in the parish.
Any CORI that is done within the last two weeks of the calendar year (December 16 – December 31) will be accepted on that year’s color of paper, provided it has been postmarked no later than January 7 of the following year. Any CORI that was completed prior to December 16 and/or that is postmarked after January 7 will not be accepted. It will be returned and the new color form will need to be completed.
Sometimes the catechists are not comfortable dealing with the lessons in the older grades on keeping our bodies safe. Is it okay for the DRE to do those lessons?
Ideally, DREs will work with catechists to help each teacher become comfortable with the lessons. The primary reason for having the regular catechist provide the information is to keep is as routine and non-threatening as possible. Bringing in anyone else, even the DRE who may be well known, signals that it is different in some way, which youth of that age will pick up on. If anything, having a different teacher may make the topic more challenging, so it really is best to have the regular catechist teach the lesson, thereby helping to not make an issue of the topic. If a catechist is uncomfortable, the DRE should work with that catechist and if necessary, the OCP is available to also provide support to the DRE and catechist. However, if there is no other option, the DRE may teach those lessons.
When we send sign-in sheets for people who were listed as needing training, they are sometimes sent back to us because no CORI is attached. Why is that?
Although all papers are checked when they are sent to us, it would help us to process paperwork more quickly if there is a note attached stating that these are trainings for those who were listed as needing training. Please do check your list prior to the training to ensure that the trainees also have a current CORI, as if the CORI is out of date, then a new CORI will need to be submitted as well.
It would be so much easier for us to have the volunteer sheets change colors with the school year rather than the calendar year. Why does it have to go by calendar year?
A couple of years ago, there was a request that the system, which used to be based on school year, be changed to calendar year, as that allowed for a better flow of trainings. Most were wrapping up the bulk of their trainings by the end of the calendar year and it made sense for them to start a new color in a new calendar year. If all of the new volunteers who started at the beginning of the school year were trained in fall, then there would only be a few here and there who would need to be trained after January. This also allowed for the volume of paperwork to be more evenly distributed.
However the system is managed, the reality is that individuals who volunteer must have a new CORI done every 12 months. It is the responsibility of the DRE to track who needs a CORI done in each month and the due dates will not change regardless of the color of the form. For your convenience, the CORI office at CSS sends out an updated Excel spreadsheet of everyone who is currently volunteering in your parish, including the date the last CORI cleared and the date the individual was trained. All that is left is for you to make note of the persons who are due for CORIs each month and to have them fill out a new form.
Please remember to inform the OCP of new parish employees or volunteers and those who have left, so that we can keep an accurate list of people currently serving in your parish.
ADDED JANUARY 2010
Should we hold CORIs and training sheets until we get a large batch, or send them in as they are done? PLEASE send CORIs as soon as they are complete, or at a minimum, once every month. If you have a large training group, please send in all paperwork as soon as you are done. However, even if you have one or two very small groups or just one or two individuals, please send in your completed paperwork at least once a month. This ensures that we have an accurate picture of where you stand in terms of compliance with Diocesan policies and procedures, and it gives you timely, regular feedback on what we have in our records. We process CORIs and training information for staff and volunteers in 93 parishes and 29 schools, so it really helps us to have a steady flow of work rather than getting hundreds of forms all at once.
If you are in immediate need of a volunteer, you must send in the correctly completed paperwork ASAP (if it is missing information or a copy of the photo ID, it cannot be processed). PLEASE remember that if you need a CORI processed quickly, the process does not start until all of the completed paperwork arrives in our office, and we have no guarantee that Massachusetts will process a CORI quickly (see question #2). Therefore, we strongly encourage you to plan in advance and send CORIs to us a minimum of two weeks prior to any event (the earlier the better) to have the best chance of the CORI clearing in time for the volunteer to participate in parish activities. It is also a good idea to have extra volunteers CORId and trained, just in case one has a background of which you are unaware, which would prohibit volunteering for the Diocese.
Why does it take so long for a CORI to be processed?
Our office submits the CORIs to the MA website and then we wait. We have no control over how quickly they are returned; sometimes they are done in a couple of days and sometimes we wait over three weeks, only to have to resubmit the CORI to get it processed. Also, the Commonwealth does not process all of the CORIs from a training session at the same time. Therefore, we may get one or two back at a time until we have the entire batch done. Please be patient with us and know that we monitor the CORIs regularly until they are processed. If you have questions, please call Lorraine at 508-674-4681.
If we are doing CORIs for staff or volunteers who have already been through the training process, should we have them do another training sign-in sheet as well? No, we do NOT want training sign-in sheets for anyone unless they are new or have never been trained before. At this point, the training must be done only once in a lifetime, so if you are doing renewal CORIs, please just put a sticky note on them saying that they are renewals. We will find that out when we check our database, but it does save us a little time and we appreciate your assistance!
My forms are getting to be a mess and I would like new masters. How do I get those?
For now, please call Debora at 508-674-4681 or email her at djones@cssdioc.org. We can send or email you copies of the forms. Additionally, we plan to put copies of them on the web site so that you can access them directly.
If I have a faith formation class that is using the Generations of Faith curriculum and the parents attend every class with the child, do I need to CORI all of the parents who attend the class?
The short answer is no, but here is the full answer, which is important. As long as parents are attending the classes with the students, all that is required is for all of the instructors and volunteers to be CORId and trained. However, there should be some form that parents sign indicating that they are fully responsible for the supervision, care, and safety of their children while in the classes and in the parish building. Parents should still be provided information on child safety and should be encouraged to make arrangements for child supervision with a parent they trust if the parent must be separated from the child for any length of time. An example would be one parent attending with two children and one child needing to use the restroom. The parent must choose who will either help the child who needs to use the restroom or the adult who will supervise the child staying in the classroom. There are many potential examples, but the bottom line is that parents must make the best choices they can when deciding who can care for their children.
The audit process sounds scary to me. Is it about helping us or is it punitive if we have not done something we should have done?
The audit process is not designed to be punitive. It has two primary purposes: to ensure compliance with the Charter and with Diocesan policies and procedures; and to provide guidance and support in getting anything that is out of compliance up to the expected standards. We are here to be a resource and will gladly work with you to help you figure out how to correct any deficiencies in your documentation or processes. Please see our page on the audit process.
