Vulnerable Sector Check Costs Remain a Barrier for Volunteers

Executive Summary Values of generosity, giving, and participation in community are considered essential by many Canadians. For many, the giving of both time and resources in the form of volunteering and charitable donations is a part of the fabric of a way of life: a mark of healthy citizenship and flourishing society. Many Canadians volunteer in informal ways in their daily lives. Formal volunteering, however, is in decline in Canada. This decline among younger generations of Canadians is having a profound impact on Canada’s charitable sector, a sector that generates more than 7 percent of Canada’s GDP and employs more than two million people every year. The ease with which one can participate as a volunteer is important for the growth and encouragement of formal volunteering in Canada. Policy options that serve to facilitate this growth are not hard to find. We propose that one such area is evaluation of the purpose, methods, and access to vulnerable sector checks for prospective volunteers and charitable organizations. Employers and charitable organizations use vulnerable sector checks as part of the volunteer screening process. These checks are required by most organizations or employers for anyone working or fulfilling a role in which they are in a position of trust or accountability for vulnerable persons, such as children, the elderly, or persons with disabilities. In this research report, we present an overview of vulnerable sector checks in Canada and describe the ways in which these checks present challenges and barriers to prospective volunteers and to the charitable sector