Screening volunteers under 18

Parent/guardian authorization is collected automatically for under-18 applicants, and the check waits until the guardian signs.

Plenty of programs rely on teen volunteers — junior coaches, youth leaders, camp helpers. VolunteerBadge screens applicants as young as 14, and when an applicant is under 18 it automatically collects a parent or guardian authorization before the background check runs.

Why a parent or guardian has to sign

A background check is a consumer report under the FCRA, and it may only be obtained with the subject's valid written authorization. A minor generally cannot give legally binding consenton their own — their signature is voidable. So for an under-18 applicant, the teen's signature alone is not a sufficient authorization; a parent or legal guardian must authorize the check as well.

How it works

You don't configure anything per-template. When someone applies and enters a date of birth that puts them under 18, the application automatically shows an extra Parent/Guardian Authorization section asking for:

Parent/guardian legal name
Relationship to the applicant (mother, father, stepparent, legal guardian…)
Parent/guardian email address
Parent/guardian mobile number

Adult applicants never see this section — it appears only for under-18 dates of birth.

The guardian signs it themselves

After the teen submits, VolunteerBadge emails and texts the parent or guardian a secure link. The guardian opens it, reviews the same FCRA disclosure, and signs the authorization in their own name. We record the signature with a timestamp and IP address.

This is deliberate: the applicant cannot sign on their parent's behalf. Collecting both an email and a mobile number means the request reaches the guardian directly, on a channel the teen doesn't control.

The check waits

Until the guardian signs, the background check will not run. If you try to run it, you'll see a message telling you the authorization is still pending and where it was sent. Once the guardian signs, you can run the check normally.

Turning it off

Guardian authorization is on by default for every organization. You can change it under Settings → Screening → “Require parent/guardian authorization for applicants under 18.”

We strongly recommend leaving it on. If you turn it off, VolunteerBadge will run checks on minors using only the minor's own signature, and you take on the risk that the authorization isn't legally effective. Some state laws and many insurance policies also require guardian consent for minors.

Should you screen minors at all?

That's your call, and it varies by program. Many organizations do screen teen volunteers — especially where they help supervise younger children. Others rely on adult supervision and reference checks instead. A few points worth weighing:

Juvenile records are usually sealed. A check on a 16-year-old often returns nothing simply because juvenile records aren't publicly reportable — a clear result says less than it would for an adult.
Your insurer may require it. Check your volunteer liability policy language.
Parents generally expect it. Asking for guardian authorization signals that your program takes safety seriously.

Consider pairing screening with character references and appropriate supervision policies rather than relying on the check alone.