Upon initially seeking clearance for ministry, each individual must attend an Adult Safe Environment Program. These are held throughout the Diocese at various times of the year. At time of attendance, the attendee will be given the background check forms for his or her signature. The Program facilitator will forward all signed forms to the Office of Safe Environment. All background checks are coordinated through the Office of  Safe Environment rather than the individual parish, school or other institution.

During the first year of the Safe Environment program (October 2003-October 2004), the Diocese utilized the services of a private commercial agency to coordinate the necessary checks in order to get a thorough composite of each applicant's history. 

In November of 2004, the Diocese began coordinating the checks internally, usually without any intermediate commercial agency.  An exception to this would be in the case of individuals having moved recently from other states or countries.

As a result of resuming Diocesan control over the background checks, the Diocese requires individuals to complete two separate background check permission forms (as needed by the agencies).  We thank all for accepting this inconvenience.

The agencies whose records we check are: Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC); Cabinet for Health and Family Services Central Registry Check (CAN); the National Sex Offender Public Registry, which includes Kentucky's Sex Offender Registry; and other agencies, as indicated or necessitated on a case-by-case basis.

Currently, the Diocese bears the expense for all background checks. 

When a person's records indicate no charges or convictions of concern and the person has completed the Safe Environment training, the person is sent a credit-card-sized card indicating that s/he has been cleared for ministry. The date of background check expiration is indicated on the card.

If any offenses show up on a person's record, these are carefully evaluated and weighed by the Background Check Coordinator, according to diocesan policies, always keeping in mind the safety of the children and youth with whom the person plans to minister. If the person is restricted from some activity, this is indicated on the card sent to him/her. The principal, pastor, or other institutional head is notified of the restriction. One of the most common is a restriction from transporting children based on one or more traffic offenses of a serious nature or due to frequency of convictions..

Some offenses result in a prohibition from ministry with children, either for a determinate time or permanently. Any conviction for a sexual offense of any nature results in a prohibition from ministry with children.

In the case of either a restriction or a prohibition, the person is given the opportunity to appear before a panel, in a strictly confidential forum, to appeal the restriction or prohibition. Proof of strong mitigating circumstances may result in a lessening or limiting of the restriction or prohibition.

In the beginning of this process, background checks were valid for two years. Late in August  2006, that time period was changed to five years, as long as the person had remained in the Diocese during that time.  Before the expiration of the background check, each individual is responsible for renewing by signing and submitting a new set of background check forms. Forms can be obtained from the place of ministry, the Office of Safe Environment, or the Diocesan Safe Environment website, where a variety of links are provided to locate these forms.