Overview

If background checks are not being triggered when volunteers register, or completed checks are not showing on your Background Checks report, the cause is almost always one of three things: (1) the volunteer role on the Program was not configured with a background check provider, (2) the Background Checks Dashboard is not filtered to the correct Program/Volunteer Type, or (3) the person (for example a Board Member) has not enrolled as a volunteer. This article walks through each scenario.

This guide assumes your site has already been integrated with a background check provider such as Protect Youth Sports (PYS). If your site is not yet set up for background checks at all, contact TeamSideline support to enable the integration first.

1. Make sure each volunteer role has a provider selected

The most common reason a background check does not trigger at registration is that the volunteer role on the Program does not have a background check provider assigned. A provider must be selected per individual volunteer role (Coach, Assistant Coach, Board Member, etc.) — it is not applied to the whole Program at once.

1. Open the Program and go to the 2 Configuration page.
2. Click Add Volunteer.
3. Select the Volunteer Type (for example, Coach).
4. For Background Check (the Background Check Service), use the drop down to select Protect Youth Sports (or your chosen provider).
5. Save the role. Repeat for every volunteer role that should require a background check.

If a role already exists without a provider: you cannot simply edit the provider onto it. Delete the existing volunteer role and re-add it with the Background Check provider selected, following the steps above.

After this is done, when a volunteer registers for that role they will be prompted for their background check information (Legal First/Middle/Last Name, SSN, Gender, Date of Birth) during registration.

2. Note: background checks only run on programs that have volunteer registration

Background checks are triggered when a volunteer enrolls for a volunteer role on a Program. If you have not yet opened volunteer registration on a Program (or are using a separate registration just for volunteers), no one can be prompted for a background check on that Program. Make sure the Program you expect checks on actually has the configured volunteer roles open for enrollment.

3. Don't see completed checks? Set the Dashboard Configuration filter

If a volunteer has completed (or paid for) a background check but does not appear on the Background Checks report, the report is usually just filtered to a different Program or Volunteer Type. The Dashboard Configuration controls live at the top of the page and are easy to scroll past.

1. Go to Reports > Report Dashboards > Background Checks.
2. Click the Dashboard Configuration button at the top of the page.
3. For Program, use the searchable drop down to select the desired Program (or All Programs). Tip: type a keyword to filter the list.
4. For Volunteer Type, use the drop down to select the desired Volunteer Type.
5. Click Apply. The dashboard will then populate with matching background checks.

Once filtered correctly, the summary shows totals such as Total (all checks matching your selections) and Pending (checks still waiting on results from the provider, plus any failed/unprocessed reports).

4. Where to see an individual's background check status

You can also confirm a single person's status from their account: on the Account Overview > Enrollments page, the Background Checks section shows the volunteer's history and when their check was completed, and the Enrollments section shows what they have volunteered for.

5. Board Members who need a background check

Board Members need a background check just like coaches, but the Board Member role works a little differently:

• Each Board Member should enroll as a volunteer in one of your Programs (for example the Football or Cheer program) using a role that has a background check provider assigned. Enrolling is what prompts the background check.
• The Board Member role is available for enrollment specifically so all Board Members complete a background check.
• Board Member is not a roster-eligible role. On the 4 Rosters > Assign to Rosters page, only Manager, Coach, Assistant Coach, and Team Parent can be assigned to a team. If you want a Board Member to also appear on a team (for example a "board" team), they must enroll a second time under one of those roster-eligible roles.

To verify which Board Members have enrolled and passed: use the Background Checks Dashboard (Section 3) filtered by the Board Member Volunteer Type to see who has completed their check.

6. Who can view the Background Checks Dashboard

Access to the Background Checks Dashboard is permission-controlled. If an admin cannot see Reports > Report Dashboards > Background Checks, an admin who already has the role can grant it by adding the appropriate role to that user's admin account under Manage Admin Users.