This guide is for informational purposes. Ankored recommends consulting with legal counsel to ensure your background check program complies with all applicable laws.
Why Background Checks Are Essential
Background checks are a critical compliance requirement and one component of a comprehensive youth safety strategy. They help you:
Identify known offenders before they're placed in positions of trust with athletes
Demonstrate compliance with state laws and governing body requirements
Meet your duty of care obligations as an organization serving youth
Provide transparency to parents and participants about your safety standards
Important to understand: Background checks can only identify individuals with documented criminal histories. They are a necessary screening tool, but must be part of a broader safety approach that includes training, policies, monitoring, and a culture of accountability.
Understanding Your State Law Requirements
Many states mandate background checks for anyone working with minors. Requirements vary by location and may include:
Criminal history searches
Sex offender registry checks
Identity verification
State-specific fingerprinting systems
Special State Requirements:
We recommend checking your state's laws, since several U.S. states have special requirements, such as:
Massachusetts: CORI/SORI systems
Pennsylvania: Three separate clearances (state police, child abuse registry, FBI)
Florida: FDLE fingerprinting
California: Live Scan fingerprinting
It is your organization's responsibility to ensure you are following your state's laws.
Ankored provides coordination and tracking assistance for these state-mandated processes. Work with your Ankored implementation specialist to get these set up in Ankored.
Fingerprinting in California and Florida
California and Florida both have state requirements for fingerprint-based background checks in youth sports. We recommend researching your state's law to understand exactly which staff and volunteers it applies to and what it requires of your organization.
Managing fingerprinting through Ankored
There is more than one way to meet these requirements. One option is to manage fingerprinting through Ankored. With this approach, your members schedule an in-person fingerprinting appointment directly from Ankored, and your organization reviews their results through a separate government portal.
What you need first: an ORI number
To use this approach, your organization must have an ORI number.
What it is: An ORI (Originating Agency Identifier) is a number assigned to your organization that authorizes it to receive fingerprint background check results.
Why it's needed: The ORI establishes your organization's legal basis for requesting fingerprint background checks. It is also the address the state uses to send results, which go directly to your organization, not to Ankored. Without an ORI, the state cannot release fingerprinting results to you.
How long it takes: We have seen the ORI process take 4 to 8 weeks, so plan ahead and build in enough time before your season or program deadlines.
Florida organizations using the state Clearinghouse: you must create each staff member's profile in the Clearinghouse before they schedule their fingerprinting appointment.
How you can track California and Florida fingerprinting in Ankored
Once you have your ORI number, Ankored works with our integrated fingerprinting partner, Biometrics4ALL, to set up a fingerprinting requirement for your members. Your Ankored implementation specialist will help you get this configured. Here is what your members will do:
The member opens the fingerprinting requirement in their Ankored profile and clicks Submit My LiveScan.
They are taken to your organization's unique Biometrics4ALL page, where your organization's information is already filled in. They enter their personal information, such as name and date of birth, using the same email address associated with their Ankored account so their results can be matched to their profile.
They schedule an in-person fingerprinting appointment at a location close to their home address.
They complete any required acknowledgment forms and payment (if applicable) at checkout with Biometrics4ALL, so there is nothing to pay at the appointment.
They bring their QR code (on their phone or printed) and a valid ID to their appointment and get fingerprinted.
Reviewing fingerprinting results
After a member completes their in-person fingerprinting appointment, Ankored receives confirmation from Biometrics4ALL, typically within 24 hours. The member's requirement status then changes from Incomplete to Pending Review, and they appear in Requirements Awaiting Review, on the Awaiting Review tab, with LiveScan Screening shown in the Reason column.
Everyone in your review queue for LiveScan Screening will show a status of Pending Review. Ankored does not receive fingerprinting results from the state. The state sends results directly to your organization, so the member stays in Pending Review until you mirror their result in Ankored. Until you do, your coaches and volunteers will not be able to complete their requirement.
Check the result in your government screening portal. During implementation, you will receive access to the government portal where your members' fingerprinting results are delivered. Find the member and note whether their result was approved or not approved.
Open the member in Ankored. Go to Review Requirements and click Review next to the member's LiveScan Screening requirement. Tip: type LiveScan in the search bar to show only fingerprinting requirements.
Approve or disqualify the member to match their result:
Approve: the member's result was approved. Their fingerprinting requirement is marked complete.
Disqualify: the member's result was not approved. The member is marked as Qualifications Not Met. They cannot participate in your program and can no longer log in to Ankored.
Governing Body Requirements
Beyond state law, your organization may need to comply with:
USOPC Background Check Policy (for National Governing Bodies)
League-specific requirements from your sport's governing organization
Event operator standards for competitions and tournaments
Ankored helps support tracking both state and governing body requirements.
What's Included in a Background Check
A comprehensive background check includes multiple searches:
Identity Verification (SSN Trace) - Confirms identity and provides address history
National Criminal Database - Searches hundreds of databases nationwide
National Sex Offender Registry - Searches all state sex offender registries
County Criminal Search - Searches specific counties (where actual court dispositions are recorded)
Federal Criminal Database - Searches federal district courts (Level 3 only)
Important: A national database search alone is not sufficient. County-level searches and sex offender registry checks are essential for credible, compliant screening.
Credit checks are not included
Background checks run through Ankored's integrated providers (JDP, NCSI, and Yardstik) do not include a credit check and do not affect a member's credit score. Ankored's background check packages include criminal searches only.
Members may notice references to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in the consent forms they sign before their background check. That is because background screening companies are Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs), and the FCRA is the federal law that governs all CRAs, including the credit bureaus. The FCRA language appears in every background check consent, but it does not mean a credit check is being run.
Background checks for minors
If you choose to run background checks on staff or volunteers under 18, expect very limited information to be reported.
Juvenile records are handled differently from adult records, and each state sets its own rules. In many states, juvenile records are sealed or confidential, so they generally do not appear on a standard background check.
There are exceptions. For example, a minor who was charged as an adult may have a record that can be reported, and some states allow certain juvenile records to be reported in limited situations.
Minors usually have very little identity or address history, so the SSN Trace and the county searches that depend on it may return little or no information.
Because minors cannot legally consent on their own, a parent or guardian typically needs to authorize the background check.
A clear result for a minor does not necessarily mean they have no history. Pair background checks for minors with training, clear policies, and supervision. To learn more, see What information appears on a background check for a minor?
Selecting Your Background Check Level
Ankored partners with vetted Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) to offer three progressive levels of background checks designed to provide scalable screening solutions aligned with organizational risk tolerance and compliance requirements:
Level 1 - National Database with Conditional County Search
What's Included:
SSN Trace with address history
National Criminal Database Search
National Sex Offender Registry Search
County Criminal Search (conducted when national database identifies a potential record)
Why This Level: Establishes baseline screening through national criminal database indicators and sex offender registry monitoring. The national indicator functions as a pointer system, identifying jurisdictions where records may exist. Upon identification of a potential record, county-level verification is conducted. This approach delivers cost-efficient national coverage while minimizing unnecessary county-level searches.
Best For: Organizations seeking entry-level screening that meets basic compliance requirements while managing costs.
Level 2 - National Database + Current County Search
What's Included:
Everything in Level 1
PLUS: Guaranteed Current County Criminal Search (conducted for ALL applicants)
Why This Level: Addresses critical gaps in national database reporting. Research indicates approximately 70-80% of criminal offenses occur within an individual's current county of residence. Many jurisdictions demonstrate inconsistent reporting to national databases, and municipal-level offenses frequently bypass national systems entirely. Current county searches provide direct access to court records with comprehensive offense details, including recent charges that may not yet appear in national databases or may never be reported.
Best For: Most youth sports organizations - provides comprehensive screening while balancing cost and thoroughness.
Level 3 - Comprehensive History + Federal Search (USOPC Compliant)
What's Included:
Everything in Levels 1 and 2
PLUS: 7-Year County History Search (searches all counties identified in 7-year address history)
PLUS: Federal Criminal Database Search
Why This Level: Provides the most comprehensive screening available. Mitigates risk associated with geographic mobility - an individual may present a clean record in their current jurisdiction while maintaining undisclosed convictions in previous counties of residence. The 7-year county history search traces residential address history and conducts criminal record searches across all identified jurisdictions. Federal district court searches identify offenses prosecuted at the federal level, including serious crimes such as drug trafficking, weapons violations, and crimes against children prosecuted under federal statutes. This level meets USOPC compliance requirements.
Best For: Organizations under USOPC governance, those with heightened risk exposure, or organizations requiring the most thorough screening available.
Questions to Consider
Before launching background checks, you should establish answers to the following questions:
Which roles require background checks?
Which background check level is appropriate for each role?
How often should background checks be renewed? (Typically every 2 years.)
Will you accept manually uploaded background checks from other sources?
What disqualifies someone? Your written adjudication criteria should spell this out.
Who pays for background checks: your organization or the individual?
Adjudication Criteria: Example criteria your organization might consider:
Any felony involving violence, abuse, or controlled substances within the past 7 years
Any sex offense (permanent disqualification)
Crimes against children (permanent disqualification)
Homicide or murder (permanent disqualification)
Payment Model:
Organization Managed: Your organization pays for all checks
Individual Managed: End users pay for their own checks
The Adjudication Process
Ankored does not make hiring or participation decisions. Your organization is responsible for:
When a background check needs a decision:
Review the results
Evaluate against your written adjudication criteria
Make the eligibility decision (approve or deny)
In Ankored, a background check that needs your decision shows Consider in the Reason column of your Review Requirements queue, and the member's status shows as Under Review. Consider is the industry term background check providers use for a result that needs a decision. It replaces the older "Flagged Background Check" label.
Background check reports are stored with your integrated background check provider. Where you review the report and make your decision depends on your provider in Ankored:
JDP and NCSI: review the report and make your decision in your provider's portal. Your decision syncs back to Ankored automatically.
Yardstik: review the report and make your decision in Ankored, in your Review Requirements queue. Your decision is sent to Yardstik automatically.
If you deny someone, you must follow federal law (FCRA):
Send Pre-Adverse Action Notice with copy of report
Allow 7-10 business days for response
Send Final Adverse Action Notice if decision stands
Your CRA partner can assist with adverse action procedures. Failure to follow FCRA requirements can result in legal liability.
Establish an Appeals Process
Define how your organization will handle disputes:
Timeframe for appeals (e.g., 14 days)
Who reviews appeals
How decisions are documented
Confidentiality procedures
Policy Templates
If you would like a starting point for your own policies, Ankored has policy templates available that we can share with your organization:
Background Check Policy Template
Background Check Appeals Policy
Eligibility Policy
To request any of these templates, contact [email protected].
Please note: these templates are suggestions only and are meant to be a starting point. They should be reviewed by your legal counsel and/or your board before being adopted by your organization.
Ongoing Compliance
How long are background checks valid?
Background checks don't have a universal expiration date. The validity period depends on your organization's internal policies and any state or local regulations that apply to you. We recommend reviewing your state and local laws to understand any mandatory background check renewal requirements for youth-serving organizations in your area.
Common renewal timeframes:
Many organizations require annual background checks, which is the recommended duty of care
Some organizations renew checks every 2 years, which most governing bodies require
Others require a new check when someone changes roles or responsibilities
Setting expiration dates in Ankored: you can configure background checks to expire based on:
A specific number of days after completion (for example, 365 days for annual renewal)
A specific month and day each year (for example, September 1 for seasonal programs)
This lets you align your background check schedule with your program season, fiscal year, or registration cycle.
Choosing your renewal timeframe is your organization's decision. The Ankored team can help you set up your expiration settings in Ankored, but we do not choose or recommend which settings your organization should use.
Reminders: Ankored sends automated reminders 30, 15, 7, and 3 days before expiration, as well as ongoing reminders for incomplete background check requirements.
Reporting in Ankored
Ankored provides compliance dashboards and exportable reports that track each member's background check status in Ankored.
How Ankored Helps
Automated workflows for standard and state-specific requirements
Fingerprinting coordination through Biometrics4ALL partnership
Real-time tracking of completion statuses
Centralized dashboard for organization-wide visibility
Glossary
Adjudication: Evaluating a background check against your disqualification criteria to determine eligibility.
Adverse Action: Legal process required when denying someone based on their background check.
Consider: The status shown in your Review Requirements queue when a background check needs an admin decision.
CRA (Consumer Reporting Agency): Organization authorized to prepare background check reports.
Disposition: Final outcome of a criminal case (guilty, not guilty, dismissed, etc.).
FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act): Federal law regulating how consumer reports, including credit reports and background checks, are used.
ORI (Originating Agency Identifier): A number that authorizes your organization to receive fingerprint background check results.
Questions?
Contact the Ankored support team:
Email: [email protected]