The Archdiocese of Los Angeles requires background checks of all employees and volunteers who work with children. In accord with the law, all school employees and volunteers must be fingerprinted and cleared to work with children. More than 50,000 employees and volunteers have been fingerprinted in the Archdiocese and have been cleared to work in a supervised setting with children. Archdiocesan policies require that no child is to be left alone in any setting with only one adult. In order for some parish volunteers to be approved to work in a supervised setting with children (parish volunteers do not work in schools), sworn affidavits are required to be completed and approved. This is because the government will not fingerprint individuals who do not possess a photo ID. The affidavit requires the applicant to disclose any prior conviction in the U.S. and elsewhere, including misdemeanor offenses committed many years ago. This was implemented in Fall 2005. While background checks are important, they are used in conjunction with abuse awareness and prevention training programs to help ensure that we create the safest possible parish and school environments for our children.