An administrator should periodically audit and review credentials in their system.  This can be to make sure credentials that end up certain statuses followed documented procedure/policy and to make sure credentials do no linger in certain statuses for too long. 

For example, for those few credentials that end up in a "Denied" status, the administrator show review the credential notes and history to make sure all policies were followed.  Then, if needed, follow up accordingly with staff and potentially the volunteer. 

Audit & Review Options

1. The "Credential Dashboard" page, provides a high level view of the credentials in the system by stats and counts. Here counts with values greater than zero will feature the ability to click through to the "Volunteer Credentials" page with a filter in place to match the summary information. For example, background check credentials that moved into the "Review" status with the last 7 days. The Credential Dashboard is the default landing page for the "Credentials" link in the main left-hand side navigation.
   
   
   
   
   
2. The "Volunteer Credentials" page within the "Credential" area shows all active credentials in the system.  It is accessible via the "Volunteer Credentials" button () across the top of all pages within the "Credential" area.  This page provides the administrator with a tabular list of all credentials in the system, the credential's status,and the contact it is assigned to.  This features a filter that allows the administrator to narrow the list via:
   
   
   • Credential Status - The different credential status available in the system.
   • Credential Name - The various active credentials in the system.  Click for more information.
   • Start Date - Drop-down filter options: All, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Last 90 Days, Last 6 Months, Last 12 Months
   • Expiration Date - Drop-down filter options: All, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Last 90 Days, Last 6 Months, Last 12 Months, Next 7 Days, Next 30 Days, Next 90 Days, Next 6 Months, Next 12 Months
   • Status Change Date - Drop-down filter options: All, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, Last 90 Days, Last 6 Months, Last 12 Months
     
     
     
     The filter will default to credentials under a "Review" status. They can also use the search box to further filter the onscreen results by matching any of the information on each credential.  Including contact names, additional contact fields, additional contact information, etc.. 
     
     NOTE: If auditing weekly the administrator should set date filters to 'last 7 days', if monthly 'last 30 days'.  The "Status Change" date should be your best bet for that, however if you haven't audited in a long while you should simply filter by credential and status until you are caught up. 
     
     When the list is producing the desired results, the administrator can click on the edit button (pencil icon) to view the credential detail page for contact in question.

      

     
     
     From there the administrator can review the credential notes/history and move forward with any needed Credential Administration and/or follow up with an organizer or volunteer according to documented policies. 

Take special care to examine any denied/exempt since last audit AND those that have been in review/submitted for "too long" since last audit (rule of thumb - anything greater than 72 hours).


Denied Credential Notes:

For non-integrated credentials the policy auditor admin can review any administrator notes on the credential status changes and which administrator made the credential status change in question. They can then determine if their existing risk management policies were followed correctly.  For integrated credentials it will show the status change as "System", meaning the update came from a 3rd party outside of VolunteerMatters.

If the credential has been denied either by an administrator (either manually or via a background check adjudication at a 3rd party provider) or directly via a 3rd party Learning Management System, administrators (or delegated organizers) should follow documented policies on the next steps. These can include following up with the volunteer with an explanation and removing the assignment, if necessary.    

In the case of  a Learning Management System, there may be situations where an organization allows the volunteer to retake an training/course on a learning credential. For this they need to edit the credential and change it to Canceled or Expired (depending on whether it is integrated or not).  However, always follow documented organization risk management policies and procedures. 

Exempt Credential Notes:

A credential may be automatically exempted if a volunteer when they fall above or below the "Age Exemption Limit" and "Age Exemption Direction" settings on the credential or manually by an administrator. This is similar to being approved in that the volunteer can proceed with the project assignment. However, for those that are set to exempt volunteers under a certain age, once the volunteer’s age exceeds the age of exemption, the system will automatically expire the volunteer’s credential and they will no longer be exempt, requiring them to re-apply. 

For those automatic exemptions, the policy auditor admin should review any exempt credentials that feature an expiration date far in the future. Typically this will occur on automatic exemptions based on a specific age, and below, where the volunteer has entered an incorrect birthday.  For example, if the volunteer is 17 (birthdate = 10/1/2001) and the credential they are being exempted for, is for those under 18, it should make the credential expiration date their 18th birthday (10/1/2019).  However if the volunteer mistakenly enters his birthday for this year (10/1/2018), the credential expiration date would be set 10/1/2036.  An administrator can catch these and then follow documented policies on correction.  This can include contacting the volunteer for the correct birthday, updating the contact's record, and then updating the credential with the proper exemption dates. For those automatic exemptions that are above a certain age they will feature no expiration date. 

Some exemptions may be made manually by an administrator, providing volunteers with an exemption that may be used to "work around" policy. It is important that the policy audit admin review these exempt credentials and validate the exemptions were applied properly. For instance is it an allowed exemption for the background check where the volunteer is a staff member and has a background check with a different organization background check service or is it a prohibited exemption where the administrator is "vouching" for the volunteer. All changes to an exempt status should be accompanied by notes explaining the reason for the exemption as well as a history record showing when and who made the change.  A policy audit admin can then review those notes and follow up according to documented policy.