Millard County Adopts Child‑Abuse Prevention Policy; Volunteers and Recreation Programs to Face New Background Checks and Training

The Millard County Commission adopted Resolution 25‑05‑06, directing county departments with youth programming—recreation, 4‑H and similar services—to implement child‑abuse prevention policies that include background checks against state and federal offender registries, training for volunteers and staff to identify and report abuse, and a retention/tracking system for the associated records.

County staff told commissioners that most volunteer coaches and other youth volunteers for spring programs are already being screened and tracked in departmental spreadsheets, but that the resolution formalizes an obligation created by state code and will require a larger administrative effort. Staff said the county is pursuing minimal‑time training options and recommended re‑training every three years while conducting registry checks on volunteer onboarding and regularly (staff said annual or at hire/re‑hire would be common practices).

Commissioners asked whether the screening and training would discourage volunteerism; staff replied the checks themselves are quick and that the major burden will be record retention and administering training. One commissioner requested the county examine any available fiscal notes and state assistance programs, noting the administrative costs could be significant if scaled across all youth programs. Staff said some implementation work is already under way and that the county was close to meeting the May 1 compliance date.

A motion to approve Resolution 25‑05‑06 passed by voice vote.