Vulnerable sector check

A vulnerable sector check is a detailed police check for jobs with trust or authority over children or vulnerable people, done by local police.

Also called: VSC, vulnerable sector screening, vulnerable sector verification

What vulnerable sector check means

A vulnerable sector check is the most detailed type of police record check in Canada. It is for people applying for paid or volunteer positions of trust or authority over children or vulnerable persons, such as child care, home care, coaching or work in a care home.

Besides criminal convictions, it includes a search for record suspensions (pardons) for certain sexual offences listed in the Criminal Records Act. Depending on the province, it can also include other information held by local police.

Only certain jobs qualify. The RCMP says it is the nature of the position, not the person, that must involve authority over or trust of children or vulnerable persons. An office job at a daycare company with no contact with children may not qualify.

How it works

The hiring organization decides whether the role is a position of trust or authority over children or vulnerable persons, and requests the check. Usually you give the candidate a letter or form that describes the position, and the candidate takes it to the police.

The check must be done by the police service, or authorized body, where the applicant lives, not where your business is. In British Columbia, the authorized body is the BC Criminal Records Review Program. The applicant gives written consent on a separate form for vulnerable sector checks.

If the applicant's name, sex and date of birth match a possible record, they will be asked for fingerprints to confirm their identity. That can add weeks or months, so build time into your hiring plan and decide whether the person can start in a supervised role while waiting, if your industry rules allow it.

In Ontario, the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 sets the vulnerable sector check as the most thorough of three check levels. It includes everything in a criminal record and judicial matters check, plus some other information such as certain non-conviction information. Volunteers in Ontario still pay any police fee for a vulnerable sector check.

Many regulated sectors, like licensed child care, set their own rules on when checks are needed and how often they must be renewed. Check your licensing body's rules. Treat results as highly confidential.

Is it the same in every province?

The vulnerable sector check is based on the federal Criminal Records Act and done by local police everywhere in Canada. Ontario sets out its levels of checks in its own law, and British Columbia uses its Criminal Records Review Program. Licensing rules for sectors such as child care vary by province.

Example: A tutoring centre hires a new tutor

Mei runs a 9-person tutoring centre in Calgary for children aged 6 to 14. Her tutors work one-on-one with children, so every tutor job is a position of trust over children.

Mei's offer letter is conditional on a satisfactory vulnerable sector check. She gives her new tutor a letter describing the role, and the tutor applies through the police service where she lives, in Airdrie. The name check matches a possible record, so the tutor is asked for fingerprints. Mei keeps the start date flexible and the result comes back clear three weeks later.

Hollis tracks the dates

Hollis, part of the Staffkin HR Suite, tracks certification expiries for each employee. If your sector requires checks to be renewed, you can track those dates too.

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Free tools and guides for this

Questions about vulnerable sector check

Can an employer request a vulnerable sector check for any job?

No. The position itself must involve trust or authority over children or vulnerable persons. The hiring organization makes the request, and the applicant consents.

Where does a candidate get a vulnerable sector check?

From the police service, or authorized body, where they live. In British Columbia, that is the BC Criminal Records Review Program.

Why does a vulnerable sector check sometimes need fingerprints?

If the applicant's name, sex and date of birth match a possible record, fingerprints are needed to confirm whether the record belongs to them.

What does a vulnerable sector check show that a regular check doesn't?

It also searches for record suspensions (pardons) for certain sexual offences listed in the Criminal Records Act, and in Ontario it includes some non-conviction information.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.