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References: admin troubleshooting

Summary

References in Safe Pathways mostly run themselves: the volunteer names two people, the platform emails each one a questionnaire, and you review what comes back. This article covers the admin side: what to do when an email never arrives, how to resend a request, what a phone number means, how to view a submission, and how to mark a reference complete.

Who this is for

  • Church Administrators who review and approve references
  • Account Owners

What you’ll need

Make sure you have:

  • Admin access with permission to view screening status
  • Reference questions set up for your church (see Getting Started: Setting Reference Questions)
  • The reference’s name and contact details, entered by the volunteer or by you

Before you start

A quick refresher on how references flow. The volunteer enters two references on their Home page, each with an email address or a phone number (see How to: Add your references). An email address triggers an automatic questionnaire request. A phone number means church staff follow up by phone.

One thing worth knowing up front: the questionnaire email only goes out if your church has reference questions configured. If your Ref Questions page is empty, Safe Pathways has nothing to ask and quietly sends nothing. It is the most common reason a reference “never got the email.”

You manage everything from one dialog. On the Admin Dashboard, each volunteer row has Ref 1 and Ref 2 badges; selecting one opens the “References for [volunteer name]” dialog. Each reference in the dialog shows Complete (with the date and who approved it) or Not Complete.

Steps to manage a volunteer’s references

1. Open the references dialog

From the Admin Dashboard, find the volunteer and select their Ref 1 or Ref 2 badge. The “References for [volunteer name]” dialog opens with both references in one view.

[Screenshot: References dialog for a volunteer, showing Reference 1 marked Complete with a date and Reference 2 Not Complete with name and contact fields]

2. Check the status of each reference

A completed reference shows a checkmark, the completion date, and the name of the admin who approved it. An incomplete reference shows its name and contact fields so you can edit them, along with the action buttons.

3. Add or correct the name and contact details

Type or fix the reference name and the email or phone number, then select Save. If you save a new, valid email address, Safe Pathways sends the questionnaire request right away and confirms it on screen.

4. Resend the email if it went missing

Select Email Reference to send the questionnaire request again. The button appears once the reference has a name and a valid email address saved.

5. Follow up by phone when the contact is a phone number

A phone number shows a “Phone only” notice in the dialog telling you manual follow-up is required. No email is sent. Call the reference, walk through your church’s reference questions, record the conversation following your church’s practice, then select Mark Done.

6. View a completed submission

When a reference completes the emailed questionnaire, a View Submission button appears. It opens the full submission: the reference’s name and email, the date submitted, and their answer to each question.

[Screenshot: Reference Submission dialog showing the reference name, submitted date, and the list of questions with answers]

7. Mark the reference complete, or reject it

  • Mark Done approves the reference. Safe Pathways records the date and your name as the approver.
  • Reject asks for a written reason, then clears the slot so the volunteer can name a replacement. The volunteer’s reference fields unlock for the new entry.
  • Undo reverses an approval if you marked the wrong one. You’ll be asked to confirm first.

What happens next

Once both references are complete, the volunteer’s profile shows References: All Cleared, and the volunteer sees “Approved on [date]” on their Home page. That moves them one step closer to Authorized Adult; see Screening status: what Pending means for the rest of the picture.

Every action in the dialog (emails sent, approvals, rejections, undos) is recorded in the volunteer’s activity history, so there is always a record of who did what and when. Past reference submissions stay available in the dialog’s Archived References section.

Troubleshooting

The reference says they never received the email

  • Check that your church has reference questions set up on the Ref Questions page. Without questions, the email is not sent at all.
  • Confirm the contact field holds an email address, not a phone number. Phone numbers never trigger an email.
  • Look for a typo in the address. Correct it and select Save; a corrected email sends the request automatically.
  • Ask the reference to check their spam or junk folder for an email from a safepathways.com address.
  • Select Email Reference to resend.

The Email Reference button is not showing

  • The button needs a reference name and a valid email address saved first.
  • If the reference already completed their questionnaire, there is nothing left to send.

The volunteer entered a phone number instead of an email

  • This is allowed, and it means manual follow-up: call the reference and use Mark Done when you are satisfied.
  • If the reference has an email address, replace the phone number with it and select Save to send the questionnaire instead.

The volunteer cannot change a reference on their Home page

  • Once a reference is approved, the volunteer’s fields lock and show “Contact admin to change”. Use Undo in the dialog if it genuinely needs to change.
  • After you reject a reference, the slot clears so the volunteer can enter a replacement.

I approved the wrong reference

  • Open the dialog and select Undo on that reference, then confirm. The reversal is recorded in the volunteer’s activity history.

There is no View Submission button on a completed reference

  • View Submission only appears when the reference completed the emailed questionnaire.
  • References approved by phone follow-up or Mark Done have no questionnaire submission to view.

Notes

  • An email address means an automatic questionnaire request. A phone number means manual follow-up plus Mark Done.
  • The questionnaire email requires reference questions to be configured first.
  • Saving a new valid email sends the request immediately. Email Reference resends it.
  • View Submission shows the full questionnaire answers for emailed references.
  • Rejecting a reference clears the slot so the volunteer can name someone new.
  • Approvals record the date and the approving admin, and every action lands in the volunteer’s activity history.

Last reviewed

June 11, 2026