Parent Volunteer Info/Clearances – Our Lady of the Cross

LC Strong Board POLICY# ______

VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND CHECKS

Our Lady of the Cross School will adhere to PA Public School Code Under Act 15 of 2015 (the Act), which amends the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law, volunteers who are responsible for the child’s welfare or who have “direct volunteer contact” with children at a school— meaning the care, supervision, guidance, or control of children and routine interaction with children will be required to have background checks. The Act clarifies that “routine interaction” means “regular and repeated contact that is integral to a person’s employment or volunteer responsibilities.”

Volunteers must obtain the following certifications:

1. REPORT OF CRIMINAL HISTORY FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE (PSP)

Report of criminal history from the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP); and

This is free for volunteers every 57 months
Can be completed online at ePatch
- Choose “Submit a New Record Check”
- You are making an “Individual Request”
- You are both the requestor and the subject of the request
Once your results come back, click on the reference number to get a copy of your clearance that you can both save and print.
- Save your reference number

2. CHILD ABUSE HISTORY CERTIFICATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (CHILD ABUSE)

Child Abuse History certification from the Department of Human Services (Child Abuse).

This is free for volunteers every 57 months
Can be completed online online here. (There are also instructions on this webpage to submit a paper version.)
- Choose “Individual Login” if you already have a Child Welfare Account
  - HELPFUL HINT – once you enter your account, if you already requested a clearance as a volunteer, click RESUBMIT.
  - Choose “Create Individual Account” if you do not have an account
  - You make up your own KEYSTONE ID (username)
  - Save your account info for future access
Your record will be saved in your account. Please also save it as a PDF and print it.

3. A FINGERPRINT BASED FEDERAL CRIMINAL HISTORY (FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION) SUBMITTED THROUGH THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE OR ITS AUTHORIZED AGENT IS NOT REQUIRED AS LONG AS:

The position the volunteer is applying for is an unpaid position; AND

The volunteer has been a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the entirety of the previous10 years.

Volunteers who are not required to obtain the FBI certification because they are applying for an unpaid position and have been a continuous resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years must swear or affirm in writing that they are not disqualified from service based upon a conviction of an offense under §6344. DHS Form for Volunteers

If a volunteer has not been a resident of Pennsylvania for the previous 10 years but obtained their FBI certification at any time since establishing residency, they must provide a copy of the certification to the person responsible for the selection of volunteers and they are not required to obtain any additional FBI certifications.

If a volunteer has not been a resident of Pennsylvania for the previous 10 years, and has not obtained their FBI certification, they must obtain that certification.

Verification date must be within 5 years (60 months) of start date and needs to be updated every 5 years from the verification date.
Register at IdentoGO
- Use code: 1KG6Y3
You will receive an email with your results. Save the PDF.

4. MANDATED REPORTING TRAINING - CHILD ABUSE RECOGNITION AND REPORTING

www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu/

5. ADULT UNPAID POSITION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

Required by the Child Protective Service Law 23 Pa. C.S. Section 6344.2 (relating to volunteers having contact with children)
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT