NOTE: Not all Opportunities require background clearances. If background clearances are required, they will be listed in the Opportunity with a link to this page.
Required Background Clearances for Volunteers are: 1) Pennsylvania Criminal History Record Check; 2) Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance; and in some circumstances 3) FBI Background Check with Fingerprinting OR Volunteer Request for Waiver Form.
NOTE: The Pennsylvania Criminal History Record Check and the Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance may be obtained at no cost every 57 months.
Pennsylvania Criminal History Record Check (Pennsylvania State Police: PA Access to Criminal History: PATCH) – Click "New Volunteer Record Check" and follow the prompts to complete the background clearance. https://epatch.pa.gov/home
Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance (Department of Human Services). The volunteer will need to create an individual account and follow the prompts to complete the background clearance: https://www.compass.dhs.pa.gov/CWIS
FBI Background Check with Fingerprinting:
FBI Exemption Process: Volunteers are exempt from obtaining an FBI background check and fingerprinting if the volunteer has lived in Pennsylvania during the entirety of the previous ten-year period. In the volunteer meets this requirement, the volunteer must affirm that they are not disqualified pursuant to Pennsylvania Statute Title 23 §6344(c) or have not been convicted of an offense similar to those listed in §6244(c) by signing the Volunteer Request for Waiver Form.
Volunteers who are not exempt must contact the volunteer coordinator to obtain instructions on how to obtain this clearance, which requires fingerprinting.
Provisional Approval while Background Clearances are in process:
Volunteer applicants can serve provisionally for 30 days if they have: (1) applied for the required background clearance; (2) the volunteer affirms that they are not disqualified from service as outlined above. The volunteer must sign the 30-Day Provisional Volunteer Request for Waiver Form.
How to submit your background clearance documents:
First, please make sure all three clearances have been completed as noted above. These documents may be submitted to the volunteer coordinator at the location requiring the background clearances. Click "Locations" in the left-hand navigation bar, find the location from the list, then click the "i" information button to obtain the email and contact information.
