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Volunteer Clearances

Instructions to Obtain Volunteer Clearances

  • Everyone 18 and older is required by PA State Law to have clearances to work with children. (Pennsylvania's Act 153) 

  • You are responsible to get your own clearances and complete the Checklist of Required Volunteer Certifications for us to keep on file. There is no cost if you register as a volunteer (unless you have not lived in PA for 10+ years; see step 3). 

  • You may submit copies of clearances obtained for other volunteer positions or paid jobs.

  • These clearances are good for 5 years. We are required to keep your clearances on file and will alert you when they need to be updated after the 5 year period is over. 

  • PA Clearance FAQ page

STEP ONE: You need to get a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance at PA Child Abuse History Certification. You need to create an individual account on that site to have your log-in information in case you need to report  suspected child abuse. The Volunteer clearance should be free.

STEP TWO: You need to get a Pennsylvania State Police background check here: Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History. This will open an information sheet. Please note all browsers are not compatible with their system. 

STEP THREE: If you have lived in the state of PA for 10 years or more and have no police records in other states that would prohibit you from working with children, you do not need to do step three. If you cannot sign that statement, you need to get your FBI background check here: IdentoGO and get fingerprinted. The service code for volunteers is 1KG6ZJ (That website has a list of locations to get the actual fingerprinting done.) There is a fee for this clearance.  For more information about the fingerprinting process, visit Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Criminal History Background Check

STEP FOUR: is optional but encouraged: You can watch the video class that explains the reporting laws and how to report www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu. This training video is mandatory for paid employees, but not for volunteers. 

STEP FIVE: You will receive confirmations for all of your clearances via email or postal mail. When you have received all your confirmations, please upload one copy of each into the online form: Checklist of Required Volunteer Certifications for us to keep on file.