Volunteer Clearance Requirements
The following clearances are required for any adults who are volunteering where children may be present (either client or volunteer). Clearances must be no older than 5 years old. Pennsylvania Criminal and Child Abuse volunteer clearances are free to obtain.
PA Resident – continuous resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years
Volunteers should complete the following:
- Pennsylvania State Police Clearance
- Website: https://epatch.pa.gov/home
- Click the yellow button marked “Volunteers Only.” This should waive the fee.
- Your results should be ready within 24 hours.
- Click “Certification Form” on the results page. That is your official report. You can save it as a PDF or print it.
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance (Application Instructions)
- Website: https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Clearances/Pages/PA-Child-Abuse-History-Clearance.aspx
- If you haven’t made a Child Welfare Portal account, you will need to do so to order a report. Make sure you mark yourself as a volunteer. This should waive the fee.
- Your results should come back within two weeks if not sooner
- You can log in to view the PDF version of your results.
- A physical copy will also be mailed to your home address.
- Disclosure Child Abuse History Clearances
PA Resident – resident of Pennsylvania for less than 10 years
Volunteers should complete the following:
- Pennsylvania State Police Clearance
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
- Federal Bureau of Investigation – there is a $25 fee to obtain an FBI clearances
Non-PA Resident
Out of State Provision Clearance Requirement for Volunteers
Individuals who reside in another state or country may serve as a volunteer for no more than 30 days in a calendar year, as long as they provide clearances from their state or country of residents. If the individual is volunteering for more than 30 days in a calendar year, they must obtain clearance as outlined above.
