Clearances Required for Volunteers: If you plan to volunteer with children in any capacity at Saints Peter and Paul School, you need to have Safe Environment clearances in place. If you are not sure if your clearances have expired, you may contact Mrs. Therese Waters, Safe Environment Coordinator for the School, at twaters@sspeterandpaulrc.org to check the status.
In Saints Peter and Paul School community, volunteers who have any contact with children are required to submit all state and federal clearances (items 1-3 below), register for the Safe Environment Training, Parts I and II (listed below: items 4-5) and complete the Mandated Reporter Form (if needed item #6 ) before beginning their volunteering. You then have 90 days to fulfill/complete all requirements.
Please note: All CYO volunteers are required to have all of their clearances on file before beginning their volunteer work.
Every person needs to have these clearances:
1. Pennsylvania State Police Clearance (valid for 5 years), which can be obtained online at https://epatch.state.pa.us
2. Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance (valid for 5 years), which can be obtained online at www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis
3a. If you have been living in PA for fewer than ten (10) continuous years, this is the clearance you must obtain:
All required current and/or prospective employees or volunteers should select the DHS-OCYF (Department of Human Services-Office of Children, Youth and Families) option.
The following are service codes needed to register:
1KG738 for Child Care Services/Program Employee and/or Contractors 18 and over.
1KG756 for Employees 14-17 years old that have contact with children
1KG6ZJ for Volunteers.
You should then click on Schedule or Manage Appointment and complete the required information.
Payment is made at the time of fingerprinting.
For fingerprint locations please visit the following website: https://www.identogo.com/locations/pennsylvania
3b. If you have been living in PA continuously for ten (10) years, this is the form you must sign:
PA Residency Disclosure Statement for volunteers (valid for 5 years) to be filed at the place of service. Please note: This is new as of July 2015.
4. Safe Environment Training Part I: Protecting God’s Children (instructor-led): is offered regularly at sites throughout the Archdiocese. The training provides basic facts about child sexual abuse and adults’ roles in prevention, and since 2011, a Technology Addendum is included in this training as well. Click here to ‘Start Registration’ and select a date. If you have already done this session, you do not have to repeat this training. If you completed this classroom training prior to 2011, you will have to complete the Technology Addendum separately.
Please note: At the completion of this session, you will be issued a certificate confirming training in the Standards of Ministerial Behavior and the Technology Addendum. You must provide this certificate to the Safe Environment Coordinator.
5. Safe Environment Training Part II: The Mandatory Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse: is available online at the Archdiocesan Training Institute. This training provides an overview of Archdiocesan reporting procedures for suspected child abuse and Pennsylvania Child Welfare Laws. The training should take you approximately one hour to complete. Click Here to Register. Please note: This is new as of 2015.
6. Mandated Reporter Acknowledgement Form: Click Here to Download. Please note: There were updates made by the state to the Mandated Reporting requirements in 2015, therefore anyone who took the class prior to 2015 needs to review the changes and sign this form and send it to the Safe Environment Coordinator.
Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions please contact Therese Waters, School Safe Environment Coordinator, twaters@sspeterandpaulrc.org