As Christian adults, we have a moral and legal responsibility and are entrusted by God with the spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of minors and vulnerable adults. As they participate in activities within or sponsored by our Parish, it is our responsibility and commitment to provide an environment which is safe and nurturing.
The Safe Environment Program at Our Lady Help of Christians, as mandated by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is a comprehensive child safety and child sexual abuse prevention program, which creates a network of prevention and protection for the children entrusted into our care. Any individual 18 and older participating in any of our Ministries or volunteering in any way for OLHC will need a certain level of State and Federal clearances.
Required Archdiocese training
Clergy, Staff and Volunteers
The Office for Child & Youth Protection of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia requires all adults (18 and older) who have regular contact with children (at least one time per week) to complete the Safe Environment Training outlined below within 90 days of hire or before beginning service.
Safe Environment Training
Protecting God's Children (Safe Environment Part I)
Protecting God's Children provides basic facts about child sexual abuse and adults’ roles in prevention. Attendance is required within 90 days of hire or before beginning service. To register click here .
Mandated Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse (Safe Environment Part II)
Mandated Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse provides an overview of Archdiocesan reporting procedures for suspected child abuse and Pennsylvania Child Welfare Laws. Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse, is available in English and Spanish. Click here to login to the Training Institute and begin the training.
Required Clearances
The following clearances must be obtained by employees:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Fingerprint Clearance
- Pennsylvania State Police Clearance
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
The following clearances must be obtained by volunteers living in PA for less than 10 years:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Fingerprint Clearance
- Pennsylvania State Police Clearance
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
The following clearances must be obtained by volunteers living in PA continuously for 10 years:
- Pennsylvania State Police Clearance
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
- Disclosure Statement Application for Volunteers to be filed at the place of service.
The following clearances must be obtained by ALL employees and volunteers 18 years and older.
- Protecting God’s Children - An in-person class - approximately 2.5 hours
- Mandated Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse - Online - approximately 1 hour.
Minors
Minors (defined as 17 and younger) who are volunteering are NOT required to obtain any clearances.
Minors, ages 14-17, applying for or in a paid position as an employee responsible for the welfare of a child or having direct contact with children are required to obtain all three clearances, but can be exempt from obtaining the FBI fingerprint clearance under certain circumstances. Please see our Background Checks and Clearances Required for Minors FAQ for more details.
The following is the service code needed to register minors in paid positions that have contact with children:
1KG756 for Employees 14–17-year-olds
Obtaining Required Background Checks
How To Obtain Pennsylvania Child Abuse, Criminal History, and FBI Clearances:
Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance:
- To obtain a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance online, go to: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home.
- You will need to create an account.
- The “Keystone ID” is the User ID you make up. - The certificate will be mailed to you.
- Promptly, bring the certificate to the rectory where it must be kept on file.
- This clearance must be updated every 5 years.
Paper submissions of the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification application will still be accepted for anyone who may not have access to the internet. To access the paper application click the button below:
Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification
If you have questions related to the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification, please contact the ChildLine Verification Unit at 717-783-6211 or toll free at 1-877-371-5422.
Pennsylvania Criminal History Clearance:
- To obtain a Pennsylvania State Police (PATCH) Criminal history Report go to: https://epatch.pa.gov/home.
- Follow prompts.
- When finished, filling out your information, click on the tab to PRINT OUT your certificate.
- Promptly, bring the certificate to the rectory where it must be kept on file.
- This clearance must be updated every 5 years.
If you have questions about the Pennsylvania State Police Request for Criminal History Record), please call: Toll-free 1-888-783-7972. For paper copies:
FBI Fingerprint Clearance
To obtain a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal History Clearance:
The fingerprint-based background check is a multi-step process.
- Go to https://www.identogo.com/services/live-scan-fingerprinting to register or call 1-844-321-2101 and listen to the options menu.
- Enter the Service Code:
You will be asked to provide service codes when you register.
Service Codes for all employees and volunteers:
- Code for Pennsylvania DHS-Employees 14-year-old and over: 1KG756
- Code for Volunteers: 1KG6ZJ