First English Evangelical Lutheran Church
Volunteer and Employee Requirements for Working with Children

Individuals working with children as volunteers or paid employees are required by law to obtain the following certifications as described below.

Volunteers

ALL volunteers (Sunday School teachers, chaperones, etc.) must obtain the following certifications:
Report of criminal history from the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP)
Child Abuse History certification from the Department of Human Services (Child Abuse).

Additionally, a fingerprint based federal criminal history (FBI) submitted through the Pennsylvania State Police or its authorized agent is NOT required as long as:
The position the volunteer is applying for is an unpaid position, AND
The volunteer has been a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the entirety of the previous 10 years.

Volunteers who are not required to obtain the FBI certification because they are applying for an unpaid position and have been a continuous resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years must swear or affirm in writing that they are not disqualified from service based upon a conviction of an offense under §6344. Please click here for a copy of the background check signature form.
NOTE: If a volunteer has not been a resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years, but obtained their FBI certification at any time since establishing residency, they must provide a copy of the certification to the person responsible for the selection of volunteers and they are not required to obtain any additional FBI certifications.

Employees

Paid employees having contact with children must obtain the following three certifications:
Report of criminal history from the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP)
Child Abuse History Certification from the Department of Human Services (Child Abuse)
Fingerprint based federal criminal history submitted through the Pennsylvania State Police or its authorized agent (FBI).

Obtaining and Renewing Clearances

Both the criminal record check and child abuse clearances may be completed online:
Report of criminal history from the PSP: https://epatch.pa.gov/
Child Abuse History Clearance Online: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS
To be fingerprinted as part of your background screening, visit https://uenroll.identogo.com/ and enter the following code for volunteers when prompted in the enrollment process: 1KG6ZJ

First Lutheran Church will reimburse volunteers and employees for the cost of obtaining these certifications. Please submit receipts to Suanne O’Dell (sso@flcpittsburgh.org) for reimbursement.

Clearances must be renewed every 60 months.