In order to comply with Pennsylvania legislation regarding clearance policies within organizations, you are being asked to complete the following steps. Under the law, ministry volunteers 18 or older in direct contact with children are required to have a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance, Pennsylvania State Police Criminal History Clearance, and an FBI Criminal History Clearance on file. Please note, however, that if you have been a PA resident for at least the past 10 years, the FBI Clearance is NOT required. Simply complete the Affidavit here attesting to this fact. See here for a Frequently Asked Questions document provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Clearances must be renewed every five years.
If you have currently valid clearances you do not need to apply for clearances again. Simply submit an electronic copy of your clearances to parishmanager@saintmattsec.org or mail a hard copy to the church office before you begin to serve (mail to: St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 919 Tennis Avenue, Maple Glen PA 19002, ATTN: Parish Manager). Always retain originals for your records.
This process will only take you a few minutes, but it may take the state several weeks to return your results, so please begin as soon as possible.
Once documents are sent by you to St. Matthew’s and processed by the Parish Office, you will receive a confirmation email indicating that you are cleared to serve.
The following links describe the process:
- Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearances (CY113) – no cost
- Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Criminal History Clearance – no cost
- FBI Criminal History Clearance: IF YOU HAVE LIVED OUTSIDE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS, a fingerprint based criminal history is required. There is a fee for this service. When registering, use Service Code: 1KG6ZJ.
Volunteers who are not required to obtain the FBI Clearance because they have been a continuous resident of Pennsylvania for the past 10 years must sign and submit this affidavit.
If you have any questions about this process, we are happy to assist you. Please contact us at parishmanager@saintmattsec.org or call the Parish Office during business hours (215-646-4092).