This page will be edited for clarity as we receive questions! Please let us know if anything is confusing or if you need help obtaining your clearances.
All Girls Rock! Pittsburgh volunteers (“volunteers”) working directly with campers (such as band managers, camp counselors, instrument instructors, camp floaters, etc) are required provide Girls Rock! Pittsburgh with original copies of their current child abuse clearances and criminal record checks. Clearances must be renewed every 5 years.
All information obtained by Girls Rock! Pittsburgh in relation to a volunteer’s clearances will remain confidential and will only be used for the organization’s legal compliance purposes. A prior criminal conviction is not an automatic bar from volunteering unless required by law and convictions or arrest data unrelated to volunteering will not be considered when assigning volunteer roles.
In order to volunteer at our 2024 camp, clearances are due no later than July 1st. If by July 1st you have applied for but not yet received your clearances, let us know.
Please keep a copy of your clearances for your records. Volunteers are responsible for re-providing a copy of all required clearances each additional year of volunteer service if asked.
If you already have clearances, great! Make sure that they are all dated within 60 months of your anticipated dates of volunteering (ex: dated no earlier than August 4, 2019 for 2024 camp) and then contact volunteer@girlsrockpittsburgh.org or operations@girlsrockpittsburgh.org to let us know you have them and to make arrangements for submitting them to us securely. Please do not email them!
For more information about Pennsylvania’s background check requirements for volunteers, visit the Department of Human Services certifications page or Keep Kids Safe PA.
How to Apply For Clearances
PA State Police Criminal Record Check
Required for all volunteers working directly with youth
This record check is free for volunteers and results usually return immediately (though results may be delayed for a variety of reasons).
Visit https://epatch.state.pa.us, select New Record Check (Volunteers Only), and read and agree to the terms. When filling out the initial form, enter “Girls Rock Pittsburgh” as Volunteer Organization Name and leave Organization Phone blank. You’ll be taken to another form to fill out (please note that if you choose not to include your SSN, your results may be delayed) and submit. This will then take you to another page with a request queue where you’ll submit again.
Your request will then be processed and you should now be able to see your control #. Click on your control # to view your results. Click on “Certification Form” to open your clearance and save a copy for your own records (preferably in pdf form).
Provide clearances@girlsrockpittsburgh.org with your date of application, your application control #, and your first and last name (your legal name on your clearance) so that we may view your results, but do not email your clearance certificate to us.
Child Abuse History Clearance
Required for all volunteers working directly with youth
Before you apply, e-mail volunteer@girlsrockpittsburgh.org for a fee-waiver code to allow us to view your results.
This record check is free for volunteers, but the fee waiver is limited to once every 57 months. If you are required to pay, e-mail volunteer@girlsrockpittsburgh.org for a payment code or submit your receipt afterwards for reimbursement.
Visit https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/Public/ and create an Individual Account. Once your account has been created, log in and select “Access My Clearances”. Read the lengthy terms, scroll to the bottom, and click the well-hidden “Continue” button (in the bottom right corner of the page). You may be prompted to log-in and verify your identity.
Once you’re logged in, click “Create Clearance Application.” Read the terms and scroll to the bottom to click “Begin” (again hidden in the bottom right corner of the page). When prompted, select ”Volunteer Having Contact with Children” under Application Reason, and “Other” for Volunteer Category, and enter “Girls Rock Pittsburgh” for Agency Name. You’ll then be taken through a series of pages with questions, including pages asking you to provide all your prior addresses and the names of everyone you’ve lived with. Please note that while the SSN question is optional, not providing it may delay your results.
On the “Application Payment” page, you’ll be asked if you have an authorization code. Answer YES and input the code that we provided to you. You’ll receive a confirmation email giving you an estimated time of receipt for your finished clearance. Again, please log in when your results arrive and save a copy of this clearance for your records but do not email it to us.
FBI Criminal History Record
Required for volunteers who have lived in PA for less than 10 years
This clearance is not required for volunteers who have been residents of PA for the past 10 years if a verification form is signed. This form will be circulated prior to camp.
We will cover the cost of this background check. Before applying, e-mail volunteer@girlsrockpittsburgh.org for our NCAC payment code.
This background check is a two-step process and involves an in-person visit to an authorized IDENTOGO fingerprinting site. First, visit https://uenroll.identogo.com/workflows/1KG6ZJ to register to be fingerprinted. If asked, the service code for volunteers is 1KG6ZJ. When prompted for your employer, leave it blank and click “next.” When asked if you have an authorization code, choose “Yes” and continue filling out the forms on the following pages.
When asked to pay, provide our NCAC payment code. If this code isn’t accepted or doesn’t work, self-pay if possible and submit your receipt to volunteer@girlsrockpittsburgh.org for reimbursement within 7 days.
Once you’ve registered, visit an authorized fingerprint site (listed here) with a valid form of photo ID (listed here). The UPS Store on Pitt’s campus (3945 Forbes Ave, 15213) is usually the most convenient option for most volunteers. They are open Monday through Friday from 10am to 7pm and Saturday from 10am to 3pm.
Your results will be mailed to you 4-6 weeks after fingerprinting. Please get fingerprinted as soon as possible. When your results come in, contact volunteer@girlsrockpittsburgh.org or operations@girlsrockpittsburgh.org to let us know you have them and to make arrangements for submitting them to us securely.