Free guide · 2026 edition · For Pennsylvania programs that collect Child Protective Services Law clearances
Keystone Clearances: The Pennsylvania volunteer-screening guide
Who needs PATCH, child abuse and FBI clearances under Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law, what they cost, when they expire, and what they can’t tell you — every rule cited to the statute or the agency that administers it.
By the VolunteerBadge research team · Sources checked September 11, 2026
- Written for Pennsylvania ministries, leagues, camps, schools and PTOs that collect clearances
- The Child Protective Services Law, DHS guidance and 2025 state data explained
- A renewal tracker and a volunteer letter you can copy
- Every statute and agency page cited
Who Keystone Clearances is for
Pennsylvania children’s and youth ministry leaders, league and club administrators, camp directors, school and PTO volunteer coordinators, scout and troop leaders, child care directors, and volunteer managers at any nonprofit that serves children or older adults.
245,274
child abuse clearance applications from volunteers were processed by DHS in 2025.
Pa. DHS 2025 Child Protective Services Report
61,484
FBI fingerprint record requests were made for volunteers through DHS in 2025.
Pa. DHS 2025 Child Protective Services Report
2,639
clearance applicants in 2025 were identified as substantiated or alleged perpetrators of child abuse.
Pa. DHS 2025 Child Protective Services Report
Cited to primary sources
Pennsylvania at a glance
- The three clearances
- A Pennsylvania State Police criminal history report (PATCH), a DHS child abuse history clearance and a fingerprint-based FBI check.
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344(b)(1)–(3)
- Who needs them
- An adult applying for or holding an unpaid volunteer position with a child-care service, a school, or a program, activity or service who is responsible for a child’s welfare or has direct volunteer contact — care, supervision, guidance or control of children and routine interaction with them.
- 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 6303(a), 6344.2(a)
- The FBI exception
- Not required for an unpaid volunteer who has lived in Pennsylvania for the entire previous 10 years (or has a DHS FBI result from after moving here) and swears in writing that they are not disqualified — never for volunteers in child day-care centers, group day-care homes or family child-care homes.
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344.2(b.1)(1), (4)
- Cost
- PATCH and the child abuse clearance are free to volunteers once every 57 months. The DHS volunteer FBI check is $22.95, rising to $25.95 on October 1, 2026.
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344.2(g); Pa. DHS, Apply for an FBI Criminal History Background Check
- Renewal
- Every 60 months, counted from the date of the oldest clearance.
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344.4(2)–(3)
- The 72-hour rule
- A volunteer arrested for or convicted of a disqualifying offense, or named as a perpetrator in a founded or indicated report, must tell the organization in writing within 72 hours; willful failure is a third-degree misdemeanor.
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344.3(g)–(h)
- Out-of-state volunteers
- A nonresident who meets their home state’s clearance standards may serve provisionally for up to 30 days in a calendar year.
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344.2(f)
- Mandated reporters
- An individual, paid or unpaid, who is an integral part of a regularly scheduled program, activity or service and is responsible for a child’s welfare or has direct contact with children must report suspected abuse.
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 6311(a)(7)
From the Keystone Clearances executive summary
Six rules behind Pennsylvania’s three volunteer clearances
- 1
Three clearances, not one background check.
A State Police criminal history report (PATCH), a DHS child abuse clearance and — for many volunteers — an FBI fingerprint check.
- 2
The volunteer test has two parts.
Care, supervision, guidance or control of children and routine interaction with them — or being responsible for a child’s welfare.
- 3
The FBI check has a residency exception.
Ten years’ Pennsylvania residency (or an earlier DHS FBI result) plus a signed disclosure statement — never in child day-care centers, group day-care homes or family child-care homes.
- 4
Free, but not all of it.
PATCH and the child abuse clearance are free to volunteers once every 57 months; the FBI check is $22.95, rising to $25.95 on October 1, 2026.
- 5
Sixty months, from the oldest date.
All of a volunteer’s clearances renew together, counted from the oldest one.
- 6
The duties don’t end at approval.
Volunteers must report disqualifying arrests and convictions, and founded or indicated reports, within 72 hours — and many are mandated reporters.
Inside Keystone Clearances, chapter by chapter
- 01
The CPSL clearance floor for volunteers
The CPSL clearance rule on one page, with DHS’s 2025 volunteer figures.
- 02
The three clearances
PATCH, the child abuse clearance and the FBI check — what each one searches.
- 03
Who is covered
The two-part “direct volunteer contact” test and the programs the law names.
- 04
The FBI check and the 10-year residency exception
The three conditions, the disclosure statement and the day-care bar.
- 05
What clearances cost — and who pays
Fees, the 57-month waiver and how organizations can prepay.
- 06
Timing, renewal and portability
Processing times, the oldest-date renewal rule and out-of-state volunteers.
- 07
Paid, unpaid and under 18
Volunteers, employees, 14–17-year-olds, J-1 visitors and the 45-day window.
- 08
Who can’t serve, and the duties that follow
Automatic bars, your own standards and the 72-hour rule.
- 09
Schools and child care
PDE guidance, Acts 168 and 126, and the child care center rules.
- 10
Camps, older-adult programs and prison ministry
DOH camp registration, OAPSA’s volunteer exclusion and DOC Policy 1.1.6.
- 11
Mandated reporting
Who must report, when and how, and the penalties and protections.
- 12
Records you won’t see
PATCH’s limits, Clean Slate and the fair use of records.
- 13
Local fair-chance rules, and what’s changing
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Act 41 of 2026 and HB 2474.
- 14
Why it can’t replace PATCH or DHS clearances
Why it can’t replace PATCH, the DHS clearance or the FBI check, and where it adds coverage.
- A
Appendix A: Clearance checklist and renewal tracker
Audit your program and track each volunteer’s renewal date.
- B
Appendix B: Letter to volunteers: your Pennsylvania clearances
How to get each clearance, step by step, ready to send.
- C
Appendix C: Every 23 Pa.C.S. and DHS citation
Our Pennsylvania pages, related guides and every 23 Pa.C.S. and DHS citation.
Keystone Clearances: Pennsylvania questions answered
- Do volunteers need the FBI check?
- Often, but not always. Under 23 Pa.C.S. § 6344.2(b.1), an unpaid volunteer can skip it if they have lived in Pennsylvania for the entire previous 10 years (or already have a DHS FBI result from after moving here) and swear in writing that they are not disqualified. The exception never applies to volunteers in child day-care centers, group day-care homes or family child-care homes.
- How often do Pennsylvania volunteers renew their clearances?
- Every 60 months, counted from the date of the oldest clearance (23 Pa.C.S. § 6344.4). PATCH and the child abuse clearance are free to volunteers once every 57 months, so an on-time renewal is free for those two.
- Can a VolunteerBadge check stand in for PATCH, the child abuse clearance or the FBI check?
- No. It does not replace PATCH, the DHS child abuse clearance or the DHS FBI check. It adds nationwide coverage, identity verification and re-screening between renewals, and it helps with roles the Child Protective Services Law doesn’t cover.
Beyond Keystone Clearances
More on Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania volunteer background check requirementsThe statutes, covered roles and check types, at a glance.
- Running a nonprofit in PennsylvaniaScreening, mandated reporting, volunteer liability and charitable registration.
- Pennsylvania youth camp screening rulesWhat the state asks of day and overnight camps, with citations.
- Pennsylvania homeschool co-op requirementsIncorporation, state reports and charitable registration for co-ops.
- Cleared for CampA staff screening and child-safety playbook for camp directors — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Let the Children ComeA screening and child-safety playbook for children’s ministry — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Before the First WhistleA coach and volunteer screening playbook for youth sports — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Beyond the Visitor BadgeA volunteer screening playbook for schools and PTAs — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Safe MatchesA mentor screening and match-safety playbook for youth mentoring programs — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Old Enough to HelpA playbook for screening, supervising and protecting teen volunteers and junior staff, ages 14–17 — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Still Clear?A re-screening playbook for volunteer programs — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Two DeepA volunteer screening and youth-protection playbook for scout troops, youth clubs, 4-H and Boys & Girls Clubs — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Tell SomeoneA mandated-reporting playbook for nonprofits and the volunteers they train — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Inside and OutA volunteer screening playbook for prison, jail and reentry ministries and programs — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Behind the CurtainA screening and safeguarding playbook for youth theater, music, dance and arts programs — covers Pennsylvania law.
- Every guide that applies in PennsylvaniaState-specific and national guides in one list.
The Pennsylvania sources behind Keystone Clearances
Checked September 11, 2026. The guide cites each one where it is used.
- Child Protective Services Law, 23 Pa.C.S. Ch. 63 (incl. §§ 6303, 6311, 6344–6344.4)
- Criminal History Record Information and Clean Slate, 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 91
- Pa. DHS, Keep Kids Safe — Volunteers FAQ (Aug. 23, 2024)
- Pa. DHS, Disclosure Statement for Volunteers (rev. Feb. 2025)
- Pa. DHS, Child Abuse Clearances
- Pa. DHS, Apply for an FBI Criminal History Background Check
- Pennsylvania State Police, Request a Criminal History Background Check (PATCH)
- Pa. Department of Education, School Volunteer Background Checks
- Public School Code § 111, 24 P.S. § 1-111
- 55 Pa. Code Ch. 3270 (Child Care Centers)
- Pa. DHS, 2025 Annual Child Protective Services Report
- Pa. Department of Health, Organized Camps
- Pa. Department of Aging, Criminal History Background Checks (Peake)
- Philadelphia Bill No. 250373-A (Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards)
General information, not legal advice. Laws and agency practice change. Confirm anything you rely on with the agencies named here, your licensor, your insurer or qualified counsel. Spot an error? Tell us and we will fix it.
VolunteerBadge is owned and operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). This guide is general educational information and is not legal advice. Laws change; this guide's sources were checked as of September 11, 2026.