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The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown youth protection polices and protocols are designed to reduce the risk of sexual abuse and neglect of vulnerable persons. These policies mandate all personnel (clergy, religious orders, employees, educators, and volunteers) who minister to individuals, families, adults, as well as youth and children to adhere to trainings, obtain clearances, and provide required documentation to serve within our diocese. It is imperative that we remember the sanctity of human life and the importance and worth of each individual as a child of God.

Should you choose to serve the diocese as a member of the clergy, a religious order, employee, educator, or a volunteer who works with minors and vulnerable persons; you have chosen to adhere to a screening process, trainings, and completing an application package. These items are non-negotiable and there are no exceptions. The safety and well-being of our youth and vulnerable is our top priority.

Please follow the 3-step process for paperwork, clearances (online) and training (online) for employees & volunteers. For live trainings, please refer to the calendar of events for upcoming workshops.

If you are unable to complete these steps online or have questions, please contact Michele Luciano @ mluciano@dioceseaj.org; (814) 317-2614 for assistance.

The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown is firmly committed to protecting children and youth. If you have a reasonable cause of suspected child abuse, general child well-being concerns or know of other abuse of minors please report your concerns to:

911 immediately if there is an indication of imminent danger
PA Child Line 1-800-932-0313 (intake is available 24/7)

Reports of abuse within the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown:

Pennsylvania Attorney General Hotline (888) 538-8541
Pennsylvania State Police Headquarters (717) 783-5599 or your local Pennsylvania State Police Station
Your local police department

To report to the Diocese any suspected abuse of a minor within the diocese, please call the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown Independent Reporting Hotline hosted by Nulton Diagnostic and Treatment Center* at this Toll-Free Number: (833) 685-8661. Your call will be answered by a representative of Nulton Diagnostic and Treatment Center.  Any information provided to Nulton Diagnostic and Treatment Center will be reported to law enforcement as required by state law.  *Nulton Diagnostic and Treatment Center is independently owned and operated and not associated with the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.

[ultimate-faqs]

Decree of Promulgation (December 6, 2021)

Clearance Application Files:

The below files will be shown on the above pages:

  1. Application (Employee & Volunteers)
  2. Code of Conduct (Employee & Volunteers)
  3. Youth Protection Use of Technology (Employee & Volunteers)
  4. CPSL Volunteer Disclosure Statement for Volunteers only
  5. Ministry Reference Form to be completed by a parish representative or reliable reference. It is not suggested to ask clergy to complete.  (Employee & Volunteers)
  6. School Employees ONLY: complete an Arrest/Conviction Report and Certification Form (Act 24)
  7. School Educators (Teachers): complete Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Sexual Misconduct/Abuse Disclosure Release (Act 168)

If you are unable to do any of these steps online, please ask for other options. For questions, please contact:
-Michele Luciano, Director – mluciano@dioceseaj.org / (814) 317-2614
-Allison Raymond, Executive Assistant – araymond@dioceseaj.org / (814) 317-2608

Please complete the following clearances (links & instructions below):

I.)  Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check:

  1. Go to: https://www.psp.pa.gov/Pages/Criminal-History-Background-Check.aspx (do not do in CHROME); click on “Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History (PATCH)”
  2. Please choose according to your role:
    • For Volunteers, “New Volunteer Record Check”
    • For others, “Submit a New Record Check”
  3. When you get to the page that says “Record Check Details”, scroll down and you will see a link to a Certification Form. Click on that link, follow directions, and please print the actual certificate.

 

II.)  PA Department Child Abuse History Certification:

  • Go to: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home and click on “Create a New Account”
    • You will need to create a “Keystone ID” – this is like a username; it is not a password. You may already have an account if you have used this portal to report child abuse or have used the online application previously for a child abuse clearance.
    • After you fill in the requested information, the state will send you a temporary password through your email. You will need to use the Keystone ID (username) and the temporary password to sign back into the website to create your own password.
    • You must log back into the website using your username and your own password to actually apply for the clearance. Record your Keystone ID and password and keep them for future reference. Reports can be obtained both online and by mail. It is suggested to choose both options.
    • This is the role you should choose: “An individual 14 years of age or older applying for or holding a paid position as an employee with a program, activity, or service

III.)  FBI Fingerprint Clearances

To arrange an appointment to obtain an FBI/Fingerprint clearance check you must register on-line:

  1. Go to https://uenroll.identogo.com/
  2. Applicant will need to have a code (see chart below).
  3. Use this code for Employees/Clergy/Religious: 1KG756
  4. Fees vary on the type of application, from $22-25+; you must use a code
    1. Each county has designated vendors for fingerprinting. Appointments can be made online (recommended) and walk-in options vary by site – please refer to location information.

 

Service Code Applicant Type Examples of Role Dept.
1KG6TR Non-Public Schools Parochial Educators, staff, etc. Parochial and Private Schools PDE
1KG6ZJ

PDE Volunteer

(Parochial school volunteer)

NON-Paid volunteer at a School-Public, Parochial or Private, includes coaching PDE
1KG756 Employee (DHS) Anyone that is >=14 Years Contact w/ Children (regardless of role or frequency) Required for Clergy, Religious orders, Parish & DAJ Employees/Support staff, contractors etc. Daycare, school, sports, etc. DHS
1KG6ZJ Volunteer (DHS)– NON-Paid volunteer who volunteers working with children. This would include volunteers for parish and diocese programs  Examples: CCD teachers, camp, scouts, mentoring, etc. DHS

All applicants (employees and volunteers) are required to complete two (2) trainings and are to be renewed every five (5) years.  Both trainings are available online or can be completed by attending a diocese workshop.  Please visit the events page for upcoming training sessions.

Online training options:

(1.) Protecting God’s Children Training with Virtus® Online

  1. If you previously had a Virtus account, please contact Michele Luciano (mluciano@dioceseaj.org / (814) 317-2614) to reactivate your old Virtus account and you will be assigned the proper youth protection training.
  2. If you have never had an account with Virtus, go to: https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/
    • Choose: FIRST TIME REGISTRANT
    • At the screen: “your organization”, please select: Altoona-Johnstown Diocese
    • Choose: Protecting God’s Children® Online Awareness Session 4.0 (this online training is approximately one hour).

***NOTE: For a new Virtus® registration, the applicant will be asked to provide personal information for a national background check via Fastrax. This is required as part of the clearance/background check process. Applicants who have had a Virtus® account previously will be provided instruction on how to complete this clearance.

(2.) Mandated Reporting Training: Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Mandated and Permissive Reporting in Pennsylvania Online Training

  1. This is a three hour training offered by the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work
  2. Use the following link to register and create an account: https://www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu/
    • Do not use a mobile device, including cell phones, iPads, tablets, etc.
    • Once you begin the training, your work can be saved and you will be able to restart where you left off.
    • The slides cannot be advanced.
    • When the training is complete, you will receive a certificate of completion within 24 hours via email.

Please send copies of all clearances (not originals) of both trainings and certificate of completion to the Office of Children and Youth Protection at the Diocese. Copies should also be kept at the primary location (parish or school) in a locked cabinet where the applicant is employed or serves. Only authorized personnel should have access to these files.

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