Tides Application
Tides TidesVolunteerApplication in PDF format. Please complete interactive form and email to info@tidesprogram.org. We will contact you after receiving the form.
[su_divider text=”RETURN TO TOP” divider_color=”#a199d2″ size=”2″][su_divider text=”RETURN TO TOP” divider_color=”#a199d2″ size=”2″][su_divider text=”RETURN TO TOP” divider_color=”#a199d2″ size=”1″][/su_divider]
Required Volunteer Clearances:
In order to volunteer with Tides, we ask each volunteer to complete the Child Abuse Clearance, PA State Police Criminal Background Check, and the FBI clearance* (*only if you have not been a PA resident for the last 10 years) as mandated by law July 25, 2015.
We take the safety of our volunteers and Tides families very seriously and take multiple measures to ensure this. We need copies of the clearances for our Tides records should we ever be audited. Please contact Suzanne or Holly if you should have any questions. Thank you for your cooperation. Our hope is to keep both the families we serve and volunteers safe at all times.
July 25, 2015: It is mandated by law that all volunteers who work with children must have clearances.
The required clearances include:
- The PA Criminal Background Check
- The Child Abuse Clearance Form
- FBI fingerprinting* (*Only for volunteers who have not lived in PA for the last 10 years).
The cost of the Criminal Background Check and Child Abuse Clearance forms are now waived, although there remains a fee for the FBI fingerprinting. Clearances must have been conducted within the past 3 years. We have attached a link to the website that walks you through the steps. Below are a few suggestions that may aid you in the process.
Child abuse clearances:
- Click on PA Child Abuse History Clearance (CY-113) under the Most Viewed Column (3rd column)
- Check Volunteer; Other–Tides, Inc. under the Purpose of Certification (according to directions listed on page 4 of the application).
PA State Police Criminal Background Check:
http://epatch.state.pa.us/Home.jsp
- Click on the yellow New Record Check(volunteers only) to get the fee waived.
FBI Clearance:
This is now required by law if the person volunteering HAS NOT been a PA resident for the last 10 years.
Fee: $27.00; All applicants will now receive an unofficial copy of their report. Fee is payable to 3M Cogent.
The fingerprint-based background check is a multiple-step process, as follows:
1. Registration – The applicant must register prior to going to the fingerprint site. Walk in service without prior registration will not be provided at any fingerprinting location. Registration is completed online or over the phone. Registration is available online 24 hours/day, seven days per week atwww.pa.cogentid.com. Telephonic registration is available at 1-888-439-2486 Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm EST. During the registration process, all demographic data for the applicant is collected (name, address, SSN, etc.); there is no data entry required or allowed at the fingerprint collection site. Any corrections to this data must be made prior to being fingerprinted.
2. Payment – The applicant will pay a fee of $27.00 for the fingerprint service and to secure an unofficial copy of the Criminal History Record. Applicants may make their payment online using a credit card or debit card during the registration process. Money orders or cashiers checks payable to 3M Cogent will be accepted on site for those applicants who do not have the means to pay electronically. No cash transactions or personal checks are allowed.
3M Cogent has also established an agency billing procedure for fingerprinting services from an appropriate requesting agency that is willing to pay the applicant’s fee. Billing may only occur after the requesting agency has completed the 3M Cogent Agency Pay Agreement. To establish a billing account, visit the website www.pa.cogentid.com and download an application. The billing account must be established prior to sending applicants to the fingerprint site.
3. Fingerprint Locations – After registration, the applicant proceeds to the fingerprint site of their choice for fingerprinting. 3M Cogent has established over 80 sites across the Commonwealth. The location of the fingerprint sites and days and hours of operation for each site are posted on 3M Cogent’s website at www.pa.cogentid.com. The location of fingerprint sites may change over time; applicants are encouraged to confirm the site location nearest to their location. PDE encourages entities where access to the fingerprint location is more than 20 miles away to contact 3M Cogent and suggest areas where another closer site could be established.
4. Fingerprinting – At the fingerprint site the Applicant Livescan Operators (ALO) manage the fingerprint collection process. The fingerprint transaction begins when the ALO reviews the applicant’s qualified State or Federal photo ID before processing the applicant’s transaction. A list of approved ID type may be found on the 3M Cogent website at www.pa.cogentid.com. Applicants will not be processed if they cannot produce an acceptable photo ID. After the identity of the applicant has been established, all ten fingers are scanned to complete the process. The entire fingerprint capture process should take no more than three to five minutes.
[su_divider text=”RETURN TO TOP” divider_color=”#a199d2″]