apply for clearances

  Directions:

1. Go to https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS/Public/Home.
2. Click “Create Individual Account.” Note: You will need an email address to create this account.
   1. If you already have an account, click “Individual Login” to access your clearances or request updated clearances.
3. Click “Next.” You will be prompted to create a “Keystone ID” of your choosing, and you will need to fill out your contact information and select security questions.
4. Click “Finish.” An email with a temporary password will be sent to you.
5. Return to https://www.compass.state.pa.us/CWIS/Public/Home and select “Individual Login.”
6. Select “Access My Clearances.”
7. Sign-in to your account by entering your Keystone ID (username) and temporary password.
   1. You will be prompted to enter a new password of your choosing. This will become your permanent password.
8. You will be taken back to the Log-in page and asked to log-in again with your Keystone ID (username) and new permanent password.
9. Select “I have read, fully understand and agree to the My Child Welfare Account Terms and Conditions” and then click “Next.”
10. Select “Create Clearance Application.”
11. On the “Application Purpose” page, select the first option, “Volunteer Having Contact with Children.”
    1. You will be prompted to choose a Volunteer Category from a drop-down menu. Choose “Other.”
    2. In “Agency Name,” write “Meals on Wheels.”
12. Fill in your personal information on the “Applicant Information” throughout the next several pages, clicking “Next” at the bottom of each page to continue forward.
13. On the “Application Summary” page, review your information to ensure it is correct, and then click “Next” at the bottom of the page.
14. On the “eSignature” page, select “no,” and then check off the box to affirm that the information you have included is correct. Write your name in the box that appears underneath the affirmation statement.
15. On the “Applicant Payment” page, select “no,” and then click “Next” at the bottom of the page to submit your clearance application. (If you are still prompted to pay, this may be because you didn’t choose “Volunteer Having Contact With Children” in Step #11 or you have already received your child abuse clearance within the past 5 years).
16. You will receive an email confirming that your clearance application has been received. You will then receive an email notification of the clearance results within 14 days of this submission.
17. Once received, print a copy of the official clearance for your records and submit a copy to our AmeriCorps VISTA.