In order to coach in Little League in the state of Pennsylvania, there are 2 parts of the background check process that must be completed.

1. Little League Background Check - this must be completed prior to your team's first practice
2. Pennsylvania Act 153 Clearances (there are several parts to this process) - this must be completed prior to your team's first game

More information about each of these, including the steps you need to take, is included below. If you do not have the LL Background check completed by your team's first practice, then you will not be able to coach on the field until the items are completed and in good order. You will need to have the PA Act 153 Clearances completed before your first game or you will not be allowed to coach.

Any questions about the information below can be directed to [email protected].

1. Little League Background Check

Little League International requires all leagues and districts in the United States to conduct background checks for all individuals who provide regular service to the league and/or who has repetitive access to or contact with players or teams.

Berwyn Paoli Area Little League uses J.D. Palatine to execute the Little League background checks. Volunteers will be able to entire all of the required information securely via the J.D. Palatine website.

Prior to the start of the season, you should receive a "Volunteer Application" email from Little League on behalf of Berwyn Paoli Area Little League.

What you need to do:

1. After you receive the "Volunteer Application" email from Little League, follow the instructions to begin the background check. You will be directed to the J.D. Palatine website.
2. Complete the Little League Volunteer Application on the J.D. Palatine website. Be sure to follow the process until you receive a confirmation that your application has been submitted.

If there are any questions about your application, someone from Berwyn Paoli Area Little League will reach out to you.

2. Pennsylvania Act 153 Clearances

As you may know, Pennsylvania issued new rules a few years ago regarding background checks and clearances. BPALL needs to comply with these rules. Many of you have already dealt with this if you are coaching TEYSA, Paoli Wildcats, Conestoga Wrestling, Conestoga Generals, Conestoga Legion, Boy Scouts, etc., or even volunteering at your child’s school.

Recent changes to Pennsylvania's child protection laws require BPALL to collect several background clearances from all volunteers who have direct contact with children. This is in addition to the Little League Volunteer Form used for Background Checks that we have previously performed. Those are still required (see 1 above). Specifically, any individual who serves as a volunteer coach (manager or assistant), will need to obtain the clearances described below and submit them to BPALL. If you have obtained them for another volunteer role, like TEYSA, Paoli Wildcats, or otherwise, you just need you to forward those documents to your manager, with the clearance documents attached.

If you have not already obtained the required clearances listed below, here are the specific steps you need to take:

1. Obtain All of the Required Clearances

1. The Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check can be completed online at https://epatch.state.pa.us. This record check should be instantaneous, and at the end of the process click on the “control number” and then “certification form” to print out a copy of the results. If you are able to do so, save a copy of this form as a .pdf file.
2. The Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance application can be completed online at https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home. Once you enter the link you will be directed to the Child Welfare Portal where you must create an account or log in if you already have an account. When the review is completed (which is not instantaneous), you will receive an email advising you to log on to the system to review the results, at which point you can print them or save them as a .pdf file.
3. If you are in a volunteer role with BPALL, and have lived in Pennsylvania for the entirety of the previous 10 years, print out and sign the disclosure statement located here. Make sure to have a witness sign too (can be spouse). You do not need to complete step 4.
4. If you are a volunteer who has not lived in Pennsylvania for the entirety of the previous 10 years, you will need to obtain a federal criminal history clearance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which requires the applicant to be fingerprinted. Instructions on how to obtain the FBI clearance can be found at https://www.identogo.com/LOCATIONS/PENNSYLVANIA. This link includes a full list of locations where this clearance can be completed, the closest of which is in King of Prussia. The fee for the FBI clearance is $23.85. Use the Service Code 1KG6ZJ.

Effective July 25, 2015, the $10 fee for obtaining the clearances in 1.1 and 1.2 has been waived for volunteers. Likewise, if you obtain the clearances as part of a volunteer role with BPALL, you may use them in volunteer positions with other organizations. Note that these clearances are generally valid for a 60-month period. If you already have the documents, and they are still valid, simply provide them to the team manager. You do not need to order again.

2. Submit the Completed Required Clearances to BPALL
After a coach has received all of the required clearances, please provide the completed forms to the team manager. The manager, once he obtains completed documents for his coaching staff, will forward all of the completed documents for their team to the League Director. The League Director will then forward the documents to Mike Loftus, once he has all teams. In the future we plan to have an upload process on the BPALL site.

3. Review Mandatory Reporting Obligations
All volunteers who are required to submit the clearances described above are considered “mandatory reporters” under Pennsylvania law. You should familiarize yourself with these requirements by visiting http://keepkidssafe.pa.gov, including the optional training programs that are available.

Mandatory reporters are obligated to make an immediate and direct report of suspected child abuse to ChildLine either electronically at https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis/public/home or by calling 1-800-932-0313. After making the report to ChildLine, you are required to immediately thereafter notify BPALL by sending an email to [email protected].

In addition, if you are arrested for or convicted of an offense that would constitute grounds for denying participation in BPALL, or are named as a perpetrator in the statewide database, you must notify the BPALL in writing within 72 hours.

Any questions about anything above can be directed to [email protected].