On-campus fingerprinting is available to those who are required by Pennsylvania Child Protective Service Laws (PA-CPSL) to complete an FBI Criminal History Record search as part of their employment or studies at Penn. 

This fingerprinting service is for active University faculty, staff, postdocs, and students only. Penn Human Resources does not offer fingerprinting services to the public.

Special Instructions for Mental Health, Medical/Clinical, Childcare, and Student Volunteers

If your activity with minors falls into one of these categories: Mental Health Professional, Medical/Clinic Staff, or Licensed Childcare Employee, please contact Human Resources at backgroundchecks@hr.upenn.edu to request specific directions for the appropriate PA-CPSL searches.

If you are a student volunteer, please contact your organization for instructions.

Employees and volunteers of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), please visit www.pennmedicine.org/employee-resources or call (215) 615-2675 for guidance.

General Registration Instructions

If your activity with minors does not involve mental health care, medical/clinical work, or licensed childcare, download and follow the FBI Criminal History Record Search Registration Instructions. (PennKey log in required for access).

Before you use the on-campus fingerprinting for the PA-CPSL FBI - Criminal History Record search, you must complete a two-part registration.

1. Using the codes and other required information provided in the Criminal History Record Search Registration Instructions, complete the IdentoGo online pre-enrollment form.
2. Once you complete IdentoGo pre-enrollment, go to the Onboard@Penn scheduling site to select a time and date to be fingerprinted at the at 3601 Walnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19104, second floor. Pre-registration is required.
   
   At your Onboard@Penn fingerprinting appointment, you must present the following:
   • Your IdentoGo pre-enrollment confirmation email.
   • A valid form of state or federal identification (Original, Unexpired Documents Only: out-of-date documentation, copies, scans, photos or electronic versions of IDs are prohibited by law).

 

Post Fingerprinting

After you have been fingerprinted, the FBI document will be emailed to you within 48 hours.

• The email subject is: DHS-OCYF Applicant Letter Ready.
• Do not open this email from your phone; please open the email from a computer. You get only one-time access to download and save the digital version of your FBI Criminal History document.
• Email a copy of that document to the Penn background check team.
• If you do not receive a digital copy, please reach out to us by email.

Next Steps

If you are part of a large program, please contact your program director to see if you need to request a search.

To complete the other two required searches, PATCH and PA Child Abuse Search, you must complete the Minors Program Background Check Request Form. After you submit your request, a search invitation will be issued to you by HireRight.

Employees

For paid faculty, staff, and students, we will not accept previously issued PA state documents. The University will issue both PA state searches - the Pennsylvania Criminal History Record (PATCH) and the Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance. 

A previously issued FBI fingerprint search will be accepted provided it is registered to PA and was issued within the last five years.

Volunteers

The University will accept previously issued PA state documents if they have been issued within the last five years. 

Out-of-state volunteers may provide comparable documentation from their state of origin provided they are working less than 90 days in a calendar year.

Penn Lab and Summer Programs Resources

Penn Environmental Health & Radiation Safety Lab and Research Facility Policies

• Policy on Students and Non-affiliates Participating in Research in Penn Research Facilities: for minors who are not Penn students
• Policy on Non-Affiliates Visiting Penn Research Facilities: for any visitors who are not Penn faculty, staff, graduate or professional students or post-doctoral/clinical trainees.  Non-affiliates include all elementary, high school and undergraduate students.
• Parental Consent & Release Form: for high school students working in Penn labs

Penn Special Summer Programs Resource Packet

Reporting Contacts

Need to report a case of suspected child abuse? Reports can be made orally or in writing. Any person with a reporting obligation who suspects a minor (as defined in the Protecting Minors on Campus Policy) participating in any University program is the victim of abuse or neglect (irrespective of whether such abuse is on campus, at home, or elsewhere) must report such abuse or neglect as follows: 

1. A reporter making an oral and/or written report of suspected child abuse or neglect must immediately notify the Division of Public Safety, Special Services, at 215.898.4481 (215.898.6600 off-hours).
2. An oral report of suspected child abuse or neglect must be made to the Department of Human Services at 800-932-0313 (“ChildLine”).  This number is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.  Further information about child-abuse reporting is available online at http://keepkidssafe.pa.gov.
3. A reporter making an oral report shall also make a written report to the department or county agency assigned the case, in the manner and format prescribed by the department. Assistance in making this report shall be provided to the reporter by the Division of Public Safety, Special Services. 

More Information

Visit the Keep Kids Safe website at KeepKidsSafe.pa.gov for lots of useful information and additional resources. 

Have a question about the background check process for programs involving minors? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Questions

The Penn Employee Solution Center is available to help with any questions Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5pm.Call is 215-898-7372 or email solutioncenter@upenn.edu to connect to a specialist.